I am very excited to be able to feature Thames Con which is taking place on 28th April 2019 in Abingdon. This is Thames Con’s second year and having seen the plans it looks fab! Thames Con is about celebrating the world of comics, TV and film through activities, celebrity guests, cosplay and more. Better still, it’s a completely family friendly event right on our doorstep!
What Is Thames Con?
Thames Con is a variety convention taking place at Abingdon and Witney College on 28th April 10am-5pm. The convention will include well known guest speakers, workshops to take part, steam punk and Lego displays, traders, cosplay and more. Visitors are welcome to come dressed as their favourite character to really get in to the spirit of things! As well as being a fun event, there is an important charitable ethos to the event. Last year over £500 was raised for the event’s partner charities. This year Thames Con have joined Team Fox to support The Michael J Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research. This is something very close to our hearts having recently lost a beloved friend to this disease. It’s great to see the event supporting such a worthy cause.
Who Will Be There?
So far confirmed celebrity guests include:
- Robert ‘Dangerous BoB’ Widin – prop master involved with films such as Back To The Future, Scarface, Harry and The Hendersons, Psycho II and III.
- Bill Hargreaves – prop master involved with films such as Star Wars, Gladiator, The Golden Compass, etc.
- Chris Bunn – Actor who has starred in various Star Wars, James Bond and Superman films, numerous war films, carry-on films and more.
- Hugh Spight – full body puppeteer and performer involved with Star Wars, The Dark Crystal, Elephant Man and Doctor Who.
- Louise Gold – puppeteer, actress, voice artist and singer. Louise has worked on most Henson projects including The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Muppets Christmas Carol and more.
- Robert Watts – producer involved in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, An American Tail, various Star Wars films, Indiana Jones, etc.
There are more still to be announced! The guests will give talks, Q&A sessions, meet and greets, autograph signings. There will even be a very special puppeteering workshop with Louise Gold.
What Else Is Happening?
As well as celebrity guests and talks there are lots of activities to enjoy throughout the day. These include:
Lego Exhibition
Steam Punk Exhibition
Professional cosplayers interacting with visitors
Model railway Ddsplay
TV and movie model display
Back To The Future Delorean car
Fire engine and police car
Jim Henson exhibition
Wide variety of trade stalls
Food area including crepes, burger van, sweets/cakes, Costa selling a range of sandwiches, drinks, snacks etc.
Any Activities For The Kids?
There are plenty of activities for the kids to take part in and enjoy. My kids are huge gaming geeks and will love the gaming room with various consoles and dance mats. There will be competitions with prizes held throughout the day in here. Face painting will be available, cosplay catwalk with prizes (so wear your favourite character outfit!), dance workshop, puppets workshop and photo opportunities with The Muppets! The whole family will have a great time!
So What Are The Details?
Tickets cost £10 for adults, £8 for students/concessions and £5 for kids (under 5s are free!). This includes access to all the exhibits, talks and most workshops. A small number of workshops will have an additional fee to cover the cost of materials. There is plenty of free on-site parking. The event takes place 10am-5pm and will be a pretty jam-packed day. I would recommend buying your tickets online in advance to save you queuing up to pay on the day. For further details check out the Thames Con website at https://thamescon.co.uk/home
*AD – we have been gifted tickets in return for featuring this event
