THE UK'S LONGEST ESTABLISHED REGIONAL SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
Novacon 50 News
Change of Venue
Over the last few months, the Mercure hotel in Nottingham has been hosting a Nightingale Court as a way to generate income. The contract with the Justice Department was to run until June, but now it has been extended until the end of the year and the hotel is not in a position to refuse. So, regrettably, we will not be able to hold Novacon 50 here for what would have been our 12th year!
The good news is that we have found a new venue, which is the Palace Hotel in Buxton, Derbyshire on the edge of the Peak District. Located opposite the train station, it is an imposing Victorian listed building which has been nicely refurbished. All the function rooms, the bars and toilets are on the ground floor and there is plenty of lounge area. The whole thing is light and airy with high ceilings and some impressive decor. And a conservatory. And the longest continuous wrought-iron bannister in Britain, or was it Europe? And possibly a ghost. There are several fully-accessible bedrooms and some family rooms. Room rates are actually a bit cheaper than last year, being £60pppn for a single and £45pppn for a double/twin.
Needless to say, we are still planning an in-person convention and will soon start taking room bookings. As it’s a new venue we would appreciate it if you could book your room as soon as possible. Booking will continue to be via Novacon website/Membership Secretary and a booking form can be be downloaded from the Venue/Room Reservation page.
Alice & Tony
UK Film Premier
Novacon 50 will be screening "The Stooge", a film based on a story by Christopher Priest.
Chris Priest says, "It is an essay on stage magic and was for me when I wrote the original short story a kind of ironic commentary on and footnote to "The Prestige".
Since its release "The Stooge" has been shown at various film festivals around the world to great acclaim and has won many awards. We look forward to showing it to a new audience.
Dealers at Novacon
The Dealers Room is now full. So no further tables can be booked.
Although Porcupine Books won’t have a table at the convention Brian Ameringen has said that if anyone orders from his website he will bring their order with him, thereby saving the customer hundreds of pounds in postage.