LEAKYCON BOSTON ANNOUNCES INITIAL 2019 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
THREE DAYS OF HARRY POTTER PANELS, MEETUPS, AND MORE
New York, NY (August 22, 2019) – LeakyCon has announced today the initial LeakyCon 2019 Boston programming schedule. The LeakyCon 2019 Boston schedule features three days packed with events designed especially for the biggest fans of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. MainStage and Special Guest programming will be announced at a later date. LeakyCon, the premier convention for fans of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, returns to Boston, MA, October 11–13, 2019. LeakyCon Boston will take place at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center. Tickets are on sale to the public now.
The current schedule can be found at LeakyCon.com/boston-2019-schedule. For more information and ticket prices, please visit LeakyCon.com.
Schedule highlights include:
Science in Harry Potter:
What happens if a [D]ementor eats chocolate? Are there “wizard genes”? How do we as readers understand magic, such that Hogwarts students learn to transfigure buttons before hedgehogs? As Unspeakables and Magizoologists (Muggle Disguise: Scientists), we have investigated how the Wizarding World works both formally and informally and are excited to share our thoughts and findings to answer your questions!
An Excess of "Phlegm" and the Lack of Femme
Heroines of Harry Potter are often presented as and praised for not being classically feminine, while "feminine" characters are seen as inherently flawed. In this panel, we'll discuss how Rowling presents feminine characters like Cho, Fleur, Lavender, and Parvati, the sexist implications, and their negative effects on fandom.
Decreasing World Suck: Fan Activism Across the Globe
Sure, you already know about fan activism organizations like the Harry Potter Alliance and Nerdfighteria here in the United States, but how much do you know about fan activism in other countries? Come hear about Pottermania in China, KPop influences on Latin American youth, Twitter activism in South Africa and other instances in which fans transform storyworld elements into real-time ethical and social change.
The LeakyCon 2019 Gender-Expansive Meetup!
"We're all human aren't we?" Kingsley Shacklebolt said it best. If having to choose between "M" [and] "F" on some form makes you cringe, we have just the meetup for you. Those who identify as agender, intersex, genderfluid, non-binary or any variation under the gender non-conforming umbrella will enjoy our gender-expansive meetup. Meet other LeakyCon attendees, share personal and fandom stories, and make friends to last a lifetime.
Time Travel in the Wizarding World: The When, the How, the Why, and the When
Time-Turners. They pop in the Harry Potter universe as confusing plot devices, but their secret is that they are part of a much larger tradition of time travel in fiction. How do Rowling’s Time[-]Turner’s [sic] work? Are there consistent rules? Why can’t Harry just use one to go back in time and kill baby Voldemort? We’ll cover all that and more. Just remember, if someone offers you the chance to travel through time, don’t do it!
Swish and Clip: Our Favorite Scenes That Did Not Make the Final Cut
The cuts throughout the Harry Potter films have sparked a lot of discussion and controversy throughout the fandom. In this panel, we'll discuss some of the most[-]talked[-]about cuts, why they may have been cut, why the films are better for some cuts, and scenes that were filmed but didn't make the final cut. Come ready to share your opinions!
Ridiculous Harry Potter [F]an [T]heories [T]hat [E]nded [U]p [B]eing [T]rue
We talk a lot about all of the fan theories that were wrong...but what about the ones that were right? Ren Hen’s soul splitting theory haunts us to this day, Snape loving Lily sounded like bad fanfic [sic], and who could forget John Noe’s infamous Mr. Blood? Join us while we discuss the shock of finding out who got it right, and if you remember any others, we’d love to discuss!
Harry Potter and the Question of Canon
As Potter fans move further away from the core novels and into the realms of Fantastic Beasts, Cursed Child, the Universal parks, WizardingWorld.com, and more, how do we negotiate our concepts of what is canon and what isn’t? What happens when something Jo writes on Twitter contradicts something in the books? What about the films or stage shows? Do we accept spells and characters in the video games as official? Join the hosts of Hold My Butterbeer, a new Harry Potter podcast, as they discuss navigating Harry Potter canon.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know [A]bout Harry Potter Cosplay
Whether you are new to cosplaying for Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts or curious to learn new techniques, our expert panel of cosplayers [is] ready to answer your questions! During this panel, they will demonstrate how to read a pattern for Harry Potter robes and show how they made some of their [w]izarding costumes. There will be plenty of time for the audience to ask questions.
In 2019, LeakyCon celebrates its 10th anniversary with two events and a special pop-up event. By popular demand, LeakyCon returned to Dallas, TX, August 9–11, 2019, after a sold-out 2018 event. In October, LeakyCon will return to Boston, MA, where the first LeakyCon event was held in 2009. LeakyCon 2019 Boston will take place at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center October 11–13, 2019. LeakyCon also recently announced a new partnership with Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon, to present LeakyCon at Rose City Comic Con, featuring programming, meetups, a Wizarding Alley in the vendor hall, and more.
For more information, please visit www.LeakyCon.com.
LeakyCon is the largest unofficial convention for fans of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. Featuring some of the biggest fans, actors, and creators, LeakyCon will host panels, interviews, discussions, and celebrations of “The Boy Who Lived” and the extraordinary impact his story has had on both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. LeakyCon is produced by Mischief Management.
Since its first event in 2009, LeakyCon has brought together tens of thousands of Harry Potter fans to celebrate the things they love. LeakyCon has been held in cities across the United States, from Boston and Orlando to Portland and Burbank, as well as internationally in London and Dublin.
Additional details and Special Guests will be announced at a later date.
LeakyCon is a Harry Potter fan convention. It is not endorsed, sanctioned or in any other way supported directly or indirectly by Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Harry Potter book publishers, or J.K. Rowling and her representatives.
