THIS JUST IN from our good friends and fellow podcasters at the Multiverse, Asheville’s geek-tastic fan group! GeekOut 2013 has been officially announced to take place on May the 4th at the UNC Asheville Sherrill Center and Kimmel Arena.
So many great things look like they’re being planned. Can’t wait to share more as it becomes available!
Here is the full official press release:
Second Annual GeekOut Convention to Bring Guests, Costumes, Games, Programming to UNCA’s Sherrill Center
ASHEVILLE, NC — Multiverse Asheville will host GeekOut 2013 on May 4 at a new location, UNCA’s Sherrill Center and Kimmel Arena. The second installment of “WNC’s popular arts convention” will celebrate all aspects of pop culture, from film, television, and animation to costuming, comics, and stage performance.
The convention will feature celebrity guest appearances and panels, two full days of tabletop and card gaming, a film and animation track, and workshops on independent filmmaking and writing for science fiction. Two performance stages will showcase theatrical and musical acts from across the Southeast. Live-action fighting and stunt demonstrations will also take place throughout the event.
The GeekOut exhibitor hall will host an intergalactic bazaar of vendors with extensive collections of exotic memorabilia for sale, and the ZaPow Artist Alley will invite talented local artists and industry professionals to showcase their illustrations and artisanal crafts.
One of GeekOut’s new features will be KidzCon, a special track of programming specifically developed for young fans ages 4-12. “Many families with children attend conventions like ours, but never find programming specifically for them,” said Janae Foster, KidzCon director for GeekOut. “KidzCon celebrates the way superheroes and science fiction can deliver the concepts of science, reading, and imagination.”
GeekOut was first assembled last May by Asheville’s fan and gaming community after the announcement that Fanaticon, another Asheville convention that took place in 2010 and 2011, would not be returning. Shortly after the 2012 convention was successful, UNCA approached Multiverse with an invitation to relocate and expand the annual celebration.
“We’re really excited to team up with UNCA this year,” said Multiverse founder and GeekOut director Ken Krahl. “The Sherrill Center is perfect for what we have in mind for GeekOut this year and for all the ways we plan to grow in the years to come.”
Local partners currently contributing to GeekOut 2013 include ZaPow gallery, TopFloorStudio, GameXcape, The Wyvern’s Tale, and The Deck Box, with additional organizations and businesses bringing new content on a daily basis.
The festivities will begin with all-day tabletop gaming and an evening sci-fi burlesque kickoff party Friday, May 3, and will continue with the main program at the Sherrill Center on Saturday, May 4. Registration is scheduled to open on the website, geekoutavl.org, April 1.
Multiverse Asheville is Western North Carolina’s premiere organization for geek culture, including gaming, comics, film, television, costuming, convention-life, and collecting. The group hosts events year-round in support of the geek community and local businesses associated with it. GeekOut 2013 is the second annual Asheville-based convention sponsored by the Multiverse.
Click here for more info about GeekOut 2013.
