- This event has passed.
Noris Force Con 4
11 September 2015 @ 8:00 am – 22 September 2015 @ 5:00 pm
The Star Wars Party 2015 went down in Nuremberg!
When the last Noris Force Con took place in Nuremberg in 2011, we couldn't make it, since at that time we were holding our first workshops together with Hasbro and were on the road all over Germany. We had to wait four long years until, in early September, we finally got another chance to be part of this great convention, and this time we were able to take it.
We arrived in Nuremberg on Thursday evening and started setting up the booth. Since the location was big but the aisles were quite narrow, we could only set up the back row of our booth. That's how we discovered a completely new booth concept, where we no longer stood behind a row of tables but could make direct contact with interested visitors and other lightsaber fans. After a fairly quick setup, we drove to the sports hall that was our accommodation for the following days and went to sleep pretty soon, knowing full well that sleep would become a precious commodity in the coming days.
On Saturday we arrived at the grounds at around 9:00, stocked our booth with sabers and then took a lap to say hello to the other fan groups and the organizers. Then we got ready and put on our costumes to present short lightsaber duels at the opening ceremony and point people to our show.
Tim did a large part of the hosting at Noris Force Con, so we mostly saw him on stage introducing the countless guest stars, including Dave Prowse, Timothy Zahn and Jeremy Bulloch. The rest of us got into exciting conversations with con visitors at the booth, gave information or exchanged new ideas. In between, we had the chance to admire the other booths and exhibits, including detailed Lego models by "Imperium der Steine" and authentic, high-quality costumes by the group "Pa-Vis meets Mara", or to try our luck at the big raffle, whose proceeds were donated entirely to charity.
Among the many impressions of the first event day, we showed this year's program outdoors, but in front of the impressive backdrop of Project X1's TIE Advanced, followed directly by a workshop for everyone who wanted to try their hand at the elegant weapon themselves. So the day flew by, and in the evening we returned to our accommodation exhausted, where we went to sleep after spending a little time together.
On Saturday, the main day of Noris Force Con, most of us attended Dave Prowse's panel and listened eagerly to the Darth Vader actor's stories. Before that, a Lego designer had talked on stage about his everyday work, so in the afternoon we minded the booth or took photos with the many costumed fans, full of new impressions. In the evening we threw on our tunics and robes once more and fought our way through our program as darkness fell. Right afterwards, all visitors gathered in the main hall and listened to a fantastic and very rousing film music concert by the Stadtkapelle Neunburg, before we headed off to the after-show party. But what happens at Noris Force Con stays at Noris Force Con, so we won't report any further on (half-)naked men and crazy women, and will simply leave it at this: it was a good evening (get well soon, Eisi!).
The mood on Sunday was subdued, due to general lack of sleep. We bravely got through our last show that morning, strolled through the aisles or posed for photos with other costumed fans. Tim got through his last hosting gigs and then kept us company at the booth. This last day passed far too quickly too, and while the visitors watched the closing ceremony in the main hall, we started tearing down the booth, firmly resolved not to be the last ones heading home that evening, as is usually the case at events like this.
A selection of photos taken by Daniel Dornhöfer. Thank you so much!
