Pyrkon has been held by the Second Age Science Fiction Club (Klub Fantastyki "Druga Era") every year since 2000, except 2005 when they held Polcon. (In 2011 they organised both Pyrkon and Polcon.) Pyrkon has been a non-profit convention from its beginning, and all organizers, lecturers and gofers are volunteers.
Initially Pyrkon was initially held in the Dębiec district of Poznań. Due to the increasing number of visitors, in 2011 the convention moved to the present location, the Poznań International Fair and the Liceum ogólnokształcące nr 2 in Poznań (Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr 2 w Poznaniu).
On 6 March 1999, Second Age organised "Science Fiction Day" in the "Sun" District House of Culture in the Przyjaźni (Polish for friendship) district in Poznań.[1] It was the direct predecessor of Pyrkon.
The tradition of holding Pyrkon on the first weekend after the spring equinox started in 2006. Usually it is also the weekend when Daylight saving time begins – participants are informed in a convention guide book and on posters of the need to adjust their timepieces.
Etymology
The name "Pyrkon" is derived from pyra ("potato" in Poznań's dialect) and the suffix -kon, which is added to names of all Polish fan conventions and is derived from polish word for a convention- konwent. According to a longtime chairman of the Second Age Club Piotr Derkacz this was actually supposed to be a temporary name, until they would come up with a more serious one. [2]
Program
Main Attractions
Pyrkon's goals are realized in
meetings and discussion panels with science fiction and fantasy authors
meetings with books and games publishers
thematic lectures related to all spheres of science fiction
Attractions (lectures, discussion panels, meetings with guests, contests, concerts etc.) on Pyrkon are divided into thematic sections. Most attractions are held in Polish.
Pyrkon 2019 had 19 program sections, which are listed below:
Integration Section – integration section is a zone to meet new friends and participate in integration games. There, you can strengthen ties with already known people, but also meet other participants with similar passions
Film Section – lectures about films and film-making, amateur film shows, lessons of creating YouTube content
Computer Games Section – computer games contests and tournaments, lectures about game design, creating Let's Play
Literature Section – lectures and discussion panels about science-fiction and fantasy literature and meetings with authors
Science Section – popular science lectures
RPG Section – lessons on making good role-play sessions, presentations of new RPG systems, meetings with role-playing games creators
LARP Section – LARP games, contest for best LARP on Pyrkon, presentations of LARP systems, lectures about making LARP costumes, improving larping skills
Comics Section – lessons of comics drawing, meetings with comic book artists, lectures about comics
Manga & Anime Section – lessons of manga style drawing, lectures about Japanese comics, animation and culture in general
Contest Section – competitions about every part of pop culture
Board Games Section – Games Room – presentations of new board games, games' rules lessons, lending board games
Beginners' Section – short introductory lectures about every aspect of Fandom for beginners who have never visited any convention, played a board game, seen science-fiction film etc.
Kids' Section – science-fiction and fantasy related attractions for children younger than 10 years old
Exhibitions, Shows, Workshops – dance lessons and shows, concerts, Lego exhibitions etc.
Fantasium Suburbium - The zone in which villages created by participants are related to the world of fantasy. There are, among others, handicraft workshops or fight and dance shows. From the groups exhibiting there, participants can hear a bit about reconstruction, as well as learn a bit of the armor creation, sewing or jewelry making
Fantasium Creatium - A place where artists from all over the Poland exhibit their fantasy-related works. Both professional artists and beginners can submit their exhibitions. Inside the Fantasium Creatium there are, among others, science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, handicraft and science zones
Fantasium Ludicrum - The block, which includes stage performances - concerts and shows - and film screenings. The Fantasium Ludicrum performed, among others, Percival Schuttenbach, actors of the Poznań Musical Theater, there was also a performance of the "Ark" of the Theater of the Eighth Day
Fantastic Initiatives Zone - The zone is intended for festival organizers and fantasy conventions from all over Poland. It serves as a place to meet, exchange experiences and make contacts with potential members of fantasy organizations. There are also smaller Polish fantasy events advertised there
The Masquerade - One of the highlights of the program during Pyrkon is The Masquerade cosplay competition. Its participants compete in the categories: Best Cosplay, Best Own Project, Best Group Presentation and Best Solo Presentation. The main prize is the Grand Prix. In addition, the 2019 The Masquerade winner received the right to compete in the Cosplay Champions competition. The condition for joining The Masquerade is to create your own costume. It can depict a character known from the world of fantasy, but it must be made by hand. Each participant presents his disguise first only to the jury, which assesses whether the cosplay was really created from scratch. The Masquerade is traditionally held at the Earth Hall - the largest hall located at the Poznań International Fair. Due to the limited number of seats in the audience and the great interest of the audience, the show is also displayed on a large screen at the Fair, as well as broadcast live on Pyrkon's social media channels.
