Music Programming
The Filk Music Program schedule is now available. All filk concerts and open filking will be in the California Room.
Beat the Heat at Westercon
Although the Bay Area had an unseasonable rain storm earlier this week, the weather forecast for the July 1-4 weekend is for hot temperatures into the high 90°s (mid-30°s C). Westercon takes place entirely in one building: the Fairmont San José. Access to the Fairmont’s pool deck makes booking a hotel room an even better bargain. Attend the convention functions in air-conditioned comfort and take a break with a dip in the pool.
Convention registration opens Thursday afternoon and some convention functions like Anime Programming and the Hospitality Suite will also be open that evening, the night before the convention’s formal opening on Friday. Come early and join the fun!
Advance Registration Closed
We have closed pre-registration for Westercon 64. If you haven’t yet bought your membership, you can purchase full-weekend or single-day memberships at the door. Membership prices at the door are as follows:
- 4-Day Attending Membership: $75
- Friday Only: $30
- Saturday Only : $40
- Sunday Only: $40
- Monday Only: $25
Westercon has no membership cap or other limit. We are not “sold out,” regardless of anything you may have heard elsewhere. We’d love to see you this weekend!
For more details and a link to our membership list, see our Registration page.
Westercon on the Radio (Again)
On Monday, June 27, Westercon 64 Chairman Glenn Glazer, joined by committee members Sandra Childress, David Clark, and Kevin Standlee, appeared on Bay Area radio station KFJC 89.7 FM program Thoughtline with host Robert Emmett to talk about what’s going to be happening at Westercon this coming weekend. This was our second appearance on Thoughtline, and we thank Robert and KFJC for letting us come and talk about the convention. We have their permission to include a recording of the interview here on our web site.
Finding Your Way to San José
If you’re looking for information about how to get to the Fairmont, by planes, trains, or automobiles, check out our Comprehensive Travel Guide.
Note that if you’re flying in to San José airport, there is no free shuttle from the hotel; however, you can use a combination of the free #10 Airport bus to the Metro/Airport light rail station and a $2 light rail fare to get you to the stop right next to the hotel at Paseo de San Antonio station.
Westercon on the Radio
Members of the Westercon 64 committee will be on KFJC radio (89.7 FM in the South Bay Area and also over the internet) appearing on Thoughtline with Robert Emmett. Tune in Monday, June 27, at 6 PM PDT as convention Chairman Glenn Glazer, Dealers’ Room manager David W. Clark, and Website editor Kevin Standlee talk about plans for next weekend’s Westercon.
Hotel Rooms Still Available
There are still hotel rooms available at the Fairmont for the weekend of Westercon, despite any rumors to the contrary. We encourage anyone attending Westercon to enhance their convention experience by staying in the hotel where you can have easy access to evening events and programming and the parties that are a part of traditional fannish culture.
If you have any difficulty booking a room, including having the reservation tell you that one of the “shoulder nights” (before and after the convention) is unavailable, write to our Hotel Liaison (hotel@westercon64.org) with details and we’ll get it resolved as soon as possible.
Also, if you booked a room by any way other than through the PassKey web site or by calling the hotel and mentioning Westercon, please let our hotel liasion know so that our convention gets appropriate credit for your stay. Part of our commitment to the hotel is that we fill a certain number of hotel room nights, so it’s important we get credit for every convention member staying at the hotel.
Parking
For those of you driving to Westercon 64, note that there is no free parking in downtown San José and that the hotel’s parking garage is valet parking-only (no self parking) for $26/day. There is plenty of available parking in downtown San José, however, including both surface lots suitable for taller vehicles and parking garages, all of which are close to the hotel. See our Parking page for more details.
Westercon Special Events
Westercon 64 issued the following press release this morning discussing the convention’s major special events.
WESTERCON 64
2011 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference
PO Box 61363, Sunnyvale CA 94088-1363 USA
info@westercon64.org; http://www.westercon64.org/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 20, 2011
Westercon 64 Announces Special Events
This Fourth of July weekend sees Westercon 64, the 2011 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, coming to downtown San Jose. Westercon 64 will include several special events in its schedule in addition to traditional SF/F convention programming. Among the special events planned is a performance of a radio-style play written by artist guests of honor Phil and Kaja Foglio, a themed Saturday afternoon tea with writer guest of honor Patricia McKillip, a focus event on the guests moderated by Terry Bisson from the SF in SF reading series, and an SF/F-themed game show. The convention will also include two Regency Dances and the Westercon Masquerade costume contest.
Read more…
Classics of Science Fiction
John Hertz will be leading discussions of three classic SF works at Westercon 64. As he puts it, “A classic is a work that survives its own time. After the currents which might have sustained it have changed, it remains, and is seen to be worthwhile for itself.” If you have a better definition, bring it to the panels.
Each of the three classics is worth reading, or re-reading. Each discussion will take up one. Come to as many as you like. You’ll be welcome to join in. Check the program schedule at the convention for the specific time and location of the discussion.
Read more…
Mad Science!
