Nordsken is an an annual event in Skellefteå, in the north of Sweden. It is one of the few events up in the north that are aimed at pop culture, gaming and cosplay, which means that people travel really long distances to get there.
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rdsken is held in a giant sports arena area, over the last few years it has grown and now the Expo hall takes up the main ice hockey arena, Skellefteå is home to one of the top teams in Sweden, while a lot of smaller exhibitions and programs where held in the adjoining sports arenas. The area is big enough that it never felt crowded, but it was also maze-like and it made it hard to find all the different things going on. I also liked that there was a decent selection of snack kiosks, a food truck and a proper lunch restaurant on site to suit all tastes and wallets when it came to getting food to sustain you throughout the day.
Over the weekend there were a lot of programs including a qualification for the Euro Cosplay contest, a regional film festival and table top game tournaments. One thing I like about Nordsken is that it does not feel very commercial, there were of course stands and vendors, but the focus is on providing an interesting program for the visitors.
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he Star Wars content of Nordsken was provided by the Nordic Legions, which is a co-operation between the 501st Legion: Nordic Garrison and Rebel Legion: Nordic Base, a local Fantasy Flight X-wing miniatures tournament and art. Andrée Wallin, who has worked on concept illustrations for both Rogue One and Solo, had some of his art exhibited and was doing signings. Torbjörn Berg, a local metal artist, also had a large collection of pieces in the art hall, and there you could find a few familiar things.
All in all it was a great few days at Nordsken and the format makes a nice contrast to the more commercial conventions that are out there.