For The Love Of Sci-Fi

For the Love of Sci-fi 2017

After the resounding success of our 2016 show we’re proud to return for our third event which will be our flagship show, this will be the best For the Love of Sci-fi yet!

We are always listening to feedback from the fans, and because we’re fans too, we want to create the best convention experience possible for everyone attending. Other events focus on guests, merchandise traders, and some re-used props, but For the Love of Sci-Fi is different. We’re doing everything we can to make the weekend as incredible as possible in all aspects, through our guiding mantra for 2017 - quality over quantity.

This rings true with our special guest bookings, William Shatner, Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek series heads up our most ambitious lineup yet, alongside David Hasselhoff - Michael Knight in Knight Rider and Mitch Buchanan in Baywatch, Dolph Lundgren - He-man in Masters of the Universe, Andrew Scott in Universal Soldier and Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Ernie Hudson - Zeddemore in Ghostbusters, Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian, Dave Prowse - Darth Vader and Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett in Star Wars.

More guests TBC

Ask anyone and they will tell you that For the Love of the Sci-fi is best known for its amazing one-off prop builds, including our life size X-wing, Scout Walker and Cantina Space Bar we revealed in 2015, or our Alien Powerloader and Interactive Optimus Prime shown in 2016.

This year we are raising the game, with a spacecraft focus, we are building a colonial Viper Mark II from Battlestar Galactica in memory of Richard Hatch, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced, and the Batwing from Tim Burton’s seminal 1989 Batman movie. You won’t see these props anywhere else as they never go on tour, they are exclusive to For the Love of Sci-fi.

And as we’re hosting Ernie Hudson and David Hasselhoff this year, we felt we had to get the best examples of the Ecto-1 and K.I.T.T. we could find. Don’t miss out on two incredible opportunities to have your photo taken with these movie stars and the iconic cars they once drove on screen.

Are you ready to be judged? If you’re a Judge Dredd fan like us, you’ll love our massive collection of screen used props and costumes from the Andrew Mansion Collection. Its centrepiece is the Lawmaster bike actually driven by Karl Urban on screen in the 2012 movie and many costumes worn by the cast. The exhibit also features a taxi seen on screen in the 1995 movie with Sylvester Stallone. All of these amazing props are set against a Halls of Justice and Peach Trees set piece guarded by a dedicated Judge Dredd fan cosplay group.

Every year, For the Love of Sci-Fi gets bigger and better. We are incredibly excited to reveal for the first time ever, our huge Sci-fi stage hosted by our confirmed but yet to be announced Hollywood actor as master of ceremonies. He is a household name and has interviewed many of his A-list peers on his successful online video series. We are thrilled to have him host our Sci-Fi stage and bring to Manchester plenty of Hollywood charm and glamour. We will disclose his identity in another press release very soon, so follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay posted!

Across both days of the event, you can expect to see our full guest line up live on stage in panels talking about their careers and taking questions from the audience, see exclusive screenings of Sci-Fi fan film shorts and big movie trailers. Experience huge opening and closing ceremonies where everyone gets together to celebrate For the Love of Sci-Fi, and see some of the best costumers battle it out in our cosplay competition. Witness all this and much more, at no extra cost, all included in the general admission price.

On stage you’ll also get the chance to see our hugely popular and moving Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra. An ensemble of top talented musicians will play all your favourite Sci-Fi theme tunes, including for the first time ever, the original Battlestar Galactica theme, a fitting tribute in memory of our late friend Richard Hatch - Apollo and Tom Zarek in both the original and modern Battlestar Galactica TV series respectively.

We’re also bringing you another first, a stage performance by none other than Andrew Lawden, Liam Neeson’s stand-in for The Phantom Menace. Andrew, a seasoned stuntman, well renowned for his work on screen and also for his hugely popular lightsaber training classes will be performing in full Darth Vader costume, a recreation of the iconic Cloud City lightsaber duel scene with Luke Skywalker. This live performance has been created specifically for For the Love of Sci-fi and has never been shown to the public before.

One of the amazing things we love about Sci-Fi is the art, be it concept work, matte production paintings, comic books or fan art, the imagination and dedication to the genre is astounding. Led by prolific Manchester artist Ronnie Crowther, a team of painters, illustrators and comic book artists will be creating work live for you to enjoy in our Artists Corner all weekend. Once completed, some of these one of a kind pieces will be signed by our special guest celebrities and auctioned off for charity.

If your interests are more interactive and you enjoy a challenge, check out our tabletop and console gaming zone. We have a range of Sci-Fi games available for you to play, old and new, from titles like Rogue Squadron on the N64 to the X-wing Miniatures tabletop game there’s something to entertain both casual and hardcore gamers.

Do your younglings want to be a Jedi when they grow up? Let them discover the force and learn to wield the weapon of a Jedi Knight with lightsaber training by Andrew Lawden - Liam Neeson's stunt double/stand-in in The Phantom Menace. Kids will learn how to handle fully lit, safe lightsaber replicas and practice a fight routine from Star Wars with the chance to own their own personally signed lightsaber and certificate.

