Programme

The programme tends to fall into place in the couple of months leading up to the convention, but as an indication of the kinds of things to expect, the programme for the 2009 event included a one-act play written and performed by Reggie Oliver, a stand-up routine by magician (and fantasy author) John Lenahan, a full programme of panels and readings, interviews with the guests of honour, and a variant of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue featuring Jasper Fforde as a panelist.

Some fixtures can be expected to return:

• • The Banquet, which in recent years has taken place on Saturday evening. This is the one event at FantasyCon which requires an additional payment, to cover the cost of food and wine.

  • The British Fantasy Awards, in recent years a one-hour ceremony following the banquet.

  • The BFS Annual General Meeting, usually on Sunday morning. Alternative programming will be available for those whose heads are too tender from the previous night's festivities to face all the shouting – and for those many other people who just aren't interested!

  • Book launches. There are always many, many book launches at FantasyCon, often with a free drink on offer for those who get to the bar quickly enough! PS Publishing have already announced the launch of Allen Ashley's Catastrophia on the Saturday, while Pendragon Press also plan to launch at least one book there.

  • Area 51. Designated tables in each bar where anyone attending for the first time, or who has travelled on their own, can congregate. Organised by Di Lewis, this was a huge success last year, and not just with newbies!

Souvenir Programme

If you want to get a taste of FantasyCon 2009, we have a few copies left of last year's Souvenir Programme, featuring writing, stories and interviews from and with our guests of honour: Jasper Fforde, Brian Clemens and Gail Z. Martin. Log in to PayPal and use it to send £5 to fantasycon2009@gmail.com and we'll pop a copy in the post.