London Korean Festival 2015

This year's London Korean Festival was held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 9 August between 12:00 - 20:00. The cultural event had Korean food, music, performances, art and activities.

The stage had music from K-Pop and Rock music bands f(x) and Guckkasten as well as breakdance performances from Jingo Crew and Soul Mavericks. Other performances given came in the from of traditional Korean dances by Yung Myung Hwan Dance Company as well as modernised performances from the Yeon Hee Company. Instrumental music performances were provided by PAN and 4 in Nori. The stage was designed as a catwalk to also showcase the Korean fashion.

There are four "themed zones": Tourism Zone, Food Zone, Contents Zone and Brand Zone. The Tourism was completely packed and there was hardly any way of getting there without a long wait. There were chances to enter a competition with GoKorea for a trip for two to South Korea. I got there around peak lunchtime so queues for the Korean food stalls were lining up along the walls of the Square. The Contents Zone had activities ranging from reading Korean comics through physical books to mediums of technology to fashion. The Brand Zone showcased the latest Korean-based car brands and technology.

 

The K-Music 2015 festival is to be held later this year with music and performances across London through September. You can find out more about it at serious.org.uk/K-Music.

#LondonKoreanFestival

MCM London Comic Con Winter 2014

MCM London Comic Con is an event happens two times a year on the last weekend of May and October. The event is held in the Excel Centre in east London. The winter con this year on Friday 24^th to Sunday 26^th October.

I would say that MCM in many ways is like the London Film and Comic Con but incorporates more of the Japanese culture into their events. You will find manga and anime here which you would scarcely see in LFCC. Like LFCC, MCM has cosplay, video games, television, film, signing and photoshoots and gaming (board and trading card games). The size of this event is on a grand scale with almost no space to manoeuvre once you put a foot through the door. Even with pre-booked tickets it took me just over 45 minutes to get in and I also noticed that the general entry ticket line seems to be non-existent though compared to the pre-booked queue.

I’m no stranger to MCM and started attending two years ago but there have been people there that have been attending years and years. I think I must attended the last year when it was known as MCM London Expo. It just grew massively between the years and the growth does not seem in any way to slow down. When I first attended, they had one hall for queuing and one hall for the whole convention. Now the event is spread out in a double sized hall with a additional hall this time for a Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament and the queuing system is still finding its way in facilitating the increasing amount of attendees that are crossing through the doors.

Here are some of the things that happened in October this year:

• EuroCosplay – This year marks the 5^th anniversary of the EuroCosplay Championships which sees competitors across Europe compete to gain the elusive title and join the ranks of European Cosplay Champions.
• MCM Theatres – Panels with television and film guests as well as scheduled showing of film trailers.
• Vidfest – Social media peeps with scheduled panel discussions and Q&A.
• Pop Asia – An area that dedicates to Asian culture, food, music and fashion.
• MCM eSports – video gaming tournament with a winning of a cash prize pool and exhibition area of related stalls and shops.
• MCM Comic Village – comic book artists ranging from indie to mainstream are here for signings, drawings and discussions.

The next ones in May 2015 so I’m waiting in anticipation on how the queuing system will turn out this time round. My geek hat will come on when it comes down to getting that geek loot of comics and merchandise. You can check out MCM’s website to find out of any upcoming news and announcements.
 #mcmLDN2014

London Film and Comic Con Summer 2014

The London Film and Comic Con is an event that occur two times a year in West London, which features signings, talks, selling and showings centring around film, television and comics. The summer con was held on 11th – 13^th July 2014.

The hotly anticipated appearance of Stan Lee at the event was most certainly going to create a major craze and send the place into complete lockdown. Stan Lee photo tickets were instantly leaving all latecomers (including me) with no chance to get that photograph with the legend himself.

Earls Court 2

Earls Court 2 hall had television and film star signings and photoshoots, panels, stalls selling memorabilia, Anime Zone, Cosplay Zone and Comic Zone with various foodies lined up on the side of the hall.

Brompton Hall

Elevator leading on to the first floor and a lift down, the Brompton Hall holds the Artists Valley, Video Game Zone and a line for Stan Lee that snakes the whole room.

I came across The Pride published by Queer Comix with the premise being Fab Man who finds no LGTBQ representations, forms the group “The Pride” which combats against supervillains that reflect real life issues that LGTBQ face in society. Issue 1 was sold out so opted to get the bundle deal of issue 2 and 3 plus Pride Adventures. You can find it on Comixology and can also be purchased in physical and digital depending on availability at this link. The day ended with a photoshoot with Milo Ventimiglia which was a dream come true as I’m a HUGE fan of Heroes.

Next summer, the tickets are all pre-booked to anticipate the high volumes of attendees. Further details can be found on their website. Tickets for winter on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th September 2014, can be bought on the day and on the website.

#LFCC2014