One of the many pleasures of being in and around Star Wars fandom for multiple decades is the chance not only to enjoy fresh content and make friends, but to attend new events. Some prosper and grow, some burn bright but fail to connect, and some – like Festival of the Force – make such a superb start it’s hard to imagine it not becoming a must-attend staple of the convention calendar. Our location for the day was Newark Showground in the market town of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, and after picking up my travelling companion for the day (Jack Copestake from the excellent Explore the Force), we tucked into far too many chewy sweets, shot the breeze and arrived an hour later in Newark to find ourselves in a long queue half a mile from the event, and to our surprise found that yes, the queues were indeed for Festival of the Force.
Despite the undoubtedly chilly weather, the queues were packed, and as the doors opened they poured into the hall, hitting the aisles and the autograph queues so that within minutes the hall was packed with more and more folks filtering in. For a new show it was a great start, and one that continued to swell as the morning moved on.
It’s one thing to get into the room, but there needs to be something to do when you’re there, and Festival of the Force certainly delivered in that respect. Displays were placed around the room, models of vehicles, an X-Wing diorama, AT-AT being attacked by Snowspeeders not to mention the presense of costuming groups including Joker Squad, DroidBuilders UK and Saber Guild. Fancy facing down a fearsome Wampa (or ‘bear’ as Julian Glover said), or checking out just how big a Star Destroyer is? If so, Newark was the place to be.
The central spine of the tables in the hall were filled with dealers tables, artists (including our pals Topps artist Jamie Richards and custom genius Luke Coffey-Bainbridge) and displays. There were figures from across the saga, plush and plastic figures, LEGO, collectibles, the very welcome presence of Inkstone Books who brought with them a superb selection of their hardback special collectible editions of the Essential Legends Collection novels. Something for folks of all ages (even Trekkies who might want a Blue Snaggletooth dressed in classic Star Trek outfits).
One of the unique aspects of the show was the decision to give the stage to two musicals acts throughout the morning. Enter punk power trio YT-1300 and #CANTINA perennials and Making Tracks opening music stars Blues Harvest, with both bands playing two sets as the crowds kept themselves busy with the numerous actvities in the hall. The weather may have been cold outside but no one seemed to care as both acts played red hot sets right through to 1.00pm when the seats filled with folks grabbing a bite from the food hall and nabbing the best seats for the afternoons talks to come. I also caught up with a couple of fellow Fantha’s including birthday boy Richard Mitchell and Matt Bell, who very kindly took a number of snaps of the afternoons talks.
1.30pm saw the first of the afternoon panel talks as I took to the stage to welcome the first of our ten guests, Guy Henry and Julian Glover. Guy discussed his work as Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One and Julian 45 years of General Veers in The Empire Strikes Back.
Next up onstage were two stars of the modern era of the saga, Brian Herring and Dave Chapman, best known for operating BB-8, B2-EMO and numerous characters together and independently in the five modern Star Wars movies as well as characters in Andor and The Acolyte.
Last year saw the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Phantom Menace, and up onstage were two of the stars of the film, Alan Ruscoe who played Plo Koon and Andy Secombe, the voice of Watto. Earlier in the afternoon we spoke with Jonathan Cass and Ross Carter. Fans will know Jonathan from his appearance as an ISB officer in Andor seasons one and two, and Ross as a jedi from 2024’s The Acolyte on Disney Plus.
Our final interview of the day was with Paul Blake and Michael Carter, aka Greedo from A New Hope and Bib Fortuna from Return of the Jedi.
The day was a resounding success, with a constant stream of guests coming into Newark Showground while the stalls buzzed with sales, the costuming areas brimming with kids of all ages taking photographs and the guests signing away all day, not to mention the music of YT-1300 and Blues Harvest ringing out around the hall. It’s very clear that this is a family-focused event, with the emphasis on activities and talks, so serious collectible hounds might not find this to be the show they’re looking for (Echo Base and Farthest From remain the top dogs in that arena), but for a brand new, unproven show which arrived with plenty of people unsure whether it was even a real event, it not only stayed afloat but powered its way to shore. Fingers crossed the team announce a second show soon, as on this form attendees are in for a top days Star Wars-ing.
