For various reasons there is no Fortean Times UnConvention this year so some of us may well be suffering withdrawal symptoms. Whilst the UnCon is definitely the biggest and the best there are plenty of other meet ups to give us our annual fix of Forteana.
If you want a regular Fortean happening as previously blogged you could always start your own Fortean Society, I know of at least one person who is the early stages of doing so. But what about letting someone else do all the work and meeting a large number of like minded people in one go?
One of the regular events on the Fortean calendar is the CFZ's Weird Weekend. This years event takes place from the 17th to the 19th of August so not long away! There are still tickets available and the whole weekend looks fantastic. Having grown over the years the CFZ moved to new premises for Weird Weekend last year, Woolfardisworthy Community Centre, North Devon, and obviously pleased with the venue they return there for this years event. A range of speakers will appeal to all not just the cryptozoologists in the audience. From Weird Weekend regulars such as Nick Redfern, Ronan Coghlan and Richard Freeman through to new (for them) speakers such as Ian Simmons and Charles Paxton. The web site gives full details as well as information on how to get to Woolfardisworthy Community Centre, from my limited Weird Weekend experience it should be fun, personally the travel and dates make it impossible for me to attend, a great shame.
Next up there's an event of which you should be aware if you've been reading your Fortean Times properly. The Life Centre in Newcastle are having a Monster Weekend to tie in with their Myths and Monsters exhibition. This one takes place over the weekend of 1st and 2nd of September and is very conveniently placed for Newcastle train station (ie pretty much next door). The tickets are reasonably priced too - they're free although you do have to book in advance. Richard Freeman, Charles Paxton and Ian Simmons will be speaking making it a bit of a reunion for the Weird Weekend but there'll be plenty of UnCon stalwarts present as well - Gail-Nina Anderson, Jan Bondeson, Gordon Rutter (whoever he is) and even Loren Coleman, flying in especially from the States.
Also in September there is a one day event in Edinburgh on the 22nd. This event boasts such speakers as Caroline Watt of the Koestler Institute of Parapsychology, Ian Simmons (he gets everywhere), Gail-Nina Anderson, Gordon Rutter, Geoff Holder and Richard Freeman. Unlike the previous two events this has a more general theme - parapsychology, paranormal Scotland, mermaids and ET's to name some of the topics. All for a mere £10.
In case you think I'm being UKcentric here are some details of non UK events. The International Fortean Organization (INFO) has one of their regular meetings on the 4th and 5th of August - don't panic it's sold out so even if you could get to the Holiday Inn, Cumberland, MD, USA in time they wouldn't let you in. For those lucky ones with a ticket there will be talks on UFO's, sacred sites and ghosts and that's just the first day. On the second day there is the chance to participate in a ghost hunt! August the 29th to September the 10th sees INFO hosting a Mediterranean Cruise with such people as John Anthony West and an optional one week Egyptian tour at the end it should be excellent for those with the time and the money. From December the 9th to the 17th INFO will also be hosting a Caribbean Cruise.
And the first weekend of November there will be a Belgian Cryptozoology conference and the Sauniere Society are keeping themselves busy with a tour of Rennes-le-Chateau and surrounding area in the company of Henry Lincoln (10th to 18th of September) Please note the dates for this will also allow you to attend everything else mentioned here in September! October the 13th sees them hold a one day symposium in Folkestone, Kent and a similar event over the weekend of the 10th and 12th of November in Edinburgh. The advantage of the Edinburgh event over the Folkestone event is it doesn't clash with any weddings I might be attending so I should be able to make that one!
So there we are - ten possible events and there are a lot more out there - sometimes half the trouble is finding out about them! If you know of any that the rest of us should know about then add them into the comments section, and if you're going to any of these events let us know how they turn out.
I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
