Banners of "Let's Geek Out" greeted attendees in the lobby of the Orange County Convetion Center in Orlando, FL. All photos courtesy of Jessie Carter and Wendi Riggins.

LeakyCon (July 30–August 3) is a multi-fandom, multi-track, multi-day convention that “celebrates everything about being a fan,” says its website. “It blends the nerdy fun of a Comic Con with the community and excitement of South by Southwest…” It’s punctuated with sing-alongs, concerts, and breaking world records. To a good chunk of attendees LeakyCon isn’t just a convention, it’s a yearly pilgrimage to see friends and the people they admire, all while geeking out over their favorite fandoms together. The event started in 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts as a Harry Potter-centric convention. Since then, attendance has grown to an estimated 5,000+ attendees, and LeakyCon now touts itself as a convention that brings together people from a variety of fandoms and allows participants to run the bulk of programming. LeakyCon found itself for the second time in its five-year run in sunny Orlando, and for the first time at the Orange County Convention Center.

Attendees wait for Opening Ceremony to begin.

This year’s programming choices for attendees consisted of two programming tracks: General and Literature. For those looking for panels and meet-ups dedicated favorite fandoms, rocking concerts, the vendor room, and exciting main stage events, the General was the right pick. And for aficionados of authors such as John Green, Maureen Johnson, Rainbow Rowell, Holly Black, and Scott Westerfeld—and for those who want to be involved in sessions that involve writing, publishing, and getting to know authors on a more personal level—the Lit Track is a must-do. What if you want it all? Registrants can sign up for both tracks. (However, Lit and General programming happen at the same time, so those attendees have to pick and choose between conflicting sessions.) If particularly overburdened with cash, then participants can also register as a Rock Star, which allows them to do everything—plus have priority seating at main events, priority placing in various lines, and be guaranteed a couple of signings. Banners blaring the messages “Let’s Geek Out” hung wherever the eye could see as conference goers shuffled into lines for registration. Even though registration opened two hours late, spontaneous song-and-dance numbers going on behind the registration desks, volunteers running through the crowd giving high fives, and hugs shared between folks running into old friends after a year, the excitement and positivity remained high.

Diagon Alley opened in Universal Theme Parks in early July 2014, and LeakyCon’s Open at the Close event was one of the first private events to ever be held in the park.

Aside from registration, Wednesday programming was very light: a meet-up for each of the four Hogwarts Houses, Star Trek and Star Wars fans, LeakyCon alumni, and a Q & A panel for presenters. Wednesday’s focus—for the majority of attendees—was the Open at the Close (OATC) event, a private event held at Universal Studios theme parks that only 1,500 of the estimated 5,000+ attendees were lucky enough to purchase tickets to. OATC event guests were allowed into both Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Theme Parks starting at 5 p.m. However, at 10 p.m., the fun really began. All OATC participants made their way back to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for private park hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Wizarding World. LeakyCon attendees were treated to free food and drinks all evening, shows put on by park staff, and no lines for the Hogwarts Express ride. Even Olivander’s, the Harry Potter wand shop—usually packed full of people during the day—could be stepped into with just a small group of close friends to make the moment even more magical. Caption: Watch the video below to see LeakyCon attendees at the Open at the Close event go on the Hogwarts Express - London Cross ride where they must go through the brick wall in order to access the Platform 9 3/4—to the train that will take them to Hogwarts Castle. The Hogwarts Express from School Library Journal on Vimeo. Caption: Watch the video below to see the animated goblin that greets ride goers at the Gringott's Bank ride, which opened this year at Universal Theme Parks. Harry Potter at Universal Theme Park from School Library Journal on Vimeo. On Thursday, July 31, the convention itself finally kicked off, with fan programming filling the time that led up to the Opening Ceremony. Fan-run meet-ups and panels subjects included “How Do You LeakyCon?” a panel led by LeakyCon alumni to answer any First Year attendee questions, a SuperWhoLock event for fans crossing over between the worlds of Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock in the fanfiction world, and a Nerdfighter meet-up for lovers of the YouTube video blog “VLogbrothers” hosted by brothers Hank and John Green (yes, that John Green). By mid-afternoon, a line start to form for Opening Ceremonies and with good reason. Has your favorite television show ever done a musical episode where the characters sing throughout? Now combine characters from Doctor Who, “Harry Potter,” Supernatural, Back to the Future, “Hunger Games,” Game of Thrones, Portal, and throw in an Alice in Wonderland–type character to be a guide through the chaos. LeakyCon’s Opening Ceremonies was everything you could have asked for in a multi-fandom, crossover, musical fanfiction. Once the Opening Ceremonies were finished, the masses were released to check out the Vendor Hall. Featuring everything from handmade wands to original art work being drawn on site, this LeakyCon’s Vendor Hall was the biggest yet. A main stage had random, fun programming running on it, food vendors made sure there was always something to eat, and the signing lines were comfortably fit into the same space. (This made it convenient for those not interested in getting something signed, but who may have wanted a glimpse of their favorite writer or actress.) With a communal space of chairs, tables, and board games, it was a great place to sit with random strangers and form new friendships while purchasing all your favorite geek merchandise. Friday and Saturday hosted the bulk of the event’s programming, including main stage events, concerts, shows, panels, signings, and photo booths. From Hannah Hart’s talk about what she thought might be various characters’ from the—“Harry Potter”—series drink of choice in “Potions 101” to “How Fandom Is Changing the World” featuring “My Drunk Kitchen” host Hanah Hart, anti-bullying advocate Meghan Tonjes, and YouTuber Lauren Bird discussing projects like Equallity FTW, Coverflip, and Project For Awesome—and how fandom can give anyone the power to change the world—the overarching idea of LeakyCon was clearly a place for people to fangirl, or fanboy, safely while also focusing on today's social issues.