Ewa Białołęcka, Piotr W. Cholewa, Jakub Ćwiek, Jarosław Grzędowicz, Maciej Guzek, Marek S. Huberath, Witold Jabłoński, Lech Jęczmyk, Jacek Komuda, Rafał Kosik, Maja Lidia Kossakowska, Magdalena Kozak, Marcin Mortka, Łukasz Orbitowski, Maciej Parowski, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Michał Protasiuk, Marcin Przybyłek, Wojciech Szyda, Szczepan Twardoch, Andrzej Zimniak, Paweł Zych[19]
28–30 March 2008
Elementary School nr 21 in Poznań, Gymnasium nr 42 in Poznań, Cezamet Hotel[20]
Marek Baraniecki, Ewa Białołęcka, Anna Brzezińska, Jakub Ćwiek, Bartosz Grykowski, Maciej Guzek, Marek S. Huberath, Witold Jabłoński, Lech Jęczmyk, Jacek Komuda, Rafał Kosik, Jacek Kowalski, Magdalena Kozak, Iwona Michałowska-Gabrych, Marcin Mortka, Łukasz Orbitowski, Maciej Parowski, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Michał Protasiuk, Marcin Przybyłek, Piotr Rogoża, Edyta Rudolf, Wojciech Siudmak, prof. Antoni Smuszkiewicz, Wit Szostak, Wojciech Szyda, Szczepan Twardoch, Milena Wójtowicz, Andrzej Zimniak[5]
26–28 March 2010
Elementary School nr 21 in Poznań, Gymnasium nr 42 in Poznań, Cezamet Hotel, High and Technical Schools Complex nr 19 in Poznań[25]
Ewa Białołęcka, Michał Bogacki, Elżbieta Cherezińska, Michał Cetnarowski, Jakub Ćwiek, Rafał Dębski, Jacek Drewnowski, Jarosław Grzędowicz, Maciej Guzek, Marek S. Huberath, Witold Jabłoński, Lech Jęczmyk, Barbara "Maskotka" Karlik, Jacek Komuda, Rafał Kosik, Maja Lidia Kossakowska, Jacek Kowalski, Magdalena Kozak, Paweł Majka, Paweł Matuszek, Iwona Michałowska-Gabrych, Marcin Mortka, Dominika Oramus, Marek Oramus, Łukasz Orbitowski, Maciej Parowski, Magda Parus, Agnieszka Piechnik, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Michał Protasiuk, Marcin Przybyłek, Piotr Rogoża, Wit Szostak, Wojciech Szyda, Łukasz Śmigiel, Szczepan Twardoch, Konrad Walewski, Marcin Wolski, Robert M. Wegner[27]
25–27 March 2011
Poznań International Fair, Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr 2 in Poznań[28]
Anna Kańtoch, Maja Lidia Kossakowska, Maciej Parowski, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Jakub Ćwiek, Robert J. Szmidt, Ewa Białołęcka, Robert M. Wegner, Jarosław Grzędowicz and lots more others
8–10 April 2016
Poznań International Fair, Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr 2 in Poznań[36]
contest of "The Convention Guide-Book" Web Portal (Informator Konwentowy): "The Best Fan Convention of the Season"[47]
Pyrkon 2006 – 2nd place (Winter 2005/2006 edition)
Pyrkon 2007 – 1st place (Winter 2006/2007 edition)
contest of "The Convention Guide-Book" Web Portal: "The Best Fan Convention of the Year"[47]
Pyrkon 2008 – 1st place
contest of "The Convention Guide-Book" Web Portal: "Fan's Choice"[47]
Pyrkon 2006 – 2nd place (Winter 2005/2006 edition)
Pyrkon 2007 – 1st place (Winter 2006/2007 edition)
Pyrkon 2008 – 1st place (Year 2008 edition)
plebiscite of "The Cathedral" Web Portal (Katedra): "Science Fiction" in category "The best fan convention or other SF mass event", in year 2012 simply "Event"