Staff Writer
Attention Potterheads – all of your Potter dreams are about to come true. This Columbus Day weekend, 11-15 October 2013, Camp 9 ¾ is taking place and a lucky 500 Potterheads will be able to partake in the magic.
Camp 9 ¾ is a Harry Potter camp-conference that is hosted by fans for fans and is a delightful mix of the best of both those worlds. It’s a camp – so you’ll get to experience Wizard Rock sing-alongs around a bonfire, sleeping in cabins, smores and swimming in the lake. But it’s also a conference – with formal and informal programming such as lectures, paper readings, panel discussions, debates, round tables and in-depth sessions focused on the Harry Potter series.
Promising a “5-day, judgement-free, fan-filled exclusive experience” tailored for Potter fans 16-96 years old, the camp-conference will completely take over Camp Champions, located in Marble Falls, TX, so attendees can fangirl and fanboy to their hearts content. The Camp is being run by the Camp 9 ¾ Organization. This is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “discuss, debate and analyze the Harry Potter series though presentation, discussion and debate” as well as enjoying the many varied activities of a summer camp. However, unlike a summer camp, there are no counselors (you are all adults) or camp-issued rules and scheduling. You can pick and choose which of the amazing events you want to attend and there’s certainly more than enough to keep you occupied.
The formal programme will take place from morning until mid-afternoon each day. There will be sessions on topics such as a fanfic writing and editing workshop, a panel on how to incorporate Harry Potter into the classroom, a roundtable discussion on starting a Harry Potter club and paper presentations on a variety of Potter topics. A call for paper submissions will be announced shortly.
The informal programme can take place anytime, particularly during the evenings. Examples of these events include a fan produced exhibition (live show, play, musical), Wizard karaoke, fanfic readings, and craft workshops. The organizers encourage all attendees to host a formal or informal event and event proposals will be open closer to the camp.
A camp isn’t a camp without sing-alongs and a Harry Potter fan event isn’t a Harry Potter fan event without Wizard Rock. Luckily for guests, each night a different Wizard Rock concert will be taking place. Confirmed acts include The Blibbering Humdingers, Kwikspell, Miss Parkinson, Snidget, The Whomping Willows, Lauren Fairweather, Sweewater All Stars, Hawthorn & Holly, with more to come. Also confirmed is a Mark Reads After Dark session where Mark Orshiro, from Mark Reads and Mark Watches, will be reading fanfic around the campfire.
With an atmosphere similar to that for the Quidditch World Cup (though hopefully without a guest appearance from some Death Eaters), fans will not be surprised to know that in conjunction with the International Quidditch Assoication, the first Camp Cup will be played for. This is a series of Quidditch matches between Southern teams. Not only that players and representatives from the IQA will be in attendance offering Quidditch lessons.
Tickets for the event are $350 and like a summer camp, it’s all inclusive. This means included in the price is camp registration, cabin lodging for 4 nights and all meals from Friday dinner to Tuesday breakfast. To assist with the cost of the registration, camp organizers are offering a “half and half” payment method where you pay $175 upfront to reserve your spot at the camp and then have 90 days to pay the remaining $175. Registration opened on 17 March and as there are only 500 spots available for the camp, organizers will be making regular updates informing fans when spots become limited. Day passes will also be released but there’s no current information on price of these or when they will go on sale.
To get a taste of what you’ll experience at the camp as well as what’s on offer on site, check out the official video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgayWu18-gU?rel=0]
For more information about the camp, visit the website, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Facebook.
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