Difference between revisions of "Festivention"

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# [[Philip Duerr]]

Revision as of 08:47, 15 September 2024

From left, Mike Tealby, Derek Pickles, Fred Robinson, Walter Willis, Bob Foster, Vincent Clarke and Ken Bulmer at the International Science Fantasy Con, 1951.

Eastercon 2.5, known as Festivention or Festival Convention and the International Science Fantasy Convention, was held in London over Whitsun, May 10–14, 1951, at the White Horse and Royal Hotel in London, though the formal programme was Saturday and Sunday only. The GoHs were Forrest J Ackerman, Wendayne Ackerman, and Lyell Crane. The committee were E. J. Carnell, Charles Duncombe, A. Vincent Clarke, Audrey Lovett, F. E. Arnold, Jim Ratigan, Ken Bulmer, Fred Brown, and Ted Tubb. Between 200 and 300 fans attended. Memberships were 2/6 (two shillings and six pence) to join the convention society and tickets were 7/6 for each day and included a buffet.

Festivention was intended as an international convention and also called the European International Convention. It was held at the normal time for Eastercon in place of it and no Eastercon was officially held that year. It was however included on the canonical list of Eastercons produced for Eastercon 22 in 1971 and only promoted out of the list in 1989 following the discovery of Cytricon III, if nothing else to spare the numerical embarrassment of having Eastercon 22 be the 23rd Eastercon.

The name was a tie-in to the Festival of Britain that year. While it clearly wasn't a Worldcon, it was more international than Worldcons to date and contemporary fanwriters did occasionally use the term, for instance Walt Willis in Quandry 8 ('If you are in London for the festival (and the World Science Fiction Convention, May 10th to 13th, 1951)...'), 9 ('Ackerman reported to be coming to the World Convention in London in May...') and 10 ('Further articles in the series "The Other SF" in this column will be delayed until after the World Convention in London in May...').

Attendees[edit]

There is no published membership list and estimates of numbers vary: 'over 120' in Science Fantasy News #8; '150' in Fantasy Times #130; and 'between 200 and 300' according to Ted Carnell in Bloomington News Letter #21.

The following are people named in one of the convention reports, who appear in photos, and/or whose names appear on an extensively signed copy of the programme book.

Named marked * are family members of attendees who it is thought were not fans per se.

NOTE: this is an ongoing update. Unlinked names are being checked to see if they are already here under variants

  1. Ben Abas
  2. Barbara Abas
  3. Forry Ackerman
  4. Wendayne Ackerman
  5. Bruce Angrave
  6. Frank Arnold
  7. P. A. Astley
  8. B. A. Baker
  9. Eric Bentcliffe
  10. Sid Birchby
  11. John Birchby
  12. Syd Bounds
  13. Fred Brown
  14. Daphne Buckmaster
  15. Ron Buckmaster
  16. Ken Bulmer
  17. Jim Burch
  18. Bert Campbell
  19. Mrs Campbell *
  20. Paul Capon
  21. Ted Carnell
  22. M. Chambaz
  23. Mdm. Chambaz *
  24. Ken Chapman
  25. Joan Chapman *
  26. George Charters
  27. Vin¢ Clarke
  28. Arthur C. Clarke
  29. Dave Cohen
  30. Robert Conquest
  31. Mrs Conquest *
  32. Michael Corper
  33. Lyell Crane
  34. John Keir Cross
  35. C. D'Alessio
  36. Rick Dalton
  37. Mimi Dalton *
  38. Ron Deacon
  39. Philip Duerr
  40. Charles Duncombe
  41. Fred Fairless
  42. Frank Fears
  43. Bob Foster
  44. J. Fowler
  45. Les Flood
  46. Georges Gallet
  47. Kerry Gaulder
  48. W. Arthur Gibson
  49. Walter Gillings
  50. David Griffiths
  51. John Beynon Harris
  52. Mr Hill[1]
  53. George Hay
  54. Phil Hetherington
  55. Arthur F. Hillman
  56. Alan Hunter
  57. Joyce Hunter *
  58. Lee Jacobs
  59. Bill Jesson
  60. Leslie J. Johnson
  61. K. T. Johnstone
  62. Ralph A. Keyes
  63. John Kippax
  64. Max Leviten
  65. Audrey Lovett
  66. Prof. A. M. Low
  67. Colling Leybourn
  68. Doug Mayer
  69. Frank Milnes
  70. Lew Mordecai
  71. Dan Morgan
  72. Mrs Murray
  73. Sigvard Östlund
  74. Mrs Ostlund *
  75. Terry Overton
  76. Mary Patchett
  77. Peter Phillips
  78. Derek Pickles
  79. Mavis Pickles
  80. Owen Plumridge
  81. Ken Paynter
  82. Jim Ratigan
  83. Peter Ridley
  84. Fred Robinson
  85. J. Michael Rosenblum
  86. Alan Shalders
  87. C. Sharpe
  88. D. Sharpe
  89. Bob Shaw
  90. Walter Shaw
  91. Mike Tealby
  92. Bill Temple
  93. Tony Thorne
  94. Ted Tubb
  95. Norman Wansborough
  96. Norman Weedall
  97. A. Wenham
  98. R. V. Weston
  99. P. A. Weston
  100. James White
  101. A. E. "Taffy" Williams
  102. Walt Willis
  103. Madeleine Willis
  104. Mike Wilson
  105. Sam Youd

