GalactiCon 2023: Getting Ready for a New Beginning

 

After our bellies have been filled with turkey and you've done some black Friday shopping, it's time to get your con on. Even though it is the second to last major con of the year, this con is super special. Not long ago StarFest, Colorado's oldest scifi con, closed its doors for the last time. Now this year we are going to experience the birth of a new con, GALACTICON. I know that it is putting the pressure on the con to live up to its predecessor, but high hopes we have anyway. Like so many Colorado cons, it will be doing it's first year at the Marriott Tech Center.

4900 S. Syracuse St., Denver CO

The Con's website is: https://www.galacticondenver.com/

Tickets/Merch

Tickets range from $20-$160. https://www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=7003

They also have stickers, reusable bags, and t-shirts. I'm actually a fan of their design for this year.

Even though they picked one of the busiest weekends of the year to host the con, this image represents more then just the holiday that the con is coming right after. It shows all different fandoms coming together to share in fun. 

Events

Opening ceremonies start at 4pm on Friday and then they have panels and game rooms. There is also a lot of Klingon events as well. There will also be a costume contest and the Gala. Even the line up makes this con really feel like StarFest.

There will also be live podcast including us, Geeked Colorado. This will be our first live podcast so the nerves are out a little, lol. Ours will be Sunday at 11:30am. Others that will be there as well: The Brett Allan Show, Dice Tower Theatre, Humanist Trek, The Points of Interest Podcast, The Smuggler's Dispatch.

Guests

This year the main lineup is: Omid Abtahi, Ming Chen, Denise Crosby, J.G. Hertzler, Jesse James Keitel, Ross Marquand, Ross Mullan, Mason Alexander Park, Todd Stashwick, and Rick Worthy

Additional Guests: Carrie Vaughn (Author), Colossal Senpai (Cosplayer), Dan Madsen (founder of both the official clubs for Star Trek and Star Wars), Jason Martin (illustrator), Matt Haslam (Visual Effects Artist) and more

Groups and more: Cap for Kids, Denver Cycle Sluts, Geek-Garage, House Vampyr, LANFest Colorado, DENLUG, Denver Astromech Builders Club, Mandalorian Mercs Cerar Clan, and 501st Mouuntain Garrison

Hotel and Surrounding Area

This hotel doesn't have good food in its restaurant and it is super overpriced (but the over priced part seems to be normal for hotels). At the same time, if you want to walk to food there is not much near by. The closest is going to be either Wendy's and Snooze. This place also now charges for parking. Back in the day this hotel used to have free parking, but around the time that they did the horrible remodel in which they got rid of their balconies they also installed drop gates, making people pay for parking. Other hotels have free parking for con goers so we can only hope that the people who run Galacticon did not lock themselves into a three year contract so that they get get a better hotel that doesn't nickel and dime visitors. 

Top Picture From: https://www.galacticondenver.com/

Second Picture From: https://www.galacticondenver.com/merchandise/

Bottom Picture From: https://www.facebook.com/GalactiConDenver