Festival Bang!
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Festival Bang! |
| Dates: | 2017-present |
| Frequency: | annual |
| Location: | Originally in Lisbon and now in Gaia, Portugal |
| Type: | fan-run? |
| Focus: | science fiction and fantasy, comics, gaming, anime |
| Organization: | Bang! |
| Founder: | Luís Corte Real |
| Founding Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | https://festival-bang.com/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Festival Bang! is a fan-run, multi-fandom convention originally held in Lisbon and currently in Gaia, Portugal. The convention's slogan is "O teu Festival de Cultura Pop" (Your Pop culture festival, in English). It is currently free to attend, but originally fans had to purchase tickets through TicketLine.
It's common for fannish discussion panels to be part of the con. These include topics such as meta discussions, character development and worldbuilding of fans' favourite fandoms. There's a lot of focus on showcasing writers and incentivising creative thinking.
The con's Artists Alley is multifaceted, helping showcase artists from many different areas, such as crocheting, illustration and traditional Portuguese arts. The con is usually hosted in a traditional Portuguese building of some cultural significance, adding to the ambiance of the occasion.
History
Festival Bang! is an annual event held in Portugal dedicated to the celebration of Bang!, an imprint of Edições Saída de Emergência which publishes some of the most popular Fantasy, Science Fiction, Alternate History and Horror books in Portugal. With a catalogue of more than 250 titles, including the best-selling books “Game of Thrones” by George R. R. Martin, Bang! has introduced beautiful and strange imaginary worlds to a new generation of readers. This year’s edition will take place on the 28th October, in Lisbon, at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes.Festival Bang! Website "About us" section 2018 (English version of the Website) https://web.archive.org/web/20180828012511/https://festival-bang.com/
Programming
2017
The guest of honour was Anne Bishop. The con established most of its current events, such as literary discussions (tertúlias) and book signings, as well as the cosplay competition[1]. The Portuguese Steampunk League (Liga de Steampunk de Lisboa) was also part of the event[2].
2018
The guest of honour this year was Robin Hobb[3][4].
Regarding the program, there will be cosplay, an extraordinary art exhibition on the work of H. P. Lovecraft , music, comics, games, book panels and autograph sessions. In our second edition, we are delighted to welcome Robin Hobb, a fantasy novelist, author of “The Realm of the Elderlings”, winner of multiple awards globally.2018 Festival Bang! Website greeting text (English version of the Website) https://web.archive.org/web/20190829052818/https://festival-bang.com/category/noticias/
2019
The con was cancelled due to "many reasons"[5].
2020
The con was cancelled due to the Corona Virus Pandemic[6], but originally Joe Abercrombie was the guest of honour[7]. The con was also not planned for the following years for similar reasons. Even so, the con resumed some of its online activities, for example, showcasing new books, both national releases and translations in Portuguese, like Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow, called "Viúva de Ferro" in Portugal[8]. Fans can purchase the autographed book from the organization behind Bang! magazine, Saída de Emergência, for this reason.
2023
The main guests of the year were Kate Dramis, Fernando Ribeiro, Luís Corte Real, Filipe Faria, George R.R. Martin (online guest) and Bernard Cornwell (online guest) amongst others. The band Moonspell was also part of the con[9]. The con was hosted in the Corpus Cristi Convent in Gaia, Portugal. Besides entry being completely free this year, the first 100 cosplayers to arrive on site also received con goodies.
References
- ^ Video of the 2017 Festival Bang! programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkZgrgSDPxI&ab_channel=Sa%C3%ADdadeEmerg%C3%AAncia
- ^ News article about the presence of the League at the con https://web.archive.org/web/20200815022301/https://festival-bang.com/2018/09/20/steampunk-no-festivalbang/
- ^ Video of the 2018 Festival Bang! programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MsFqjs7Sto&ab_channel=Sa%C3%ADdadeEmerg%C3%AAncia
- ^ Video of the 2018 Festival Bang! recap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDWpgyxkYhM&ab_channel=Sa%C3%ADdadeEmerg%C3%AAncia
- ^ Portuguese National News Article regarding the two missed years of Festival Bang!, 2019 and 2020 https://observador.pt/2023/02/13/festival-bang-regressa-este-ano-com-mais-dias-e-maior-diversidade/
- ^ Cancellation notice for Festival Bang! 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200815020814/https://festival-bang.com/
- ^ Video of the 2020 Festival Bang! programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCMhrUYhqOA&ab_channel=Sa%C3%ADdadeEmerg%C3%AAncia
- ^ Xiran Jay Zhao's greeting video for Portuguese fans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU8YUt8jw7o&ab_channel=Sa%C3%ADdadeEmerg%C3%AAncia
- ^ Video of the 2023 Festival Bang! recap https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy04Sj2MjXh/