The International Discworld Convention, also known as DWCon, is a biennial science fiction convention held in the United Kingdom on even-numbered years. DWCon was first held in 1996 by members of the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.pratchett.[1][2]
| Discworld Convention | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Location(s) | United Kingdom |
| Inaugurated | 1996 |
| Website | http://www.dwcon.org/ |
The DWCon is a fan-run convention focussing on the Discworld novels and other works by Terry Pratchett. The programme has several events that appear each time such as the Gala Dinner, Maskerade (spelled in this manner due to Pratchett's novel of the same name), Charity Auction, Guest of Honour Interview, and "Terry's Bedtime Stories". The conventions regularly feature large attendee-run groups that have been known variously as Guilds and Sects. There are also smaller events such as interviews, games and competitions, guest klatches, and other activities.[3]
History
editThe convention has been held in the UK since 1996.[2] The conventions have been held at various different hotels. A planned convention in 2000 (Titled 'MilleniCon Hand and Shrimp') had to be cancelled for financial reasons, but the conventions have been run every two years since.
While Sir Terry once made a point of attending every UK-based Discworld Convention (and many of the non-UK conventions) as guest of honour, the Convention announced on 1 July 2014 that he would be unable to attend in person for health reasons, but that he would appear in an on-camera Q&A session from his home instead.[4]
| # | Year | Dates | City | Title | Guest of Honour | Other Guests | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1996 | 28–30 June | Manchester, UK | The Discworld Convention | Sir Terry Pratchett | Josh Kirby, Stephen Briggs | |
| 2nd | 1998 | 18-21 Sept | Liverpool, UK | The Second Discworld Convention | Sir Terry Pratchett | ||
| 3rd | 2002 | 16–19 August | Hinckley, UK | Discworld Convention | Sir Terry Pratchett | ||
| 4th | 2004 | 20–23 August | Hinckley, UK | Discworld Convention | Sir Terry Pratchett | Bernard Pearson | |
| 5th | 2006 | 18–21 August | Hinckley, UK | Sir Terry Pratchett | Bernard Pearson | ||
| 6th | 2008 | August | Birmingham, UK | Sir Terry Pratchett | |||
| 7th | 2010 | August | Birmingham, UK | Sir Terry Pratchett | |||
| 8th | 2012 | 24–27 August | Birmingham, UK | The Eighnnnnnnn Discworld Convention | Sir Terry Pratchett | Colin Smythe, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Rob Wilkins, Lionel Fanthorpe, Stephen Baxter, Bernard Pearson, Jaqueline Simpson, Stephen Briggs, Ian Mitchell | 950 |
| 9th | 2014 | 8–11 August | Manchester, UK | The Ankh-Morpork Grand Exhibition | The Black Hat "to represent Terry in absentia" (Sir Terry Pratchett attending by video link)[4] | Rob Wilkins ("representing The Hat for the whole Convention"), Bernard Pearson, Colin Smythe, Stephen Briggs, Ian Mitchell, Reb Voyce, Jacqueline Simpson, Jack Cohen, Ian Stewart, Daniel Knight, Ben Aaronovitch[4] | |
| 10th | 2016 | 26–29 August | Warwick, UK | The Band with Rocks In | Rob Wilkins, Bernard Pearson, Colin Smythe, Daniel Knight, Ian Mitchell, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Jacqueline Simpson, Ray Friesen, Reb Voyce, Stephen Briggs, David Brashaw, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Mark Oshiro[5] | ||
| 11th | 2018 | 3–6 August | Kenilworth, Warwick, UK | Guards! Guards! | Rob Wilkins, Bernard Pearson, Colin Smythe, Ian Mitchell, Reb Voyce, Stephen Briggs | ||
| 12th | 2022 | 19–22 August | Birmingham, UK | Lancre | Colin Smythe, Stephen Briggs, Ian Mitchell, Pat Harkin, Reb Voyce, Phil Masters, Ben Aaronovitch, Jodi Taylor, Marc Burrows[6] | ||
| 13th | 2024 | 2-6 August | Birmingham, UK | The Chalk | Brick-Morpork, Stephen Briggs, Marc Burrows, Diane Duane, Jan Harkin, Pat Harkin, Phil Masters, C.K. McDonnell, Joe McLaren, Peter Morwood, Colin Smythe, Ian Stewart, Jodi Taylor, The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret, Reel Rebels[7] |
References
edit- ^ "The Discworld Convention". The L-Space Web. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ a b Leo Breebaart (28 January 1996). "TRIVIA: The alt.fan.pratchett Timeline - Year 4". Newsgroup: alt.fan.pratchett. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "What Can I Expect At The Discworld Convention". International Discworld Convention. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ a b c Fraser, Simon (1 July 2014). "Guest of Honour News". The International Discworld Convention. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "2016 Discworld Convention Guest List". Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- ^ 2022 Discworld Convention Guest List
- ^ 2024 Discworld Convention Guest List