If all of that isn’t enough for you, we’re adding some extra magic, with an incredible Magic of the Movies show brought to you by magician Andrew Green. A show where iconic scenes come to life live on stage using magic, illusion & special effects. Plus we have the amazing Chris Cross, escapologist and close up magician who has famously escaped the grip of Mike Tyson, had many appearances on the BBC and performed daring acts such as escaping a straightjacket whilst suspended from Newport Bridge in Wales. Wow! Who knows, you may be asked on stage to be part of the acts!

All of this amazing fun is bound to work up an appetite, this year we welcome back Almost Famous Burgers in their Wondertruck, with a special Sci-Fi themed menu, plus a variety of other food outlets including authentic Jamaican cuisine, carvery, pizza, fish & chips, pies, puddings and lots more. Menu's will be added closer to the event date.

We’d advise you bring along a bit of extra pocket money as you are bound to find something special that you fancy in our traders outpost set in a desert scene from space. With visiting traders from all over the world, you'll discover hard to find toys and collectibles, cosplay accessories, signed memorabilia, limited edition artwork, clothing, confectionery and plenty more - there really is something for everyone.

On your way into the arena you can’t possibly miss our giant fun fair as it takes up most of the car park. Thrill seekers will be able to choose from a variety of exciting rides on the day, from bouncy castles and soft play areas to the waltzers and the big wheel, there is something for little and big kids too. Here you’ll also find an American Police car display featuring cars from the GCPD and Central City Police Department from Batman and The Flash.

For the first time ever at For the Love of Sci-Fi we’re bringing you a huge Steam Punk Zone, featuring incredibly detailed and curious Steam Punk themed renditions of robots, costumes, weapons and props seen in everything from Star Wars to Doctor Who, including an R2-D2 & C-3PO and a brand new, never before displayed Steam Punk Tardis. You can’t miss this!

If you’ve never heard of our World Famous Cantina Space Bar, you must have been living under a rock on some desert planet light years away. Our fan made rendition of the Cantina scene is our most popular permanent attraction and has been featured in news programmes and newspapers across the world. When you step inside you’ll feel like you’ve been instantly teleported across the galaxy. You’ll discover flashing droid scanners, incredibly lifelike stone detailing and decoration, cosplayers ordering Sci-Fi themed drinks from flair waiters or sat chatting in dimly lit booths side by side with alien mannequins from the movies. Look out of the windows and you’ll find characters struggling to cross the desert wasteland and ships landing to refuel overhead. This is a truly unique and immersive experience you won’t find anywhere else, and one that many fans come back to experience time and time again.

The Cantina is open for general admission throughout the day at no extra charge but closes for a more intimate afterparty from 6pm til late, with live entertainment from DJ Leroy and the famous Rhythm & Blues Star Wars tribute band ‘Blues Harvest’.

This year is going to be the biggest and best For the Love of Sci-Fi ever, if you haven’t got your tickets yet we’d advise you get them soon to avoid missing out. Please note that as is standard in the world of conventions, special guests charge extra for photos and autographs and can cancel at any time. Refunds will be granted should this occur. Tickets are also required for the Cantina Afterparty which is almost sold out.

Here’s what some of our amazing fans have to say about For the Love of Sci-Fi.

“You are really knocking the ball out of the stadium now ...with the props, guests, this event will be by far, the most amazing in any galaxy”. - Garth Restell

“I have been to For the Love of the Force and Sci-Fi since it started, just been to my first northwest comic-con and must say I feel let down! You guys set the bar way to high! For the Love of Sci-Fi is the best event I’ve been to! Looking forward to December already.” -

“We've only been the once (last year) but it was absolutely outstanding, we loved it and are coming back with even more friends this year as we've been raving about it.” - Zoe Dingwall

Prices

All inclusive of admin fees

Weekend Tickets:

Adult - £38.50

Concession (Child/Senior Citizen/Student) - £22.00

Infant 0-3 - £0.00

Family (2 adults, 2 children) - £110.00

Family (2 adults, 3 children) - £123.75

Family (2 adults, 4 children) - £137.50

Family (2 adults, 5 children) - £137.50

Personal Assistant - £19.25

Saturday 2nd Tickets:

Adult - £22.00

Concession (Child/Senior Citizen/Student) - £13.20

Infant 0-3 - £0.00

Family (2 adults, 2 children) - £66.00

Family (2 adults, 3 children) - £77.00

Family (2 adults, 4 children) - £88.00

Family (2 adults, 5 children) - £99.00

Personal Assistant - £11.00

Cocktails in the Cantina after party - £11.00

Sunday 3rd Tickets:

Adult - £22.00

Concession (Child/Senior Citizen/Student) - £13.20

Infant 0-3 - £0.00

Family (2 adults, 2 children) - £66.00

Family (2 adults, 3 children) - £77.00

Family (2 adults, 4 children) - £88.00

Family (2 adults, 5 children) - £99.00

Personal Assistant - £11.00