Switzerland’s largest festival for pop culture FANTASY BASEL once again registered a record attendance of 72,000 visitors.
A very diverse program was offered on 77’000 m2. The city of Basel was therefore over the Ascension days entirely in the hands of cosplayers, game, comic and film fans. The FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con has built up a huge fan base across Europe in recent years and welcomed visitors from around the world.
Film and series stars such as Itziar Ituno (House of Money), Chuku Modu (The Good Doctor) or Sean Biggerstaff from the “Harry Potter” universe delighted fans with the stage talks, autograph sessions and photo shoots
The film industry also paid respect to FANTASY BASEL: exclusively selected visitors were among the first in the world to watch the new film SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE by Sony Pictures.
The anniversary ceremony for the “Swiss Garrison”, an offshoot of the worldwide “Star Wars” fan group, was no less international. Greetings from the USA, also from Lucasfilm employees surprised the Swiss fans. They could imagine themselves in the middle of the movie in an exhibition with huge “Star Wars” objects and sets of the fan group ProjectX1. Over 200 Stormtroopers, Jawas & Co were available for photos. Other highlights included the international line-up of stars from the cosplay scene and the daily cosplay competitions.
In the large gaming hall, a LEGO® king-sized was a unique eye-catcher in the Nintendo Zone and was literally besieged as a photo subject. The latest gaming devices were presented as well as the latest Swiss games.
Science fiction as well as space fans were offered a top-class program around space and space travel. Renowned personalities such as Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier and astronomer Dr. Seth Shostak, who is known as an alien hunter, gave talks on the Space Stage. The interactive exhibition of the Swiss Space Museum, “Out There Beyond the Limits,” delighted experts as well as families.
The organizers are now planning a further expansion due to the great success. FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con will take place again next year from May 9 – 11, 2024 at Messe Basel.
The same organizers realize also the festival ZURICH POP CON & Game Show from 30.09. -01.10.2023 in the Messe Zurich, which offers a similar program.
Photos: FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con
