New Brunswick Gets its Own Comic-Con with Fundy Fan Fest
Organizers of a new festival hope to put New Brunswick on the map in the world of Canadian comic conventions.
Fundy Fan Fest, taking place Aug 25 to 27, will be Saint John’s premiere festival celebrating all things sci-fi, fantasy, comics, anime, steampunk and horror.
Festival director Jessica MacLeod says the idea for the festival came about two years ago when the city’s tourism organization Discover Saint John approached the city’s comic book store, Heroes Beacon about creating an event similar to Halifax or Montreal comic-cons, but Saint John-style.
“About two years ago we started really laying the groundwork, doing our homework, [finding out] what people here were interested in and then over that time reached out to the community, saw what the interest was and that’s where it was born,” says MacLeod.
The inaugural Fundy Fan Fest will feature a variety of panels and events. This year’s guests include sci-fi actors Anthony Lemke and Erick Avari. Kevin Smith of Clerk’s fame will also be recording an episode of his podcast Fat Man on Batman at the festival. Other guests include comic artists J. Torres, Tony White and Elise Yeakley and cosplay group Maritime Ghostbusters, among many others.
“For our first festival, we are really trying to pull together that community, the community that enjoys meeting sci-fi stars and follows comic books and cosplayers, really channelling people who are really into pop culture,” says MacLeod.
Fundy Fan Fest will also have a family-friendly component, with Mariner Partners sponsoring a kids’ “learning lab” which will host different activities for kids throughout the weekend.
“We wanted to have the family aspect too so your whole family could go for the weekend and find something to do,” says MacLeod.
The business of starting any kind of festival is a gamble, especially in a market like New Brunswick where for many, money is tight and people tend to wait until the last minute to purchase tickets. With that in mind, exactly how many people will attend Fundy Fan Fest is unknown. But MacLeod says she’s hopeful they’ll see between 1,000 to 1,500 people attend throughout the weekend.
“It is our first year and I can’t say we’ll have a thousand people there solid on Saturday, but I’d like to see between 1,000-1,500 pass through our doors between Friday and Sunday,” she says.
Fundy Fan Fest will be yet another addition to summer events and festivals such as Fundy Fringe Festival, Area 506 and Quality Block Party taking place in uptown Saint John. MacLeod says it’s time for the city to have its own comic-con festival.
“I feel good going Uptown on the weekends and seeing how it’s changing and people want to have more exciting events, and they want to go out and they want to bring more life into the uptown,” she says. “I feel like it’s the time.”
Organizers also see Fundy Fan Fest as a way to bridge the gap between Halifax’s Hal-Con and Montreal Comic-Con.
“I think there’s enough room for all three of us to do what we want to do and still bring different types of events into the community,” says MacLeod.
But in order to do that, Fundy Fan Fest needs support from the community. Whether you’re a hardcore sci-fi or comic fan, or just want to buy a single-day pass to check it out, MacLeod says the festival needs the community’s support to continue and grow.
“Just let your freak flag fly and come out for the weekend and have a great time,” says MacLeod.