The cast of supernatural dramas including Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries reunited at a London convention with 20,000 fans last month.
Actors including Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore, Vampire Diaries), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black, The Twilight Saga) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase, Buffy) attended and gave talks at For the Love of Fantasy in ExCel London, Newham on 17-18 August.
The two-day event is one of many UK fan conventions attracting fantasy fiction lovers from around the world, with more than 100,000 attending London’s MCM Comic Con annually.
Dark fantasy writer Laura Morgan, who had her own stand at For the Love of Fantasy, said: “I always knew I wanted to write supernatural stories because of my deeply creative imagination.
“I started doing research about demonology and angels and got stuck into that world of mythology – everything else followed suit.
“My love for the genre transpired into my writing and stories I’d had for years in my brain poured out.”
Morgan started attending Comic Cons just before lockdown, using them to promote her books including the The Black Rose series, and meet like-minded people.
She described her tendency to subvert stereotypes in her fiction, often making demons the heroes and angels the enemy.
Fans at For the Love of Fantasy could also cosplay, visit stalls, experience immersive gaming and an interactive set, and watch a Q&A panel from each supernatural drama cast.
Modern fan conventions date back to the late 1930s, where gatherings of science fiction fans saw the first World Science Fiction Convention, an annual event now known as Worldcon.
These conventions traditionally celebrated sci-fi literature, until the release of the Star Trek series in the 1960s which brought TV and film into the conversation.
14,000 fans attended the 1973 Star Trek convention.
The largest Comic Con, held in San-Diego since 1970, brought an estimated 135,000 people together over its four-day run in 2024, generating more than $160 million for the regional economy.
British academic historian and speculative fiction writer, Farah Mendlesohn, said: “Science fiction tends to attract people who like information density; that is, as much access to knowledge about the world packed into the shortest time possible.
“These people are deeply interested in how the world works and if you’re drawn to the fantasy genre as a child, chances are it’ll follow into later life.
“They’re an opportunity to bring people together and share a joy for the same things.”
Mendlesohn expressed how conventions are where they can meet new writers and artists, to teach and learn about each other’s work.
They are best known for their 2008 book Rhetorics of Fantasy and are an Associate Fellow of The Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy, having taught as a Professor at the Anglia Ruskin University.
Other actors attending For the Love Of Fantasy included Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore, Vampire Diaries), Tyler Posey (Scott McCall, Teen Wolf), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen, Twilight), Riley Voelkel (Freya Mikaelson, The Originals), and James Marsters (Spike, Buffy).
Emma from Essex, who attended For the Love Of Fantasy with her sister, said: “We’ve always liked this kind of thing, growing up watching TV shows like Buffy from a young age, and the love has carried through.
“It’s a really exciting atmosphere seeing everyone come together over things they loved in their childhood that never really left.
“We’ve done lots of Comic Cons and this event (For the Love of Fantasy) was a birthday present – it’s a way for us to bond.”
For the Love of Fantasy will run again in 2025 at ExCel London.
For the Love Of Fantasy 2024 was organised by Monopoly Events, Europe’s leading pop culture event organisers.
Photo credits go to India Hurford-Jones.
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