West Coast Speculative Fiction Association

Northwest Fan Fest
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2014 & 2015 Pop-Culture Convention (archived):

Northwest Fan Fest

Northwest Fan Fest (NWFF) was a fan-run, multi-genre, pop-culture convention held in the Vancouver Metro area, organized by the West Coast Fan Society (WCFS). It blended anime, gaming, cosplay, comics, and pop culture and had around 3–4K attendees.

The event ran for two successful years:

  • NWFF 2014 – Held June 27–29 at UBC. It combined anime, gaming, cosplay, comics, sci‑fi/fantasy, and general pop culture under one roof. Guests included voice actors and cosplayers like Linda Ballantyne and Faye Mata.
  • NWFF 2015 – Held May 29–31 at New Westminster’s Anvil Centre. The event drew about 3,200–3,600 attendees. It featured video-game tournaments, panels, live podcasts, Spike & Mike’s Animation Show, an artist alley, a vendor hall, cosplay contests (with cash prizes), music (like The Doubleclicks), improv, and cosplay workshops.

Attendees often compared NWFF to a smaller-scale Fan Expo but with a tighter community vibe. Cosplay was a major focus – there were contests with significant prize money and tutorials from well-known local creators. The event also featured a mix of entertainment, including comedy, musical performances, gaming, and workshops, appealing to a broad range of fandoms.

Sadly, the 2016 event had to be cancelled, and then the WCFS folded due to a lack of committed board members. But, as part of the dissolution process, they offered the NWFF intellectual property to WCSFA with the hope that the event could be brought back some day. Although WCSFA has not been able to hold NWFF since assuming ownership of the IP, it remains on our radar, and we are hopeful that it will re-emerge in the future.