Stelcon is back after 6 years. The Guild’s annual fan convention was held on the weekend of 9 and 10 August in Stellenbosch Town Hall. It hosted events such as a cosplay competition, a Magic: The Gathering tournament, and even a quiz with a R1000 prize. It was also an opportunity for local and up and coming artists to sell their arts and crafts.
The goal of Stelcon is to be a ComicCon-like event local to Stellenbosch. Started before ComicCon came to South Africa, it was made to increase the number of spaces where South Africans can celebrate fan culture. Unfortunately, Stelcon had been on hold since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. The Guild has made it their mission to get it started again.
The convention was a new experience for many of the people involved, and so the scope was kept small. “Our main goal this year was to revive it after Covid,” said Sam Morrick, third year BA (Language and Culture) student and secretary of The Guild. The venue was small, with a few events and a turnout of around 100 people.
“This was the first time I, or any of my team, have arranged an event of this scale and type, and the first time since 2019 our society has hosted Stelcon,” said Olivia Schenck, third year BA (Language and Culture) student, and chairperson of The Guild.
For many of the vendors, this was their first year selling their art at markets or doing art as a career full time. “I’m really glad we could provide a space for newer vendors and students to get a start in selling their work and gain experience for [markets and cons],” said Olivia Schenck, third year BA Language and Culture student and chairperson of The Guild.
Unplug Yourself, a South African based board game association, sponsored the event. They provided several board games, as well as staff that would teach attendees how to play them. They also provided the cash prize of R1000 for the boardgames, tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG’s) and trading card games (TCG).
Saturday’s cosplay competition consisted of contestants dressing up in costumes of famous characters and being judged on their performance and the costume itself. The quiz took place on Sunday, as well as Guild Commander Clash, a Magic the Gathering tournament. Throughout the weekend there were tables set up where game masters hosted TTRPG games, such as Dungeons and Dragons.
While the convention was a lot quieter than your average fan convention, it was a first for many in the Stellenbosch nerd scene, who plan to keep the ball rolling to better and better things.
By Nina Goosen
