Convention Season Feature
Flame On! The greatest gathering of genre fans from every walk of life descended on New York City to celebrate Geeks Out’s FLAME CON a decade after the fan convention spotlighted the LGBTQ+ community.
Fan boys and girls, and non-binary elect, gender-fluid queer beings from every known sector, rejoice! The torch is lit and blazes brightly ten years later, as Geeks Out FLAME CON celebrates all things in fandom, sci-fi/fantasy, anime, and superhero-worshipping to New York City. The gathering has come a long way since its humble, kickstarted origins that began in Brooklyn; it was intended as a single one-off event with an expected 1,000 guests in attendance but drew more than twice that number.
Since then, Flame Con has become the stuff of legends (check out the video timeline), and except for a postponement in 2020 due to COVID lockdown protocols, it has remained one of the biggest convention draws of the season. The event had such enormous momentum that it eventually moved to Manhattan, headquartered in the heart of the city inside the Sheraton Times Square Hotel. Brought onto the scene by the non-profit organization Geeks OUT, its mission is to provide a fun, inclusive, and nurturing experience for queer fans everywhere.
The event commandeered the weekend of August 17 through 18, with panels, a seller’s market, talent meet-and-greets, and cosplayer parades on three floors of the Sheraton space. Adding to the scope of its scheduled events, this year’s “Fireball,” the Official After Party, was hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Megami and was held at Industry Bar. If the after-party is not your scene, Flame Con offers “Camp Fire” sessions featuring book clubs and crafts for the quieter circuit. The Gaymer Lounge also invited attendees to participate and try their skills at video game tournaments and more.
The main showroom invited guests to check out some of the best new books and bobbles crafted and created by the talent in attendance. Flame Con also continued to spotlight many independently published graphic novel writers, illustrators, and some of the mainstream industry’s most well-known names, signing copies of their works and original art. Panels scheduled throughout the weekend offered interesting conversations and expert advice from established artists within the community on a full range of topics.
The best part of the convention is its empowering sense of community. Flame Con further extends that air of good feeling, encouraging an aspirational awareness and safe space where all are welcome and everyone’s uniqueness is fully displayed, celebrated, and shared. Over the years, the audience has grown and evolved. This year, several families from every configuration were in the crowd, and children got into the spirit of it all with their enviable cosplay creations. Children are admitted FREE on Sunday as part of “Youth Day.”
Flame Con is easily the precursor for this October’s bigger convention when the world's eyes turn to New York Comic Con and its takeover at the Javits Center. Still, at Flame Con, community spirit is more profound and encouraged, perhaps best illustrated in the immortal IDIC of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and the Vulcan mantra: Infinite diversity, infinite combinations. The torch at Flame Con will be passed to its next generation when the event returns for its eleventh season. Stay tuned!
Geeks OUT presents FLAME CON 2024 the 10th Annual Edition | took place on August 17 - 18 at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in New York City, and will return next season.
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