Next ‘Fest: June 1-2, 2019 | Crowne Plaza Louisville Hotel
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WHAT IS WONDERFEST?
A weekend of wonder in Louisville!
WonderFest is a weekend of hobby escape that’s held every Summer in Louisville, Kentucky USA!
Now in its 30th year, WonderFest features movie special effects guests, the largest model contest in the U.S. for sci-fi, horror & comics-related subjects, model and toy dealers galore, and seminars to entertain and improve hobbyists of all ages!
It’s always held at our mothership, the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Hotel, 830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209.
MEET THE 2019 GUESTS
Click their names to read about them.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Click an icon to learn more.
Tickets
Buy your tickets at the door for one day or the whole weekend. Early Bird tickets get you into the dealer’s rooms 2 hours early!
More info…
Hotel & Restaurant
Special WonderFest room rates in a fine hotel, with an award-winning restaurant. It’s so convenient to stay in the show hotel!
More info…
Louisville Attractions
Bring your family and take extra time to visit exciting tourism sites in and around Louisville. Go exploring.
More info…
THE AMAZING MODEL CONTEST
Greatest in the World for Imaginative Modelers!
The WonderFest “Amazing” Model Contest is focused on all types of science-fiction, horror and comics models. It’s the biggest contest of its type in America, and it’s fun to look at even if you don’t build models yourself!
The contest is sponsored by Amazing Figure Modeler magazine, which is providing a special $300 award for the Most Amazing Figure!
With 743 entries in 2017, it took up the entire ballroom and featured some of the best modeling we’ve ever seen.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)
MAY 31 & JUNE 1-2, 2019
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazing Figure Modeler’s Model Boot Camp | 9A-5P | TBA | |
| 2 | Badger / Black Heart Model Finishing Class | 9A-3P | TBA | |
| 3 | TAG Team / Iwata Sci-Fi Modeling School | 9A-4P | TBA | |
| 4 | Friday Night Welcome Party | 7P-9P | Main Hallway | |
| 5 | Iwata Airbrush Party | 7P-10P | Madison Room | |
| 6 | Friday Night Frights | 9P-11P | Theater B |
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEALER ROOMS OPEN | 10A-5P | Dealer A & B | |
| 2 | HOW-TO DEMOS | 11A-5P | Elliott, Franklin, Grant | |
| 3 | GUEST TALKS | 10A-4:30P | Theaters A & B | |
| 4 | CONTEST ENTRIES | 8A-Noon | Coronet | |
| 5 | CONTEST VIEWING | Noon-5P | Coronet | |
| 6 | RONDO AWARDS | 5P-7P | Theater A | |
| 7 | CHILLER CINEMA LIVE | 7P-11P | Theater B | |
| 8 | Wicked WonderFest Hallway Cosplay Contest | 1PM-5PM | Main Hallway | |
| 9 | RobotWorks at WonderFest | 9AM-5PM | Grant Room |
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEALER ROOMS OPEN | 10A-5P | Dealer A & B | |
| 2 | HOW-TO DEMOS | 10A-2P | Elliott, Franklin, Grant | |
| 3 | CONTEST VIEWING | 10A-3P | Coronet | |
| 4 | GUEST TALKS | 10A-3P | Theaters A & B | |
| 5 | CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY | 3P-4P | Theater B | |
| 6 | ROBOTWORKS AT WONDERFEST | 9AM-5PM | Grant Room | |
| 7 | WONDERFEST WRAP PARTY | 7:30P | Theater A |
MUST-SEE PROGRAMMING
Click an icon to learn more.
How-To Demos
Learn techniques from other great modelers! Demos last from 30 minutes to an hour. Become a better modeler with these tips and tricks.
More info…
Iron Modeler
Teams are given a “base model,” a big pile of parts, and 4 hours to build the craziest model with only what they’ve got. Best model & presentation wins!
More info…
The Rondo Awards
Fandom’s only classic horror awards—decided by fans, for fans. Recognize the best in print, film, web, art, media, toys and models!
More info…
Sunday Wrap Party
Sunday night at 7:30 celebrate the end of the show with exclusive programming! Optional a la carte food and cash bar.
More info…
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WONDERFEST 2016
Click image to open a slideshow.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
They help make this event possible!
WONDERFEST LATEST NEWS
From our Facebook feed...
First details announced for Amazing Figure Modeler's Friday workshop at WonderFest 2019:
Jason Banks cool 😎
Matt Lowe
Britny Ylisaari - you said you wanted to do a class this year
Scott Van Waterschoot
May have to attend this one
We're excited to announce a new guest: DAREN DOCHTERMAN!
His work is featured on HBO's acclaimed WESTWORLD Season 2, and recent Concept Designer credits include BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE, PASSENGERS, and STAR TREK BEYOND.
Daren has been working in the motion picture industry as a concept designer and artist for nearly 30 years. He may be best known for his work as Visual Effects Supervisor for Robert Wise on the Director's Edition of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.
Read more about him on our Guests page: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/guests/
That's awesome!!! The guy is utterly amazingly talented!!! I've had the great pleasure of seeing a bunch of his work, as well as have a print of one of his VFX shots on my living room wall!!! And, Daren's a nice guy to boot!
Hope to meet you here, Daren!
You never know where your Wonderfest team will go to find great stuff for the show. Here COO Melinda Angstrom
searches for guest ideas. Come to the show and see what she came up with.😉
I'm down in Antarctica searching for talent
Bruce the shark?
I hope it’s not SpongeBob....
Aquaman, hopefully.
Maybe next year we can get the Kraken.
Searching for David Hedison.
Getting chummy with aquatic wildlife I see.
Awesome, I did this off of Guadalupe Island.
"She's gonna need a bigger boat!"
WonderFest announces our second guest for 2019: MARTIN BOWER!
Martin is one of the most accomplished British model makers working in film, television, and publishing. Over the past 40 years he has created more than 1,000 models—from spacecraft for films Like "ALIEN," "Flash Gordon," "SPACE 1999," "Blake's 7," and "Dr. Who," to cottages and castles for the giftware company "Lilliput Lane."
This is Martin Bower's first WonderFest appearance! Read more about him on our Guests page: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/guests/
This is incredible! I've admired Mr. Brower😀😀 back as I can remember which is far since I'm 56 years old.
Chris Centracchio
WOOT!
Martins a great model maker and one I’m proud to know personally.. really fantastic news he’s going to be at WF
Wow, awesome
