Denver's Newest Sci-Fi Convention, GalactiCon, Is Ready to Launch

GalactiCon is starting an ongoing mission this Thanksgiving, and it's going to be out of this world.

The Mile High's new sci-fi convention is seeking strange new realms of fandom, welcoming all to come aboard and boldly go where other nerds have gone before (and will go again). The inaugural event happens at the Marriott Denver Tech Center over the holiday weekend, Friday, November 24, through Sunday, November 26.

GalactiCon convention lead and founder Michael Newman has been involved with fan gatherings for about 43 years, since he was a kid in Houston. "My parents took me to my very first one when I was ten years old," recalls Newman. "HoustonCon, 1980. They knew I was into comics, they knew I was into Star Trek, and we went. They never went to one again, but I was hooked. I went to all of them I could, and started volunteering when I was twelve. Learned the ins and outs of not just the culture, but the business, the structure."
That experience served him well when he relocated to Denver in the mid-’80s and got involved with StarFest. That convention, founded by KathE Walker with the stalwart aid of her husband, Stephen, was functioning for nearly a decade by the time Newman joined the team in 1985. "I ended up running one of the shows-within-a-show at StarFest called ComicFest," Newman recalls. "I did that for quite a while before leaving StarFest to help start Denver Comic Con."

Newman became one of the eight original founders of Denver Comic Con, which debuted in 2012 and, after changing hands a few times, still exists today as FANEXPO Denver.

"I hadn't really been a part of Denver Comic Con since 2016," says Newman, "and I was on the hunt for my next project, my next passion. I knew I wanted another fandom experience to put my time and energy into." With the end of StarFest in 2022, Newman and many others began talking about what might come next locally, and who might lead that particular nerd-loving charge back into the convention scene.

Then, early in 2023, StarFest organizer Stephen Walker passed away. "All the talk about what might come next suddenly ramped up when we lost Steve," Newman reflects. "How were we going to fill this StarFest-sized hole in our hearts? So that's when I started talking with people. I had the network, I had the resources, I had the experience. I thought I could put together a dream team of people from StarFest, Denver Comic Con, a lot of other smaller events around town. We could make this work. We could make this happen."

And they are. But why on Thanksgiving weekend? "We knew that was going to be controversial," Newman admits, "but we have a couple of reasons for that. For one, it marks Stephen Walker's birthday on November 25, so that will be a great way to honor him. And two, Denver has a great history of cons occurring over holiday weekends. Denver Comic Con was often on Father's Day, which some people complained about at first — but then a lot of dads came to really appreciate it as a way to celebrate with their families. There are successful conventions over that same weekend nationally, but never before in Denver. For every person who might wonder why in the world we'd choose Thanksgiving weekend, I think there are a good deal more fans who will wonder why no one's ever done it on that weekend before."

In order to draw in those turkey-fed crowds, Newman has a celebrity guest list that he thinks his team "knocked it out of the park" in gathering. He stresses a lesson he learned looking back at the first StarFest convention he attended in Denver (then called StarCon): Fans come to see their favorite stars for very different reasons. At that first local event in 1985, the celeb attraction was Robert Englund, who at that point was most famous for playing Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street. "But I hadn't seen that movie," Newman laughs. "I wanted to see Englund at the con because he was Willie from [TV alien-invasion mini-series] V."

So Newman focused on landing some big names in sci-fi for the inaugural GalactiCon from a diverse spectrum of fan-favorite properties, including Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural and Game of Thrones, to name only a few. Top billing this year goes to Todd Stashwick, who played Starfleet Captain Liam Shaw on the much-talked-about third season of Picard. Fellow Trek alumni Denise Crosby (Lieutenant Tasha Yar from The Next Generation), Jesse James Keitel (Dr. Aspen/Captain Angel from Strange New Worlds), and J.G. Hertzler (Klingon General Martok from Deep Space 9). Joining them will be Ming Chen (from Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men), Mason Alexander Park (Quantum Leap and The Sandman), Omid Abtahi (The Mandalorian), Rick Worthy (Supernatural and Battlestar Galactica) and Ross Mullan (Game of Thrones and Ant-Man and the Wasp), among others.

To that guest list, GalactiCon adds all the usual nerd-con stuff that fans crave: a wide range of programming covering various aspects of the genre, from in-depth discussions to interactive workshops; board, card, role-playing and video game rooms, where fans can compete, socialize and test their skills; a bustling dealer room full of memorabilia and merchandise, with more than 100 dealers offering a treasure trove of collectibles, apparel and more. "It'll be a great place to do your holiday shopping," promises Newman, and laughs. "No better place to shop Black Friday!"

In keeping with a Saturday night tradition set by StarFest, GalactiCon will host a cosplay contest that evening, with a panel of expert judges that Newman notes are some of the foremost in their creative field. And just as StarFest had its Federation Ball, GalactiCon wants to provide a space for fans to get their groove on. Newman describes it as somewhere between the old-school ball and the anime raves at other conventions. In Denver, the Mos Eisley Brothers band will be kicking out the best nerd-friendly tunes from the ’80s to today. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit Cap for Kids, a Colorado charity that raises funds to support families of children fighting cancer.

Newman is excited about every part of the first GalactiCon, but he hopes two of the celebrity guests in particular will appeal to a younger segment of fans, especially those in (and allies of) the LGBTQ+ community. Both Mason Alexander Park and Jesse James Keitel are popular performers who will hopefully appeal to fans wanting more than the usual heteronormative, traditional sci-fi and fantasy. Along those same lines, GalactiCon will offer a drag queen story hour and will close out the final day with a raucous run of drag queen bingo.

"We want to make it clear from the outset that GalactiCon is for everyone," Newman says. "It's all about the fandom, and that means everybody.

"StarFest was great in so many ways, but one of the best parts of it was that it felt like home for so many fans in Colorado. We want to re-create that sense, continue with the tradition, with GalactiCon. That time and place where everyone can feel welcome," he concludes.

GalactiCon, Friday, November 24, through Sunday, November 26, Marriott Denver Tech Center, 4900 South Syracuse Street. Three-day weekend passes ($60), VIP passes ($160), and single-day passes for Friday ($20), Saturday ($40) and Sunday ($30) are available with more information on the GalactiCon website.