DAY 1: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11
I was fortunate enough to get two badges for LeakyCon through a transfer for a very good price. I gave one badge to my friend Jess, who attended LeakyCon on Saturday and Sunday. My commute into the city on Friday was a long one due to the morning work commute traffic. The Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center are located in the Seaport area of Boston, which is one of the most expensive parts of Boston. Since I live fairly local, I commuted every day to avoid the high costs for the hotel. Unfortunately, we were hit by a very nasty Nor’easter for a few days and Friday was pretty horrendous to walk around near the Seaport area. It was very windy and it rained off and on.
I left my place pretty early on Friday so I can get in line to pick up my badge. Will call opened at 8:30 am. Because I had a Marauder’s badge, I wanted to take advantage of the 9:00 – 10:00 am Marauder’s badge exclusive hour for the Marketplace (aka vendor/dealer’s room and artist alley). I visited my usual go to’s like The Colorful Geek, Elhoffer Design, Jordandené and Fox Estacado Arts. However, I found some great artwork at PRL Creative and Alexandra Brodt Illustration. Kat Cave Studios showcased wonderful Harry Potter themed ceramics. I might have to consider Jayme Twins and Bright Threads Co. for future holiday gifts. Lapels and Spells/Laserbrain Patch Co. are the go to for amazing enamel pins and patches. They are located in NH! Speaking of enamel pins, check out BUNCEandBEAN. Lauren Fairweather is always wonderful to chat with. I love her music and her YouTube channel. Waxspurts Candle Co. had wonderful smelling candles and Pop Soap had delicious smelling soaps and bath and body products. Simona Sew Works displayed most Luna Lovegood items I have ever seen in one area. Tea & Absinthe carried an amazing array of tea and gifts. Unfortunately, Riddle’s Tea Shoppe couldn’t make it due to an unexpected emergency.
The Marketplace was fabulous! I love seeing how creative everyone is. The best part is the most things being sold at the Marketplace are Harry Potter themed. I love supporting independent artists and creators. After the Marketplace, I attended the Spotlight: Stanislav Yanesvski. For those who don’t know, Stanislav is the actor who was Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was an excellent panel. Great questions were asked by the moderator and the fans asked good questions as well. Afterwords, I attended Harry Potter in the Age of Activism: Why S.P.E.W. Failed and Dumbledore’s Army Thrived. The PowerPoint provided good information and it was visually pleasing. The two panelists work at Florida State University and handle a lot of student programming in a student development capacity. This was a very insightful panel and I hope to use some of this information I learned with students in the future.
I was already getting tired at LeakyCon so I skipped a panel slot or two so I can walk around and rest. I needed to refuel with food and water. The panel I was most exciting about for the day was Wait and See: Gatekeeping in the Wizarding World and Beyond. I love hearing about social justice issues within the Wizarding World since it hasn't been discussed in much detail until more recent years. Unfortunately, I had to miss the Ravenclaw Meetup during the same time slot, but at cons you really have to just stick with your gut instinct. It’s okay to miss some things and to talk care of yourself. Self-care is super important. Plus, some of the best memories at a con usually happen spontaneously. They are never planned. It’s all about being at the right place at the right time.
I ended the Day 1 of LeakyCon with a fabulous panel called Fantastic Scores and Who Conducts Them. The panelists discussed who their favorite HP soundtrack conductors are and also came up with a list of conductors who would have been a great fit to create music for the Wizarding World. We even got to hear some sound clips which was a nice addition to the panel.
I left the last panel a little early to walk back to the lobby of the Seaport Hotel in order to meet up with some friends who were heading to the Committee for Mediterranean tapas and for some drinks. We had about 20 people split between two tables. Although the price for the tapas were kind of high, draft beers were only $6.00 and I was with great company. It’s always nice to reunite with old friends and make new ones, especially within the Harry Potter fandom.
My first day at LeakyCon was pretty chill. It was low key, not stressful and enjoyable for the most part. I didn’t have to stand in lines besides waiting to use the restroom. I have heard horror stories of previous LeakyCons being Line Cons so I was happy to see that it was the complete opposite. I am not sure if it’s because the Boston location is smaller in number compared to the one in Dallas, but I am not complaining. It’s the perfect amount of people at that venue. Check out later this week for my LeakyCon 2019: Day 2 Recap.
Have you been to LeakyCon or a Harry Potter fan convention before? What is your favorite part of attending a con? Do you cosplay?
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