LeakyCon Denver 2022: Day 2 Recap
It was a beautiful, crisp October morning in Denver when I arrived at the Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center for LeakyCon 2022 – the very first LeakyCon ever to be held in Denver after the event was canceled for the last two years. I learned that many of the attendees had bought tickets for the original LeakyCon Denver event as far back as 2019, and the excitement in the air was palpable as I checked in.
I spent the first hour or so browsing (and feeling my pocketbook lighten a bit) in the LeakyCon Marketplace, where vendors had set up booths peddling Potter- and Fantastic Beasts-themed merch, promoting their podcasts, and spreading the word about various fandom-related causes. There were intricate, handmade wooden wands, beautifully crafted clothing items, sparkling jewelry, trinkets, and more – and the cosplay was out of this world! Anywhere you looked, there were pointed wizard hats, babies dressed up as mandrakes, a gaggle of Beauxbatons students, or a witch bearing a striking resemblance to Professor Umbridge (minus the scowl and the irritating laugh, of course).
I was thrilled to spend an hour listening to a panel put on by our friends Tylor Starr and Brittany Drake of the Protego Foundation, who walked attendees through how the organization came to be and went over their various causes over the years, including their most recent campaign: advocating for vegan butterbeer to be made available at Wizarding World theme parks. It was extremely moving to hear about how this group of exceptional witches and wizards channeled their love for Potter into another important cause!
After a quick lunch break at a nearby restaurant, I rushed back to catch the LeakyCon 2022 Denver Game Show in which actors Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley), Luke Youngblood (Lee Jordan), and Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood) competed in a ridiculous series of games and trivia. All the actors present at the event were humble and kind and displayed great enthusiasm for the event and for the fandom at large. It turns out that several of them have quite a quick wit, and we laughed till we cried at some of their jokes (we’re looking at you, Luke!). I popped out for the second half of the show to catch a bit of a panel on wandlore hosted by Greg Laslo, who is both the founder and Master Wandmaker at the Hungarian Wand Shop and a regular Ollivander in his own right. I learned loads about wandlore as well as the practical art of wandmaking, which was absolutely fascinating.
After the wandlore panel, I returned to the MainStage for Our Power Hour: The Harry Potter Actor Mega Panel, in which actors Chris, Luke, and Sean were joined by Stanislav Yanevski (Viktor Krum) and Tolga Safer (Karkaroff’s aide) as well as Melissa Anelli, the CEO of Mischief Management, which is the company responsible for producing LeakyCon. All the actors shared heartwarming stories about their years on the Potter set and once again had the audience feeling all the feels.
One of the events I was most excited about was Cosplay Karaoke, and the fearless singers did not disappoint! From a wonderfully theatrical performance of “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas to a heartfelt rendition of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, I didn’t know whether to be more impressed with the musical talent or the costumes. Our fandom is absolutely brimming with talent, and seeing these performers get up onstage and sing their hearts out to a room full of fellow fans (and karaoke host Chris Rankin) was unforgettable.
It seemed impossible that Day 2 was drawing to a close, but after karaoke, I had just over an hour left to explore. I ended the day with Wizard Rock Cafe hosted by the amazing wrock band Draco and the Malfoys. Several other Con attendees had brought their own instruments, and we all jammed out to original music, laughing, clapping, and singing along with a variety of silly and serious songs.
All in all, it was a beautiful day of fandom and fun – although because there were so many panels, shows, and jam sessions going on, I certainly could have used a Time-Turner in order to squeeze more into the jam-packed day!