NornCon, a brand new science fiction and fantasy convention in Belfast, took place on the 8th & 9th May at the Hilton Belfast, and after spending the weekend there I’m already hoping it returns next year.
First impressions really matter for a new convention, and NornCon immediately felt welcoming and relaxed. It had the atmosphere of a cosy local convention while still managing to pack in a strong programme across the weekend. One thing I particularly appreciated was the half-hour breaks between programme items, which made moving between rooms much less stressful and gave people time to chat in corridors, browse tables, or just catch their breath before the next panel.
Friday night was the literature evening and it was one of the highlights of the convention for me. Over the course of the evening we heard readings from seventeen authors alongside the two Guests of Honour, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Anna Smith Spark. There’s something special about hearing authors read their own work aloud; even short excerpts can leave you wanting to immediately hunt down the book afterwards. It felt like a celebration of storytelling in all its forms.
During the weekend I moderated two panels: “To Reboot or Not to Reboot” and “It’s Ireland But Not As We Know It”.
The reboot panel featured Ruth Frances Long, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Sam Poots, and turned into a lively discussion about why some reboots work while others completely miss the point. Robin Hood came up repeatedly as the perfect example of a story that gets reinvented for every generation. We also discussed favourite reboots, with Sam choosing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ruth picking Fantasy Island, and Sarah choosing Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The conversation flowed naturally and the overall conclusion seemed to be that reboots are perfectly fine — as long as they are done well.
My second panel, “It’s Ireland But Not As We Know It”, featured Peadar Ó Guilín, Jo Zebedee, Stephen Daly, and Byddi Lee. It was another excellent discussion, this time focused on Ireland through the lens of speculative fiction. The panel had a great flow and covered a range of ideas around fantasy, speculative fiction, and imagined versions of Ireland. I do regret not taking notes because there were several excellent observations during the discussion that I wish I could properly quote now.
Outside my own panels, one of my favourite programme items was the interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky conducted by Ian McDonald. I also really enjoyed “The Best of SF & Fantasy No One Has Heard Of”, moderated by David Green with panelists Jack Kirwan, Mike Chinn, and Sam Poots, which added several more titles to my ever-growing reading list.
The convention also had a strong community feel to it. Across the weekend I chatted with guests, fans, traders, and fellow attendees, which is one of the things smaller conventions often do best. I also picked up the very first issue of Sci-Fi Ireland magazine, launched at the convention on the Saturday, as well as Jo Zebedee’s Into a Blood Red Sky.
The evening ended perfectly at Trevor Kennedy’s disco, where he seemed pleasantly surprised when I requested Where’s Me Jumper by Sultans of Ping F.C..
By the end of the weekend I was definitely tired, but very happy. NornCon already feels like a convention with real potential, and if this first year is anything to go by, I’m looking forward to seeing it grow in the future.