Credit: Otilia Dragan/Chronicle.lu
The 2024 edition of LuxCon, the annual fantasy and science fiction convention in Luxembourg took place at the Forum Geeseknäppchen in Luxembourg-Hollerich, marking the event’s tenth anniversary over the weekend.
Organised by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Society Luxembourg, this year's convention once again sprawled over the building. The Forum’s ground floor reunited vendors and artists, clubs and societies, workshops and a children’s corner as well as a cosplay corner featuring impressive armours and attire. Additionally, there was a tombola space and a bar lounge for visitors in need of a break. The first floor offered “programme points” for various conferences, while the second floor presented a variety of authors, artists and gaming spots. For those interested, there were tabletop and Role-Playing Games, video games and “Magic: the Gathering” on offer with plenty of experts and enthusiasts around.
The Saturday schedule included various workshops such as “The Scariest Part of the Artist’s Journey – The Perspective”, and “Warhammer & DND Modular Terrain Workshop”, as well as conferences like “Writing a Better World” and “Female Representation”. To bridge science fiction and realism, a Luxembourg Space Agency conference about Job Opportunities in the Space Industry was also held. The stage was ready for a cosplay walk later in the afternoon, and the evening would culminate on the eleventh annual LuxCo Geekquiz in the cafeteria area plus a Geekaraoke performance.
On Sunday, workshops available included a “Do It Yourself (DIY) Bookmark Workshop” and a workshop to make pins. Conferences and other activities were, among others: “Visual Design for Board Games”, “Queerness in Doctor Who”,“The Big Read”, “What’s All This Punk About” and “The Making of Yesterday’s Enterprise” by Eric Stillwell, Star Trek script coordinator. Cosplayers were able to participate in a group photo in the afternoon and the day concluded with the final cosplay contest plus a charity auction on the main stage.
The weather was warm and sunny on Saturday, allowing for a pleasant lunch outside with the variety of food trucks, burgers, drinks and snacks available. The weather on Sunday was similarly pleasant until the evening, offering cosplayers a chance to don their creations confidently around the area.
As usual, there was a vast array of art to discover, from sketches and manga to large, framed oil paintings. There were international snacks, drinks and sweets on offer, stuffed animals, books, steampunk and fantasy jewellery, crocheted and hand-made items on sale. An ever-pleasant element of the convention was discovering attendees’ creative cosplay disguises, from minimalist “Where’s Waldo” outfits to elaborate and gruesome monsters. The two days have proven (for over a decade already), to be a meeting spot for fans of all kinds of fandoms to make friends, purchase various items and meet like-minded enthusiasts of a vast array of media.
