The inaugural Kostume Ball

In 2016, GeekFest is proud to announce the inaugural KOSTUME BALL!!!
You know it's cool because we spelled it with a 'k'...

1930-2300
18+ only event

Dance the night away with DJ Hempville!

Strut your stuff in geeky finery!

Consume alcohol!

Be crowned King OR Queen of the ball!

$20 Kostume Ball ticket includes a magnificent DRINK TOKEN!

$25 Gole Pass includes ALL Day Activities PLUS Kostume Ball AND a magnificent DRINK TOKEN!

Feasting!

We have had many vendors of toothsome morsels confirm their attendance at GeekFest 2016! Scattered throughout the park shall be such magnificent provender providers as:

• The Boolarra Coffee Cart, providing caffinated bliss to the masses!
• Maddison Magical Pop n Floss, makers of finest spun sugar!
• The Burra Car Club, dealers in finest sausages barbecued by classic car fans!
• J & Ray Potatoes, providers of potent and potable potatoes!*

We are negotiating with further food sellers, so watch this space!
No word yet on the Cheetos situation.

*Alliteration for the win!

GeekFest contest rules announced!

This is not the prize. It's the Schneider Trophy.

GeekFest is proud to also announce the release of the contest rules!
Amidst rousing cheers and blaring trumpets, the rules have been added to the Contests page.
This year the following contests are being run:

• Geeky Cake Decoration
• Geeky Film Making
• Best Interpretive Dance Expressing Geeky Concepts (Performed by a Duck)*
• Children's Colouring

*I wrote the rules as a  joke. High command made me keep the contest. They are clearly madder than me, which is worrying.

Guest Speaker: Craig Fison

Craig Fison has worked in Art Direction, Production Design, Construction, as a Props Model Maker, a sculpting and miniatures maker and finisher, in Set Decorating, and as Scenic Painter in Australia and worldwide on projects. His film projects include working in the art department on such films as:

• Moulin Rouge
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
• Matrix: Revolutions
• Peter Pan
• Where the Wild Things Are

Craig has also worked as a sculptor on Guillermo del Toro's and Troy Nixey's film, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Craid has moved into art direction as the Art Director of Adam Elliot's award winning animated feature film, Mary and Max.

Craig will be speaking at the Masonic Lodge at GeekFest from 11:45 to 12:45.

STAR QUEENS: The Fierce Awakens

Gippsland GeekFest 2016 is proud to announce:
STAR QUEENS: The Fierce Awakens!

Note: Not Philmah or Art.

A Star Wars drag show which takes you on a fabulous light speed journey through deep space in a galaxy far, far away. Starring Philmah Bocks & Art Simone, the girls visit classic moments from the original films, incorporating their left of centre creativity and humour. Sourcing Australia's best costume designers, they have produced a set of jaw-dropping couture, accompanied by a fierce soundtrack mixed and produced by DJ Argonaut and choreography by Two Of A Kind. The show is produced by Philmah Bocks with signature twisted entertainment that both Philmah & Art are well known for, this is one epic show surely not to be missed.

Floor Games confirmed for 2016!

That's right sportsfans - this year's outrageously popular children's floor games are back in 2016! Held once again in the sustainability centre, these all-ages contests of strategy and skill shall include:

PegFlight: Using small planes made from clothes pegs, take to the clear blue skies of the Great War and dogfight with your fellow fighter pilots!

Pirates' Treasure: Lead your bloodthirsty crew of bloodthirsty pirates and they battle for possession of Cap'n Rumblegut's Treasure (bloodthirstily). This game makes use of wooden toy pirate ships and glittering multi-sided dice.

Winterloo: The massed sea mammals of the Duke of Walrusington march forth to fight the Grande Armee of Napolarbear Bonaparte in this light-hearted recreation of the Battle of Warterloo. Lead mighty regiments of cardboard cut-out soldiers to victory and hurl balls with wild abandon!

GeekFest 2016 Contests Confirmed

At an extraordinary meeting of the GeekFest committee today, the following contests were confirmed for GeekFest 2016:

• Cosplay
• Steampunk Costume
• Geeky Cake Decoration
• Film
• Children's Colouring in

Details of these magnificent contests and their glorious shining prizes appear on this very website.