The Tumblr live-action “Ask Box” made its debut with surprise guests being set in the hot seat for 10 minutes of rapid fire Q & A.

Tumblr users were thrilled to see their favorite social media platform become a main event at this year’s LeakyCon. The Tumblr live-action “Ask Box” made its debut with surprise guests being set in the hot seat for 10 minutes of rapid fire Q & A. Tumblr swag was also handed out to enthusiastic participants. LeakyCon is known for fan-run programming, which allows fans to submit and run the majority of the daily panels and meet-ups. This keeps programming fresh and relevant to what convention attendees want to see. It’s a great strategy that lessens the workload on the convention staff and brings in a plethora of new ideas every year. It also allows those who create and run these panels to feel like a true part of the convention and encourages them to come back every year. That’s where LeakyCon shines: community. The Lit Track hummed this year. Added in 2011, it has grown as quickly as LeakyCon itself. Run by the ever unpredictable YA writer Maureen Johnson (who arrived at this year's LeakyCon using a Segway), this year’s authors featured convention regulars John Green and Robin Wasserman, as well as Stephanie Perkins, Lev Grossman, among others. From “I Made You. Now I’m Going to Kill You,” a panel on why authors kill favorite characters to, “The Book Was Better: Having Your Book Made Into A Movie,” where authors discussed how it felt to have their books turned into a movie and how to deal with that process, the Lit Track seems to be a great way to get an honest look at favorite authors. “I Was A Teenage Writer,” had popular YA lit authors reading excerpts of stories they wrote as teens. The Lit Track panelists also chatted about the power of the fandom community and how it has influenced things like increased diversity in today’s fiction.

LeakyCon attempted to break a World Record this year by having the most people wearing crowns.

Aside from General Programming, Lit Programming, and the Vendor Hall, what else was there to do? While resting Con-weary feet and sitting around for a little over 20 minutes, attendees attempted to set the world record for most people wearing paper crowns. All crowns had to be made of paper, but could be decorated in any fashion. Some of participants made elaborate crowns, showing off their favorite fandoms, some just winged it, others found affordable paper crowns for sale in the vendor room. (No word on whether or not the record was officially broken yet.)

LeakyCon goers trade ribbons as part of the fun.

Collectors had a ball attempting to track down or trade ribbons. These ribbons could be found at vendor booths, panels, and even in random flower pots around the convention center. Ribbons were introduced to the convention in 2012 and have grown to become a large part of the social scene. There were ribbons for a vast variety of things including quotes, panel themes, vendor names, fandomships, and more. If that weren’t enough, Friday (August 1) and Saturday (August 2) evenings were wrapped up with live music from a variety of popular YouTube artists, most notably Meghan Tonjes, Lauren Fairweather, Harry and the Potters, and Molly Lewis. LeakyCon regular Hank Green was unable to make it due to touring this year, but thanks to some sneakiness from convention staff and Green’s wife, he was Skyped into one of the live shows and the crowd sang “Accio Deathly Hallows” to him to let him know he was missed. While everyone loves the rock concerts, many will agree that the crowning jewel of the multi-day conference is the Esther Earl Rocking Charity Ball, which this year wrapped up on August 3, Esther Earl Day. “Prom, but you know, cooler,” is how it’s described to those who have never been. A live DJ plays today’s latest hits, the crowd dances and sings along, and often times the authors and stars join in, solidifying the community feel of the event. At one point, the DJ started to play the controversial song “Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke), which caused the entire audience to stop dancing and boo until a new song was put on. Once new music began playing, they resumed dancing the night away, making it clear, even at a dance party, this is a group of people was passionate not just about fan culture but also social issues.

The fan-led panel “Anxiety, Depression, and a Drug Called Fandom” dealt with emotional and mental issues, and how fandom has been used as a coping mechanism.

After the whirlwind that was Friday and Saturday, LeakyCon wrapped up with a few panels on Sunday, including Closing Ceremonies. Slideshows from previous LeakyCons were shown, many thanks yous and hugs were doled out, and the cosPLAY—or best costume contest—winners were announced, and Esther Earl Day postcards were handed out to fill out to send tidings of love to our friends or family (and have them mailed on LeakyCon’s tab). Then the announcement portion started, and though the crowd was exhausted and starting to wind down after almost five days of events, they still managed a collective gasp. In 2015, LeakyCon would go back to its roots as a Harry Potter-focused convention, with events popping up around the country. Its name will be changed to “GeekyCon,” and the event will proceed to evolve and grow with the wants and interests of its diverse fan base. Following this announcement, there was a collective cheer and a chant of “GeekyCon” to show the attendees’ acceptance and excitement for the new name. LeakyCon illustrates the power of fandom and community. Whether you are looking to hang out with your favorite YA authors, see your favorite YouTuber live, run your own panel, start a movement to change the world, or just hang out and have a weekend of bonding with your best friends over your favorite fandoms, GeekyCon/LeakyCon has it all. With a great community atmosphere, an extremely open minded and accepting attendee fan base, and a plethora of creative souls with energy to spare, it’s something you really should experience at least once.

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Jessie Carter is an entrepreneur from Burlington, Iowa. She owns and operates a local art studio, dabbles in freelance web development, volunteers at STEM events, and is addicted to running panels at conventions. During her free time she enjoys gaming, reading, writing, and getting lost in her favorite fandoms. Follow her @ReinDesdemona.