Well, as far as first events go – that was pretty much seamless! From the outside looking in, there didn’t seem to be any teething issues at all. What a cracking, out of the gate, homerun for the team involved.
How we came to be at Force Fest was a saga in of itself. The Fantha Tracks team should have been at Starfury: Invasion over the last weekend of June but by Thursday morning, that had become Starfury: Extinction (aka FanthaFury 2026)!
Hundreds of people had to regroup and rethink their plans. Fantha was no different. Many were coming from afar and the cancelation of Starfury on the Saturday meant my friends and colleagues at Fantha were able to come to my current touring show – A STAR WARS IMPROV SHOW: THE ONE-MAN MADE-UP MOVIE at The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham.
Happy days, but what to do on the Sunday?
Enter Force Fest held at Cheltenham Town Hall on June 28th from 10 – 5pm. The venue couldn’t have been any better. It was spacious and well designed from the team who had planned the layout wonderfully. There was a trader room, signers, a large space for Q&A panels, a gaming zone upstairs and life-size droids everywhere you went.
The team had clearly done their homework on how to make the show work and it ran like a well-oiled machine. This was an event perfect for Masters and their Padawans – something which is crucial for the brand to continue.
It was fantastic to see so many people dressed in cosplay and taking in the afternoon sunshine on the grass banks outside the venue for photos galore.
No matter what your interest is regarding the saga, it was all here to see. The guest list was quite goliath for a first show of this kind and featured talent from across the films, shows and behind-the-scenes. Garrick Hagon, Trevor Butterfield, Ross Beadman, Alan Ruscoe, Katy Kartwheel, Laurie Goode and the legendary Brian Muir, among others, were all in attendance and boasted not only intimate panels but also incredibly decent autograph/photo op prices.
There were two main takeaways from this show. Firstly, it was so much damned fun. Everyone was having a great time, that much was clear to see. There were families all in Star Wars t-shirts, kids buying toys, and adults letting their inner child fly high.
The second takeaway is just how relaxed everything was. It was great to catch up with old faces, meet new ones, and take everything in. I can’t remember the last time at a show when all the members of Fantha Tracks sat for an hour and talked the time away like Nanna in Asda. It was wonderful.
All the staff were polite, friendly and helpful and all the attendees were there to share in our common love of all things Star Wars.
The entry price of £15 was well justified and you certainly got your money’s worth. Imagine all the best things you love about any convention and put them into one show, and it was Force Fest. A greatest hits CD if you like. (remember CD’s?)
There are a lot of shows on the rise now and it’s a great thing to have. Especially ones so geared towards families.
It’s clear that Force Fest is a show run for fans, by fans.
The team have yet to announce when or where to next show will be, if it were up to me I’d return to the Town Hall in Cheltenham any day, but whatever they announce – rest assured that Fantha Tracks will be there.
What a great weekend, thanks to everyone involved.
For Brian Cameron’s review of FanthaFury 2026, click here.