Additional known attendees include Ben Abas's brother (name unknown), somebody whose name could be Leonard Borston but the name is unclear and he isn't otherwise mentioned in fannish records, and somebody whose name appears to be Daphne Mac-something.


Conreport by Ted Carnell[edit]

in Bloomington News Letter (July 1951, which see for photos and International Fantasy Award details):

London, England: Over May 11th to the 14th, between 200 and 300 professional and amateur enthusiasts of science-fiction, rep­resenting eight countries, met in the ballroom of the Royal Hotel (London), to celebrate the first International Science-Fiction Convention ever held. Highlight of this largest - ever British gathering was a surprise award promulgated by the London Circle for the best fiction book and best technical book of 1950. The panel of critics chose George R. Stewart's EARTH ABIDES (Random House) for fiction, and Willy Ley & Chesley Bonestell's CONQUEST OF SPACE (Viking Press) for the technical award. Forrest Ackerman accepted the two awards on behalf of his countrymen.

The awards, conceived only two weeks prior to the convention, went on the drawing board immediately and a twelve-inch spaceship taken from the Bonestell design on the February 1951 GALAXY cover has been approved; It will be mounted on an oak base complete with ornate lighter. Actual awards will be fashioned of heavy chrome for the fiction class, and bronze for the technical. Owing to the shortage of time, exact replicas were used in place of the models — not expected to be ready for some weeks. It is intended that these awards will be made annually, and planned to embrace other fields of science-fiction, including the films. A special Fantasy Fund Award has been opened whereby any­ one may donate. At present, the Award Fund Committee are using the Nova Publications address. 

The Sunday afternoon (13th) session included a three-hour coverage of the S-F fields by all overseas guests; Crane, Canada; Ackerman and Jacobs, the States; Gallet, France; Abas, Holland; Ostlund, Sweden; Willis, Ireland; Paynter, Australia; and Arnold for Britain. (Cpl. Jacobs flew in from his station in Versailles, France.) In addition, Frank Arnold reported on the Italian and Russian fields, while Wendayne Ackerman spoke on the German. A proposal was made by Lyell Crane to set up an International S-F movement outside the United States and the United Kingdom.

The convention followed similar lines to American affairs in that two auctions proved it a moneymaker. There were debates and discussions by prominent professionals, and Milton Rothman's two soap-operas "Life Can be Horrible" and "Who Goes Where?" were re-scripted for British consumption with outstanding success. These and other major items were wire-recorded. Wendayne Acker­man gave an outline of dianetics to a packed hall.

Film shows each evening included Doyle's feature, "The Lost World", Tucker's cutting-room floor epic, "Monsters of the Moon", three short films brought over by Ackerman, and a technicolor rocket film supplied by Arthur C. Clarke. Science-fiction "art" vied with Victorian paintings adorning the walls.



Convention
1951
This is a convention page. Please extend it by adding information about the convention, including dates, GoHs, convention chairman, locale, sponsoring organization, external links to convention pages, awards given, the program, notable events, anecdotes, pictures, scans of publications, pictures of T-shirts, con reports, etc.

  1. Reports identify a speaker with an Australian accent referred to only as 'Mr Mill'. Chris Nelson believes this was J. M. Walsh.