There’s always so much to do at WonderFest!
The days are packed with events. Once the show closes at 5, we fill the nights with events, too.
Friday Daytime: Pre-Show Workshops
AFM Model Boot Camp is SOLD OUT!
Come for the instruction, leave with the knowledge!
Friday, May 30th | 9am-5pm | Instructor: Dave Prosser
This workshop is Sold Out! For this unique class AFM is remembering and honoring the legacies of two WonderFest greats: Artist Bernie Wrightson and Sculptor Mike Parks. Their collaborated efforts in realizing a truly ‘undead’ figure in tattered clothing will be the centerpiece for this epic outing.
Long unavailable, the rare “Wrightson Parks Ghoul” is being resurrected exclusively for the 2025 AFM Model Boot Camp.
AFM’s all day “Little Swamp of Horrors” will be held on Friday, May 30th from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville, KY! Previous class attendees have achieved greater confidence with their skills and a growing number have even won awards with their class modeled efforts and there’s no reason why you can’t too!
Class tuition cost is only $300 per student, offered on a limited seating capacity and is open to modelers of all skill levels.
This workshop is Sold Out!
Blender 3D:
Crafting Unique Additions For Your 3D Printing Projects!
Friday, May 30th | 10 am-6 pm | Instructor: Stephen Burns
Class is designed for both beginners and experienced creators looking to enhance their 3D printing endeavors.
You will learn:
- Introduction to Blender 3D
- Modeling Basics: Step-by-step
- Designing for 3D Printing
- Texturing and Materials
- Exporting for 3D Printing
- Creating Unique Additions
- And much more!
Unleash your creativity! Learn to design and 3D print custom additions to your models using Blender 3D. Enhance your projects today!
Cost is $265 per person. Laptop required; see list of required items at the link.
Saturday-Sunday Daytime
Dealers!
10am-5pm
Two Dealer Rooms!
Open 10 am till 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Dealers from around the world will be set up at more than 160 tables.
Early Bird tickets are available to get in two hours early on Saturday morning. See the Admissions booth.
501st Legion | Bluegrass Garrison
We’re so happy to welcome the members of the 501st Legion – Bluegrass Garrison.
You’ve seen the 501st on the Mandalorian series as well as adding a distinctively Star Wars presence at our past shows! They add a life-size element amid all the model-scale ones on display.
The Bluegrass Garrison will also be collecting donations for Norton Children’s Hospital.
Exhibits
10 am-5 pm both days
NEW: The STUDIO and The BACKLOT – In the Oldham and Madison Rooms!
A celebration of the modeling craft that unites makers from across the globe!
The STUDIO: What began as a modest collection spanning two tables–the studio-scale models of Jason Eaton and his close collaborators–has grown! Look for it across the hall from Dealer B in the Madison Room.
Every miniature featured is both a portal to a cherished pop-culture memory and a unique expression of their makers. They are hand-crafted creations, not mass-produced kits. And they are windows into the worlds that shaped who we are.
The BACKLOT: It’s where you’ll find the annual kit conversion “challenges” displayed. All the contributing artists inspire each other to bring fresh wonders every year and are sure to inspire you! Come see some of the wonders of WonderFest here in The STUDIO and The BACKLOT.
Tracy’s Corner – in Dealer Room B
Props, monsters, art and costumes…and the stuff that (scary) dreams are made of! It’s our annual exhibit tables in Dealer Room B, inspired by the collection of Bob Burns!
DANGER! DANGER!
Thanks to collector Tony Hardy and his talented friends, Tracy’s Corner will have plenty of eye candy on display in 2025 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Lost in Space! Props and replica props from your favorite Space Family Robinsons.
Charity Raffle & Auction
Open Saturday 11 am–5 pm, Sunday 10 am–5 pm – in Dealer Room A
Every year at WonderFest there’s a Raffle and Silent Auction to benefit worthwhile charities. This incredible effort has raised more than $22,000–while hobbyists have taken home startling goodies–thanks to the generosity of many donors and friends of WonderFest.
Guest Talks!
10am-5pm
Guest Presentations
10 am-5 pm both days in the Upstairs Theaters
Every year our industry guests do presentations, participate in panel discussions, and do audience Q&As!
A schedule will be posted in the days leading up to the show.
How-To Demos
All Weekend
How-To Demos for Figure and Hardware Modelers
These FREE presentations by modelers change every year and usually last from 30 minutes to an hour, (or even two). Focus is on major topics and skills demonstrations. Some will allow the viewers to go hands-on and try the techniques shown.
Two tracks are offered: One for figure modelers and one for vehicle/hardware modelers.
