After conducting two summer conventions of fiction, games and science fiction, the 2017 FantaSTikon will be held much earlier this year – from March 17-19, 2017 at FESB.
FantaSTikon is the first and only convention on the subject of fiction, games and science fiction in Split and its surrounding areas. The first two editions have shown that there is great interest in this kind of event – despite high temperatures and modest means of production. The first FantaSTikon three-day program attracted over 300 (mostly young) visitors and another over 400 visitors. The core of the organizers and volunteers ensures that the rich program, which was also attended by over 100 speakers, is the leader of attractive workshops and exhibitors for fiction and science fiction.
Particularly noteworthy is the fact that almost half of the festival program each year is dedicated to local authors, which promotes the Dalmatian scene before an audience. Strong names such as Aleksandar Žiljak, Zlatko Gall, the Popović brothers from studio Lemonade3D, Iva Hasperger, Boro Pavlović, Vladimir Mario Davidenko, Ivan Perić and Nikola Godinović have all been part of the event.
Over the past two years, there were over 30 evenings of modern social games under the theme “Let’s play!” in cooperation with InfoZona and five days of social games, some of which even had international character (everywhere in the world a day of social games were held at the same time, under the coordination and cooperation of Geek & Sundry). The University of Split even hosted their honorary member, Martin Ričko, a Croatian scientist who worked at NASA for over 10 years.
For this year, the third edition of FantaSTikon has prepared an excellent program that will surely attract even more visitors than in previous years, and this time in the more comfortable season of mid-March. The third edition FantaSTikona will continue to focus on local artists and the development of the local scene, but will also provide visitors “a taste” of international creativity.
This year’s event will host Korado Korlević, the most famous Croatian astronomer from the Istrian observatory in Višnjan who discovered more than 1,000 asteroids and even has two comets named after him. From Zadar arrives Ph. D. Josip Ćirić, the famous and multifaceted Zadar University professor whose lectures are always very attended.
From Split will attend Kristina Bilota Toxicpanda, known for her graphic work which even plays a part on the visuals for the current FantaSTikon poster.
The famous and award-winning author Milena Benini from Zagreb will also be in attendance, as well as Aleksander Žiljak who, in addition to being a regular guest of the first two FantaSTikon events, is an extremely well-known writer and illustrator in Croatia and abroad, and the guest of honor at the European Convention Eurocon 2017.
Part of FantaSTikon will be dedicated to the very famous and marketed Harry Potter series, as this year is the 20th anniversary of the first publication of the novel. And since the first day of the third FantaSTikona falls on the Irish national patron Saint Patrick, the event has decided to devote part of the convention to Ireland.
In addition to lectures, demonstrations, presentations, and workshops that cover a very wide range of topics, the always popular event in cosplay and the large Geek Trivia Quiz will be organized, with this year’s visitors offered a playroom of (mostly) modern social games from over one hundred titles.
You can find more information on the FantaSTikon event here.
