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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
FantasyCon sets new location, new date for 2016
Posted By Scott Renshaw on December 17, 2014, 12:05 PM
FantasyCon, which held its first event at the Salt Palace in July 2014, announced its future plans at a press conference that gave the convention a new home and a new date.
FantasyCon founder Josh Patel was joined by Sandy mayor Tom Dolan for an announcement that the convention—which had an attendance of more than 55,000 guests July 2-4, 2014 at the Salt Palace—will be relocating to Sandy, with Sandy Expo Center serving as the primary convention venue and Megaplex Jordan Commons hosting the FilmQuest film festival. In addition, Patel said the next convention would be held June 2-4, 2016, to allow sufficient time for the logistics and creating of original art, including a 25-foot-wide, 15-foot-tall bronze water feature. "There was just not enough time ... to maintain that unique vision," said Patel about attempting to schedule a 2015 convention. He later added that the long-term goal is to be able to hold the convention annually.
While FantasyCon will be taking a one year hiatus, FilmQuest will be held in 2015 on June 18-27, according to festival organizer Jonathan Martin. A few special screenings and events are already set, including a screening of the rarely-seen 1974 Mormon-themed Spanish horror film The Dead, the Devil and the Flesh with director Jose Maria Oliveira, and a 30th anniversary celebration of Ridley Scott's Legend. The coming year will also see FantasyCon sponsoring several community-outreach projects, including the "Bleeding Heart Ball" charity event on Feb. 13, and a "Literacy Through Fantasy" program in conjunction with the Salt Lake County Library system.
Other confirmed events for the June 2016 FantasyCon include live jousting—complete with horses and full suits of armor—by Knights of Mayhem, and Lord of the Rings'' Billy Boyd visiting with his band Beecake.
FantasyCon founder Josh Patel was joined by Sandy mayor Tom Dolan for an announcement that the convention—which had an attendance of more than 55,000 guests July 2-4, 2014 at the Salt Palace—will be relocating to Sandy, with Sandy Expo Center serving as the primary convention venue and Megaplex Jordan Commons hosting the FilmQuest film festival. In addition, Patel said the next convention would be held June 2-4, 2016, to allow sufficient time for the logistics and creating of original art, including a 25-foot-wide, 15-foot-tall bronze water feature. "There was just not enough time ... to maintain that unique vision," said Patel about attempting to schedule a 2015 convention. He later added that the long-term goal is to be able to hold the convention annually.
While FantasyCon will be taking a one year hiatus, FilmQuest will be held in 2015 on June 18-27, according to festival organizer Jonathan Martin. A few special screenings and events are already set, including a screening of the rarely-seen 1974 Mormon-themed Spanish horror film The Dead, the Devil and the Flesh with director Jose Maria Oliveira, and a 30th anniversary celebration of Ridley Scott's Legend. The coming year will also see FantasyCon sponsoring several community-outreach projects, including the "Bleeding Heart Ball" charity event on Feb. 13, and a "Literacy Through Fantasy" program in conjunction with the Salt Lake County Library system.
Other confirmed events for the June 2016 FantasyCon include live jousting—complete with horses and full suits of armor—by Knights of Mayhem, and Lord of the Rings'' Billy Boyd visiting with his band Beecake.
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