If I recall correctly, I first heard about the idea for ChrzanCon during Imladris in 2025. Then some time passed and I saw information that the con will take place in March. I wanted to go, but was not sure whether I’ll manage. During KON_gres I learned that a bit of help with the programme would be needed and I decided to try coming…. And so I did.
Not So Small
I expected ChrzanCon to be a small local convention. Chrzanów – where it took place has ~34k inhabitants. To my surprise, during discussion with the chairperson, I learned that they estimated that around 1000 people attended on the first day. We won’t get the exact number as ChrzanCon was a free event with no registration. Still whether it was 1000, 800, or 1200 people doesn’t change the fact that it was way bigger than I expected!
Among many attractions there were also some knights.
Whole convention was spread between two venues – located around 500 metres apart. First was the local library, and the other was the local culture centre. The latter housed the programme room, one dealer, Pokemon tournament, and collectible cards exchange. Library hosted the rest of attractions. Those included a panel discussion, dealers, games room, wargaming room, and a few workshops.
I was very happy when I learned that the library was literally door to door with a small patisserie. In fact they were both in the same building, but had separate entrances. They had some delicious cakes and should I be in Chrzanów again, I would pay them a visit. It was also this patisserie where I spent some time chatting to my friends.
The ‘Shire Village’ created magical atmosphere on Saturday.
Programme
As I mentioned above, there was one programme room. Not a lot for an event visited by around a thousand people. Yet it was sufficient. There were free seats available on all the items I attended (although in one case not too many were left unoccupied). Room was quite spacious but not that big to host a few hundred people. It seems that the type of visitors were a bit different than on a regular SFF con.
The Great Debate of Majs – pun definitely intended.
From what I learned around 200 people participated in the Pokemon Tournament. I suppose that also some families came to the event to see how it looked and what may be cool for them. I expect them not to spend the whole two days on-site, but rather walk around, allow children to see a few things, and go back home. The games room full of board games was constantly occupied, and from what I was told, people there kept changing. Wargamers used another room and seemingly spent most of the con there. So all in all, visitors had plenty of spaces to choose from.
I attended four programme items in total – two panels, and two talks. The first panel, “The Great Debate of Majs”, took place on Saturday. The naming was a pun based on the last names of three out of four panellists – Maj, Majka, and Majkowski. They discussed the impact of Tolkien on worldbuilding in Fantasy. Quite an interesting discussion, as all four panellists were good speakers.
After ‘my’ panel there was a short photo session. Once it finished I moved to take the pictures of the panellists, but they already started to move away.
The second panel was where I helped with the moderation. As the topic was not yet decided until I promised to help, I had the pleasure to choose it. Basing on my knowledge of majority of panellists I decided to discuss pop-culture. The exact topic I selected was how SFF literature impacts and is impacted by the rest of popculture. The discussion took on some surprising turns, but I enjoyed listening to it. I hope that the audience thought the same.
Bonding
When I was not doing programme I had the time to explore the con and talk to my friends. I spent some time with the chairperson chatting about the con and other things. I hope that it was some kind of stress release for her.
When talking with a friend of mine, I did a tour around the library. I checked the dealers and saw the “Shire Village”. One thing that caught my attention, as we walked, was a small ball pit with a card showing stroked through “Dashcon” replaced by “Chrzacon”. At first, I though this a kind of organizers joke, and I found it a bit funny. Yet, later on I learned that it was not them who made it. And this is problematic to me. Should it be done by the team, it would show distance they had to their work. Sadly, someone else did it, and I am not sure how to interpret the situation. I am hoping that the joke didn’t come from any ill will, and just wasn’t well thought through.
Wargaming Room.
On Saturday I had to come back to Kraków (which is pretty close) as my another friend had birthday. My plans changed a few times and in the end I came back by car with two of my friends who were at the con. It was great as it was a long time since I had the chance to talk to both of them without “running”.
Coming Back to Chrzanów?
I am quite happy with my visit to ChrzanCon. It was a relaxed local convention, with nice atmosphere. I hope that it will continue, and that I’ll get the chance to come again. It would be good to repeat my visit, immerse in the vibe, and enjoy the the cake in the company of friends.
You can find more pictures in my FB gallery.
I hope to post again at the end of April or beginning of May.