A list of demos topics and times will be posted closer to the show date.
Airbrush 101 – in the Perry Room
SAT: 11 am-12;30PM, 2 pm-3;30pm
SUN: 11 am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-3pm
During WonderFest weekend, sign up for one of four FREE 75-minute, hands-on classes (limit 12 students each class), staged and sponsored by Spraygunner. No charge for WonderFest attendees. Sign-up in the Perry Room.
Make & Take for Kids 16 & Under
Saturday-only: 11 am–1 pm & 2–4 pm in the Elliott Room
Kids ages 16 and under can learn how to build or paint a model—and then take it home.
A great place for beginners to try model painting without fear. Best of all, it’s free! First-time modelers age 16 and under can learn to paint a model using acrylic paints—with help from a crew of patient and experienced volunteers—and then take the finished model home! (Above that age can participate, but there will be a small fee of $5.)
Thanks to Round 2 for donating snap-together kits and Black Heart Models for donating small resin busts this year! And to Kaiju Modeler and WonderFest for supplying paint, brushes, and hairdryers to speed the process.
There’s no better way to bring a new generation into our fantastic hobby!
Friday-Saturday-Sunday Night Programs
Friday
Friday Night May 30th
7-9 pm – Crowne Patio
“CHUMS OF THE SHARK” Poolside Welcome Party
Meet & greet with arriving friends, a cash bar, and an appearance by guests Joe Alves and Dennis Prince to celebrate JAWS’ 50th anniversary!
Friday Night May 30th | Gore Club Podcast presents
9-11 pm – Upstairs Theater
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE with live commentary!
Saturday
The Rondo Awards: Fan-voted and presented at WonderFest!
Saturday, 4 pm in Upstairs Theater A
Fandom’s only classic horror awards decided by fans, for fans!
We’re happy to welcome David Colton and company back to WonderFest for their live awards presentation for the best in print, film, web, art, media, toys and models… in short, just about everything that makes our monstrous world go ’round!
So make a date with Rondo for Saturday evening. Seating starts at 4 pm in Upstairs Theater A.
Learn more about the much-coveted acromegalics at www.rondoaward.com.
Are you an IRON MODELER?
Saturday 6 pm-10 pm
It’s like ‘Iron Chef,’ but with models!
Eight 3-person teams are given a “base item” (could be a kit, could be a random item), a big pile of parts, greeblies and assorted castaway household items, and four hours to build the best model they can out of what they’ve got. A spray booth and paints are provided as well, but teams need to bring any glue or tools. At the end of four hours, the models are judged and the Iron Modeler Champion Team is crowned, giving them bragging rights for the next year. Oh, and there’s prizes too.
Official start time is 6pm, but you can arrive any time after 5:30 to set up your table. Teams should arrive no later than 5:45. If your team is not there by the 6pm start time, another team will take your place.
If you have any questions, just email John Lester.
Saturday Night in the Upstairs Theater:
Chiller Cinema LIVE!
Our friendly horror host and fan fave Doctor Gangrene (Larry Underwood) presents genre favorites in his usual style with a with a cool, fun double feature!
7-9 PM – TARANTULA (1955)
With special video intro by John Agar III! Strange deaths in the Arizona desert intrigue a local doctor (John Agar), who gets help from the new assistant (Mara Corday) to a professor (Leo G. Carroll) experimenting with giving growth hormones to animals to increase the world’s food supply.
Doc presents one of the most entertaining giant insect movies of the 50s with special surprises and door prizes!
AND…after a brief intermission…
9-10:30 PM – THE EAGLE OBSESSION (2025)
With special guests! The legacy of the Eagle Transporter from Space: 1999 reflects the dreams of a generation. It also embodies a nostalgia for a future that never occurred, yet still resonates today. THE EAGLE OBSESSION is a visually stunning feature-length documentary that follows sci-fi creator Jeffrey Morris as he investigates the origins of the iconic vessel and the ongoing global impact of a unique moment in human history—when people walked on the Moon.
Sunday
The 2025 Wrap Party!
Sunday at 7:30 pm in the Upstairs Theater
“ALIEN in 30 Minutes!”
In space, no one can hear you spit-take. The loonies who took you to Amity Island last year are taking you out of this world this year with “ALIEN in 30 Minutes!” Featuring Frank Dietz, Dana Hope, Rico Anderson, Daren Dochterman, Melinda Angstrom and more!
Choose to eat at the event ala carte, visit the cash bar, or just come for the fun! Food and drink sold separately. The WonderFest team will present tributes and door prizes.
WonderFest Sunday evening, June 1st, at 7:30pm.
Tickets are just $9 per person, sold at Admissions and at the door.