GeekFest 2016 is seeking traders!

GeekFest 2016 is seeking traders! Last year we had over 1500 people visit, and we're hoping to be even better this year, so there will be no shortage of customers for your wares!
If you are interested, see the Trader's Information Page.

The cake is not a lie.

At GeekFest 2016, this meme is a lie.

We are in the preliminary stages of organising GeekFest 2016, and I just thought you'd like to know a few things:

• There will be a grand costume ball after wards (but you already knew that from previous posts)
• We'd like to include a contest for geeky crafts. Mostly for making geeky cakes.
• It may be possible to bribe the judges of said cakes with said cakes...

Those interested in geeky cake are advised to check out Cakewrecks.com's Sunday Sweets feature, especially the ones with geeky themes.

Like this one.

GeekFest 2016 date set!

Harken geeks! The date of GeekFest 2016 has been set as Saturday 16th of January! Rush to you diaries and make notes; place it in your iCals, carve the date into stone tablets and display them prominently about the house, do whatever you must to remember this date!
And why, I hear you cry, should I remember this date?
Foolish mortal! You should remember it because GeekFest 2016 will be even bigger and better than GeekFest 2015 - there are rumours of more vendors, more participation gaming, and a masked ball!

Floor game rule sets

After overwhelming demand, here are the rule sets used in the floor games played at GeekFest:

AnimeLab

I have been given orders to put this on the blog. Go and look at it. Go and look at it now.

There will be AnimeLabage occurring in the foyer throughout the day.

The Battle of Coal Creek: pretty pictures

The terrain for The Battle of Coal Creek participation game is complete!
Here's a sample - you can check out the whole lot here.

The Battle of Coal Creek will be running every hour in the courthouse from 1000-1800. Full details here.

Mad Science At Work

Eric the Mad Scientist has declared that he will be at GeekFest 2015.

"Mad Science at Work endeavours to bind together eccentric artwork with fringe sciences by turning recycled electronics, antique medical equipment, found bits and pieces, modern oddities, and culinary creations into wearable, interactive, and functional science experiments..."

Minecraft sessions and contests

Workshop! - Minecraft for Parents - 10:30 to 11:00 (Masonic Lodge)

An introduction to understanding what your child is so obsessed by Minecraft and could the game possibly be doing them good?

MINECRAFT JUNIORS (under 16s) 

Mechanics' Institute Hall

Build Contest for Under 16s - 10:30 to 12:30

All the bricks, none of the time! What can you build us in just 15 minutes?

'Grand Design' - All Day from 10:00 to 5:30

Swap computers for paper and draw or describe you're ultimate dream Minecraft build!

Minecraft Fan-Art - All Day from 10:00 to 5:30

Show off your love for Minecraft - Do you just adore Creepers, Porkchops or maybe the elusive Enderman? Let us know in art, drawings or comic form

Minecraft Juniors Showcase and judging from 1:00 to 2:00

Don't forget to pop in to admire the best of our build contest entries as voted by our judges and see what other's where able to build in only 15 minutes!

MINECRAFT OPEN (All ages)

Minecraft Build Contest - All Age  - from 2:00 to 4:30

All the bricks, none of the time! What can you build us in just 15 minutes?

'Grand Design' - All Day from 10:00 to 5:30

Swap computers for paper and draw or describe you're ultimate dream Minecraft build!

Minecraft Fan-Art - All Day from 10:00 to 5:30

Show off your love for Minecraft - Do you just adore Creepers, Porkchops or maybe the elusive Enderman? Let us know in art, drawings or comic form

Minecraft Open Showcase and Judging -  5:30 to 6:00

The Best of the Best -  drop in to see the very best of the day's contest entries as voted by our judges and you!

Note: not actual computer used at GeekFest.

*Important Note about Computers: 

We will only have a limited number of computers available on the day but will do our best to give as many children a turn as possible.
Remember that the best prizes will be for the paper based fan-art and design contests that everyone can take part in!

Computer tokens will be handed out on the day, they will be limited to the number of computers and sessions and are likely to run out fast!
Each session runs for 15 minutes so if given a token please ensure they return at the allocated time 5 minutes early.
if your child can not make it to their session please let us know and we may be able to arrange a swap.

