The Opolcon Fantasy Festival - the largest free festival in Poland (from and for) fans of fantasy will take place from 16 to 18 September.
This year’s event will be the 9th edition, because Opolcon has been held since 2013. Previously under the name of the convention – today it is already a festival. As always, the participants will be hosted by the buildings of the Electrical School Complex and the Economic School Complex in Opole at Kościuszki Street. The program part will take place in “Elektrniczegoak”, and in “Ekonomik” participants will be able to rest or play with board games and RPGs or read comics.
The first edition attracted about 550 participants, and in 2021 there were 1,600 of them. Even more were at the earlier, 7th edition – then the number exceeded 2,100! The number of people involved in creating the event is also growing year by year. At the beginning, a handful of fans from the Opole Fantasy Club ‘Fenix’ started. Now over a hundred organizers, coordinators and volunteers help with Opolcona!
The event is co-financed by the Opole City Hall. This year it is connected, among other things, with changing the form of the event to a festival, so around the third weekend of September there will be a few accompanying events. They are planned, among others author meeting at the Municipal Public Library, RPG / LARP cosplay and theater workshops at the Youth Cultural Center. It is mainly thanks to the support from the city that the participants take advantage of various attractions, the number of which is growing every year.
There are many hours of lectures and discussions waiting for the participants, among which everyone will find something for themselves. The program of attractions includes, for example, meetings with authors with exceptional guests – writers, internet creators and artists. This year it will include Jacek Komuda (Galleons of War), Milena Wójtowicz (Tax), Anna Hrycyszyn (Zatopić ‘Unsinkable’), Wojciech Gunia (Bad universes), Łukasz Malinowski (Piastowski pendulum), Martina Mandera-Rzepczyńska (Tales of Baby Tina. Slavic myths for children) , Katarzyna Rupiewicz (Redlum) or Andrzej Ziemiański (series about Empress Achaia).
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the program that attracts the most people is the Cosplay Competition, which consists in presenting to the audience and the jury a self-made costume of any hero. The main prizes were funded by a project co-financed by the City of Opole.
Electronic entertainment, which enjoys crowds every year, is an important part of the event. The halls of the school will accommodate, among others, Game Studies at the University of Opole, thanks to which a special retro games room will be created. RC Offroad will also come to us with its collection of smaller and larger remote-controlled cars. E-sport tournaments will also be organized. Participants will compete in games such as Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, Pokemon GO pvp or Deluxe Ski Jump. Additionally, rooms for free play with GTA 2, Worms: Armageddon, Heroes of Might and Magic, Warcraft 3 will be available. Virtual Reality games will be available in the console room.
Speaking of games, let’s not forget about those that do not require electricity. The facility will include a Games Room filled to the brim with board games that you will be able to use all the time. There will also be attractions for RPG fans, i.e. stories in which players play the role of characters from a selected universe, and their fate is ruled by a cube (and not an ordinary one, because one with many more walls).
Opolcon is not only lectures, competitions and games. The corridors will also feature exhibitors offering fantastic items of all kinds – from handicrafts, through sweets and snacks, to official gadgets. All age groups are welcome.
For the youngest ones, we have a Children’s Block, where children will be able to develop artistically in a fantastic and safe way, while their parents will explore crazier attractions. There will also be some inspiring shows such as a knight’s fencing, dance workshops or a fire show by the ‘Mantikora’ Dance and Movement Theater.
There is a unique friendly atmosphere in Opolcona, which is why fantasy lovers come from all over Poland to feel the local atmosphere. From year to year, the event develops, offering more and more. This is evidenced by the growing number of participants and people who want to be part of the Opolcon organization. Undoubtedly, we kindle the flame of your imagination!
If you want to know more, go to the website .
