Geeky Birthday Weekend at Chevron 7.6 – UK Stargate Convention

Hey there! Things have been busy since my last post. I celebrated my birthday weekend at the Chevron 7.6 UK Stargate convention and we finally got a new computer after our last one suffered a fatal computer failure. I also purchased a new laptop so we have a back-up if any goes wrong in the future. Fingers crossed it doesn’t!🤞🤞 But I’m happy to have a back-up, just in case.

It feels so good to be online and able to blog again; I’ve missed it.  I’ve been to a couple of comic conventions including the Spring Memorabilia show in March, but today I wanted to talk about my geeky birthday celebration at Chevron 7.6 last weekend.

Chevron 7.6 – UK Stargate Convention

Chevron 7.6 is a 3-day convention celebrating the hit television series “Stargate”, and is run by the same organisers as the Hallowhedon conventions I’ve spoken about before; Massive Events.

The event was held from Friday 6th – Sunday 8th May, which just so happened to be my 23rd birthday weekend. But, if I’m honest, I was on the fence about this event. The guest list was good but not worth the ticket price, for me at least. Of course, that was until they announced fan favourite and series regular Richard Dean Anderson.

Richard Dean Anderson plays one of the main characters in Stargate SG1, Jack O’Neill, and this was to be his 1st UK convention. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet him, especially on my birthday. So mum and I snapped up tickets and booked a hotel room shortly after his announcement.

What to expect at your first fandom convention

The thing I love about weekend fandom conventions is they feel a lot more personal. It’s common to see the guests in the hotel lobby, meaning there’s more opportunity for a chat. And you know that everyone there loves that show as much as you do.

There are often talks, autographs and photo sessions going on throughout the weekend. As well as themed parties, games or quizzes, and goodie bags. They’re a great way to show your love for your fandom with like-minded people.

Themed parties

The themed parties are always one of my favourite parts of the weekend, besides meeting the guests, of course. This year’s event had three themes;

• Egyptian
• Richard Dean Anderson characters
• The 1960s

I dressed as an Egyptian on the Friday and a hippie on Sunday but wore “regular” clothes on Saturday. My mum, however, wore regular clothes all three nights. It’s your choice.

 

Saturday night was a Richard Dean Anderson themed party where attendees were encouraged to dress up as a character for any of his shows. As he’s previously been on The Simpsons we saw a few people dressed up like them as well as a handful of Stargate cosplayers.

The lady dressed like Samantha Carter was spot on and I remember meeting her at the Spring Memorabilia show I mentioned earlier. I got my photo taken with her and a life-size Stargate.

Richard was joined by Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society during his second Question & Answer panel to talk about their work. Followed by an auction raising money for the Sea Shepherd charity. They had many Stargate themed merchandise on offer included a piece of the Stargate set itself.

Sunday was a lot more relaxed as we had most of our autograph and photo sessions on Saturday. The highlight was having my copper journal autographed by Richard Dean Anderson. And my friends in the dealer’s room singing happy birthday to me, and presenting me with a chocolate cake. Yum!

It was a great weekend!