Please remember that no food or drinks will be allowed in the computer area.
We also ask that hands are clean if using the computers. Public toilets are available at the railway station diagonally opposite the Mechanics Institute for all your filth removal needs.

Madness and Tea

Fyodor Kransiy from Madness and Tea will be selling his steampunk inspired artworks at GeekFest 2015. Not only that, he'll be delivering a talk on the Colourful Importance of the Villain in Steampunk! You can check out Fyodor's artworks on his site.

The Robots are Coming

The Robots are Coming is a 3D scannign and printing service, and they will have a stall set up at GeekFest 2015! Not only can you get a full body scan, but they can also print a replica of you from the scan! At last, the dream of owning your own miniaturised replica of yourself can come true! Rousing cheers!

You can find out more on their website.

Jack Dann at GeekFest 2015

JACK DANN is a multiple award winning author who has written or edited over seventy books, including the groundbreaking novels Junction, Starhiker, The Man Who Melted, The Memory Cathedral-which is an international bestseller, the Civil War novel The Silent, and Bad Medicine, which has been compared to the works of Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson and called “the best road novel since the Easy Rider days.”

Jack Dann will be talking about his work from 1245-1345 in the Masonic Lodge.

There is no ATM... ONLY ZOOOOOL!

I have been asked by the people in charge of Coal Creek to point out that there is no ATM in the park. The nearest is in Commercial Street, Korrumburra (that's the main street for those who are not local). Please ensure that you are flush with cash before you come or you may well be disappointed.

What is this craft, and why are there mines involved? Minecraft for parents.

Just popping out for an afternoon's Minecrafting.

Are you baffled by the amount of time your children spend digging? Do you wonder why your kids say they have spent all afternoon on Minecraft, and yet they show no signs of coal dust or lung-diseases, and a thorough search of their room reveals no picks or shovels? Ever wondered how they can afford a whole sword made from diamonds, and yet you are sure they have not been hacking into banks?
Thanks to the noble Fiona Edwards, all will be revealed! Minecraft for Parents - an introduction to understanding what your child is so obsessed by, and how it can actually become and handy educational tool. At last the veil shall be parted and all those cryptic things your teen says will start to make sense. Well, most of them. Okay, less than 20%, but the other 80% is about other games and rubbish music, so I'm afraid you will have to seek clarification elsewhere on those.

Minecraft for parents workshop: 10:30am in the Masonic Lodge.

GeekFest Prizes: ANNOUNCE!!

The prizes for GeekFest's numerous contests have been announced! GeekFest would like to thank Madman entertainment for supplying the endless hordes of DVDs involved.

All hail their noble logo!

Cosplay prizes are:

• 2 shiny new Anime DVDs from Madman
• A bag of loot from Coal Creek (and no, I don't know what is in there either, but I am assured it is well beyond the dreams of avarice)
• $10 cash (juniors) or $25 cash (everyone else)

Minecraft major prizes are:

• 2 shiny new Anime DVDs supplied by our dear friends at Madman.
• An official Coal Creek Bag O' Loot

Lesser Minecraft prizes will be announced on the day.

Facebook Photography contest:

• 4 train tickets (for the train in the park, not a set of Mykis...)
• A free pass to GeekFest 2016 (so we have a reason to organise it)

Facebook Contest

Take a photo of GeekFest and upload to the Coal Creek facebook. The photo to get the most likes by the 27th of January wins four train tickets and a free pass to GeekFest 2016.
Huzzah!

Unfortunate news about Eureka Miniatures

Regrettably, Eureka Miniatures has been forced to cancel. We look forward to welcoming them to GeekFest 2016, but they are unable to attend GeekFest 2015.

Madman at GeekFest

Madman Entertainment have kindly donated a stack of DVDs to be lavishly distributed as prizes. They are also sending a representative down as a judge. Unfortunately, they are unable to man a trade stand on the day.

GeekFest 2015 tickets now on sale at Moshtix!

You can now book your GeekFest tickets online at Moshtix. Tickets will be available until 2pm on the 16th, at a total price of $11.90(including the booking fee)