Silicon Valley has a well-deserved reputation for fostering nerd culture, and it’s a flag we tend to fly proudly. That also makes this a perfect market for an event like GalaxyCon, a fandom convention that’ll beam into downtown San Jose this weekend with hundreds of stars from sci-fi and fantasy TV and movies, anime, comics, cosplay, gaming and even pro wrestling.
“There’s a rich history in the Bay Area of fandom conventions going back to the 1960s, including BayCon and WonderCon,” said GalaxyCon founder Mike Broder, who started the fest in Florida in 2006 and is bringing it to seven cities this year. “The Bay Area has always had a strong fandom community.”
Broder hopes that the community comes out strong to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center this weekend. It’s an eclectic lineup, but it’s definitely a boon for “Star Trek” fans with William Shatner returning to San Jose, along with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” stars including Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, Denise Crosby and Michael Dorn.
Cosplayers pose on the exhibit floor during GalaxyCon in Oklahoma City on May 25, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Galaxy Con)
There’ll be celebrities like “Weird” Al Yankovic, Rachael Leigh Cook, John Rhys-Davies and “Monty Python” legend John Cleese, cast members from the TV hit “Psych,” and voice actors from “My Hero Academia” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
Comics won’t be left out of this comic-con, either, with dozens of creators expected to attend, including Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Art Adams and Dan Jurgens. There also are a couple of San Jose natives having a homecoming, too, with longtime “Mario” voice actor Charles Martinet and “Invader Zim” creator Jhonen Vasquez.
While attending panels and celebrity Q&As or getting autographs and photo ops with stars is always a big part of the fan convention experience, Broder says he’s aiming for a lot more with Galaxy Con. He says it’ll be very different from Silicon Valley Comic-Con — originally backed by Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee and later by Adam Savage until it ended its run in 2022 — which included a science and maker component meant to appeal to valley techies.
“We’re a much more of a circus, so think of this as a five-ring circus for comic-cons. You’ve never had an event like what we’re doing in the area,” Broder said.
Attendees will be able to attend a live podcast recording, play tabletop and video games, and even get some ink on Tattoo Row. There also will be “after dark” events like dance parties, cosplay cabaret, karaoke and screenings going on late into the night and aimed at the 18-and-over crowd. Some of these events require a separate ticket from the main show, including a special screening of “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” on Sunday with Shatner providing a live commentary on the 1989 movie, which he directed.
“The whole point of getting 20,000 people in a building to hang out is to get them to hang out together. This is how you meet your tribe,” Broder said. “I want to give people an opportunity to stay around.”
The convention will open Friday with a 2 p.m. ribbon cutting. You can get more details and tickets at www.galaxycon.com.
JAZZ NOTES: It’s always nice when the neighbors stop by, and that was the case Saturday night when SFJAZZ hosted a reception for about 40 of its donors at the Silicon Valley Capital Club during San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.
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With the help of Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone — a Capital Club member and big jazz fan — SFJAZZ CEO Greg Stern and his crew arranged the trip to support Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ’s executive artist director, who played trumpet with living legend Herbie Hancock on the Jay Paul Co. Main Stage that night.
SFJAZZ Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard, left, chats with InaMarie Johnson and Dave Johnson during a reception at the Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Blanchard and Stern spent some time comparing notes with San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson and Festival Director Bruce Labadie in the upscale business club on the 17th floor of 50 W. San Fernando. SFJAZZ Board Chair Molly Coye told me she hopes they can bring a bigger group back to Summer Fest next year.
Sunday — the fest’s most underrated day, in my opinion — ended on an emotional note as the soul and funk band Maze said a final farewell to 77-year-old Frankie Beverly, who passed the band’s leadership over to Tony Lindsay. In tribute to Beverly, a huge swath of the audience dressed all in white Sunday. What a finish!
Many audience members at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest wore white to pay tribute to Frankie Beverly, who was retired as leader of the soul and funk band Maze on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
PARTY ON THE PASEO: Urban Vibrancy Institute’s monthly block parties in downtown San Jose are really picking up steam. Somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people are believed to have flocked to the last one at San Pedro Square, thanks largely to some viral marketing by San Jose Foos’ social media accounts. That could happen again for the next one, taking place this Thursday at Paseo de San Antonio — and showcasing businesses like Scott’s Seafood, Philz Coffee, the Hammer Theatre Center, Rosies and Posies and newcomers including Campus Burgers, Plant Slut and Urban Putt.
There should be more room for everyone as the party, scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m., will stretch along the paseo from First to Fourth streets.
