Next ‘Fest: June 2-3, 2018 | Crowne Plaza Louisville Hotel
SEARCH THE SITE:
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 29th 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 2018 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)
JUNE 1-2-3, 2018
| # | Session | Speaker(s) | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AFM Modeling Boot Camp | 9A-5P | Russell Room | |
| 2 | Badger / Black Heart Model Finishing Class | 9A-3P | Trimble Room | |
| 3 | Iwata / TAG Team Friday Workshop | 9A-4P | TBA | |
| 4 | Friday Night Welcome Party | 7P-9P | Main Hallway | |
| 5 | Iwata Airbrush Party | 7P-10P | Madison Room | |
| 6 | CHESLEY BONESTELL DOCUMENTARY SCREENING | 7:30P-9:10P | Theater B | |
| 7 | Friday Night Frights | 9:15P-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 | CHESLEY BONESTELL DOCUMENTARY SCREENING | 1:30P-3:30P | Theater A | |
| 6 | CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY | 3P-4P | Theater B | |
| 7 | ROBOTWORKS AT WONDERFEST | 9AM-5PM | Grant Room | |
| 8 | 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...
Ron Miller will be co-presenting the new documentary, "Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With The Future" at WonderFest on Friday night, June 1st, at 7:30pm, and again on Sunday, June 3rd, at 1:30pm. Q&A with the film's director, Douglass Stewart, and Ron will follow after each showing.
Ron is an illustrator/author specializing in science, astronomy, science fiction and fantasy. His books on spacecraft, the recent '"Spaceships" and the nearly impossible-to-find "The Dream Machines," are highly respected by both space art enthusiasts and space modelers alike.
In addition to providing artwork for many magazine and book publishers, he's the author, co-author or editor of some fifty-odd books (some odder than others), including several novels. He's also designed postage stamps and worked on motion pictures (such as David Lynch's "Dune") as a production designer and special effects artist.
Don't miss the chance to meet him and get your books signed.
Find show details at: www.wonderfest.com
Oh God! Not again .........
Looks like Dave has a new weapon for crowd control.
And it begins...
First WF I am missing in 6 years. I am so salty right now! Enjoy everyone.
Haha
Wait...did it start already? Did I get my weekends mixed up? What's happening?! 😯
No you’re good!
The Thing With Two Heads...!
Where are Eric's hands?
NEW FOR 2018: Fill out your Amazing Model Contest entry forms in advance!
Our new Online Entry Form tool lets you fill in and print your entry forms in advance. Then just bring them with you and pay your entry fees at the door. We hope this new tool will save time and prevent handwriting interpretation mistakes.
Visit our Amazing Model Contest page at: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/contest/
Great news for attendees trying to get into our mothership hotel, the Crowne Plaza: Another event that was holding rooms has released their block, now those additional rooms have been added to ours at the $121 per night WonderFest rate! They won’t last long.
Go to our hotel page and follow the reservation link. wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/tickets-hotel/
Tickets & Hotel – WonderFest USA
wonderfest.com
Saturday June 2 & Sunday June 3 • Show hours 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days To be held at the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Hotel, 830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209.We're happy to announce the night programs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are now posted on our website. Here's a capsule version:
Friday
7:30 Bonestell doc
9:15 Mike Parks Tribute/Exotic Ones (Green Slime/Destroy All Monsters)
Saturday
7:00 Chiller Theater Live : Doc Gangrene & John Amplas with The Exotic Ones (Creepshow & Martin)
5:45-10 Iron Modeler
Sunday
7:30 Wrap Party (Dinner, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show LIVE!, more)
You can find the full details for each event here: wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/activities/
wonderfest.com
Our Friday workshops are separately ticketed and are run by their various sponsors. They are a great opportunity to learn in-depth modeling skills from masters of the craft.