Con of Thrones 2018: A guide
By Dan Selcke
Saturday
10:00 a.m.
- Game of Thrones sound designer Paula Fairfield takes center stage in the Landmark Ballroom, while panels such as Game of Thrones Cosplay on a Budget and Morality Beyond the Wall rage on elsewhere.
- Also, Joe Dempsie (Gendry) arrives on sight to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. He’ll be here all day, folks.
11:00 a.m.
- On the main stage, Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel) gets his moment in the spotlight. Elsewhere, you’d be well advised to attend How Game of Thrones Changed the World of Television, in part because it’ll be an incisive conversation about the effect the show has had on the television landscape, but mainly because I’ll be part of it.
12:00 noon
- Lots of interesting picks this hour, including What Makes George R. R. Martin Great, a discussion of the author’s strengths; Making a Career in Show Business, where people like Fairfield and Dune discuss their work; and After the Wall, where panelists predict what’s in store for Westeros now that the Night King is on his way south.
1:00 p.m.
- In the Landmark Ballroom, Game of Thrones star Esmé Bianco (Ros) gets her own spotlight panel. Elsewhere, The Sun and the Moon: The Sisterhood of Sansa and Arya Stark examines the complicated relationship between these two characters.
2:00 p.m.
- Various Game of Thrones YouTubers hold a meet and greet in the Essos Room while panelists debate The Worst Place to Live in the Ulthos Room. I hope those rooms have appropriate decorations.
3:00 p.m.
- Kerry Ingram (Shireen Baratheon) appears on a panel with Coleman and Richardson to discuss what it’s like being on Game of Thrones as a child actor.
- Meanwhile, other panelists discuss what could have been if George R.R. Martin hadn’t done away with his infamous Five-Year Gap, while still others debate the ramifications of Jon Snow’s resurrection from the dead.
4:00 p.m.
- While Joe Dempsie takes his time in the spotlight in on the main stage, panelists in the Sothoryos Room debate The Best Duos in Game of Thrones. That’s sure to be contested. Meanwhile, in the Ulthos Room, dive into the world of Fantasy-Inspired Cosplay and Renaissance Costuming.
5:00 p.m.
- Want to learn to fight like a bravo? Miltos Yerolemou, Syrio Forel himself, is teaching a class in fight choreography for stage and screen, with an emphasis on the water dance.
- Panel-wise, sample sure-to-be-interesting discussions like The Great Debates: The Most Mistreated Character and Destiny and Happenstance, about the roles of luck and prophecy in this story.
That’s the end of Saturday’s panels, but not the end of the fun. At 6:00 p.m., attend You Spell or You Die: A Song of Ice and Fire Spelling Bee. At 7:00 p.m., take in the Cosplay Parade and Awarding. And at 7:00 p.m., discuss “The Spoils of War” with the Burlington Bar Crew.