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French town plans Game of Thrones convention

The Local France
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French town plans Game of Thrones convention
Game of Thrones character Eddard Stark played by Sean Bean and the walled town of Carcassonne - the perfect setting for a Game of Thrones convention? Photo: Youtube screengrab/Thru-a-lens/flickr

The fortified town of Carcassonne in southwestern France could welcome thousands of fans of the hit TV series Game of Thrones for the first European fans convention next year. As long as the French based event organisers can raise €75,000 that is.

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Over the years the 5th century walled town of Carcassonne in the Aude department of southwestern France has been invaded by Visigoths, Romans and hundreds of thousands of tourists.

But residents of the town might have to prepare for a new raid next year from thousands of fans from the blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones, which has developed a cult following.

On Thursday Lyon-based organisation As An Event announced that they plan to hold an unofficial Game of Thrones convention in Carcassonne from the 14th-16th March next year. The event is to be named WIC CON - 'Winter is Coming Convention - named after a famous quote from the series.

The event is timed to fall just two weeks before the airing of the new fourth season of the show.

Explaining the choice of location, the head of the organisation, Maxime Luitaud, told radio Le Mouv that “events of this kind are traditionally organised on sites that don’t really recreate the ambiance of the series.”

“We’re tired of conventions in hangars and that all of the most important ones take place outside of Europe. We suggest WIC CON, the first European Game of Thrones convention in an exceptional setting.”

The series made by HBO is set in a fantasy medieval period chronicling the lives and of warring families. It has achieved global success, receiving 16 nominations at the last Emmy awards.

The three day convention promises giant role plays across the entire village, medieval banquets and sword-fighting.

If it all sounds like the ultimate fantasy for fans of the series, it could prove to be just that as organisers face the minor hurdle of having to raise €75,000 funds they need to run the event.

To overcome the problem As An Event have turned to Crowdfunding, an online method of financing projects which allows anyone who wishes to contribute.

Their fundraising page on the Crowdfunding site "kisskissbankbank" has so far amassed over €2,000 in donations, which is unfortunately still a long way off the target.  However, the group remain optimistic, “we’ve had a lot of positive reactions” they said.

As an incentive to fans Luitaud confirmed that, “four of the main actors from the show should be coming."

"We’ll reveal their names when we receive more money," he said.

by Naomi Firsht

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