Unmissable geek events
Fairs, exhibitions, festivals… here’s a list of unmissable geek events from the Japan Expo to the Paris Games Week!
Emblematic of geek culture, Japan is the focus of many events. The Japan Expo, a legendary event since its creation in 1999, is proof of this. Increasingly impressive over the years, the expo brings together the worlds of manga, video games and animation. It takes place every summer at the Parc des Expositions Paris-Nord Villepinte, and in recent years has grown to incorporate martial arts, cosplay, J-pop and everything related to Japanese pop culture. Prestigious guests mingle with exhibitors and the thousands of participants, awaiting the nomination of the much anticipated manga award, baptised the Daruma. The expo is free for children under 8 and there are special multi-day passes for the event.
In a similar vein, the Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show also revolve around Japanese culture by combining two events in one at the Porte de Versailles. The combined expo brings together exhibitors, guests and fans with stores selling merchandise, fashion shows, make-up workshops and a giant karaoke session! This enjoyable autumn event is an experience worth sharing with friends!
Pop culture is the epitome of geek culture, a fact well understood by Comic-con! This annual convention, created in the United States in the 1970s, now enjoys a prominent status in Paris. Despite its short history with the French capital, this event has already become an unmissable date for all lovers of geek culture and welcomes an impressive array of guests representing the worlds of Sci-Fi TV series, fantasy films and comic books. The event is held at the Grande Halle de la Villette, and allows the public the opportunity to meet their favourite actors during discussions and meet-and-greet sessions, as well as hosting a wide variety of screenings and masterclasses on topics as varied as ‘Marvel VS DC Comics’, etc. The event takes place over a weekend and also attracts dedicated cosplay fans for a much anticipated fashion competition.
The Salon Fantastique is an event that reflects the rich and multiple facets of geek culture: heroic fantasy, magic and science fiction. The event takes place in the vast Espace Champerret and boasts an impressive programme of events and entertainment: quizzes, concerts, speakers, literary workshops, role-play games, etc. Fancy dress is encouraged and admission is free for well-dressed visitors! The event has attracted renowned guests: actors from the legendary Harry Potter saga, for example, as well as authors and illustrators of popular graphic novels.
Specially dedicated to video games, the Festival Press Start and Paris Games Week are popular events for Parisian geeks. Held at the BPI (next to the Centre Pompidou), the Festival Press Start takes place over a fortnight and focuses on everything related to video games: retrogaming, the history of video games, revival, etc., in the form of workshops and meetings, as well as other events! Video game sessions are organized on PCs or consoles, alone or in teams, led by professionals. At each edition, the festival offers visitors new experiences such as virtual reality or tests of new games in development.
Last but not least, the Paris Games Week: a legendary event that has become an international get-together for lovers of video games or ‘gaming’. Every year, a huge symphony orchestra plays music from the world of video games in a concert programmed at the Grand Rex. The event also hosts the eSports World Convention (Virtual Sports World Cup) at the Porte de Versailles and over a few days, presents all of the latest releases in terms of video games and technological innovations, with some 160 exhibitors taking part. The fair also boasts a special children’s space so that little ones can enjoy the event as much as their parents!
More fun and intended especially for the general public, ‘Numok’, the digital festival of the libraries of Paris offers 50 free events spread over fifteen or so days in some forty of the city's libraries. Programme includes numerous things to do, see and share with the family (from 3 years, according to workshops). These include a workshop to create your mobile ringtone, talks-debates (‘Can we trust Wikipedia?’...), sound itinerary with geolocation, robotic workshop, and 3D printing. The official Numok website has an interactive map which groups together the festival events by theme and age group … indispensable!
