Fantasmagoria! Thessaloniki’s big Fantasy festival talks to us about Cosplay, the event and its work!
A WORLD OF FANTASY !
The world of Fantasy in a big festival in Thessaloniki! From 2017 until today, every April and for two days, it gathers thousands of fans of Fantasy under one roof!
Starting on April 1, 2017 at Thessaloniki’s City Hall, it counts three annual two-day events by now, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic! Literature, comics, board games, artists, exhibitors, collectibles, everything is there!
Among them, our favorite Cosplay, which started to make their gradually increasing appearance from 2018 onwards, reaching 21 Cosplays ( besides 14 extra fantasy themed costumes ) during the last physical event, Fantasmagoria 2019!
Multiple book presentations, seminars, events for children, panels, interactive events, art, concerts, screenings, performances, workshops, dance, stand up comedy and much more, compose an extensive program, covering tastes a visitor might have! Among them, the two Cosplay Parades one can watch during the event’s 2 day run! Cosplayers//GR was present until its last event with its own booth, providing a Cosplay Photo / Video Booth, Cosplay Photo Albums / Galleries, Cosplay Repair Station, Giveaways, Freebies and Cosplayer Luggage Storage!
Let’s talk about everything , with Fantasmagoria‘s chairman of the board of directors, Savvina Kotseridou!
Find Fantasmagoria on the following media! Page - Facebook - Youtube - Twitter - Instagram Check out the organizer's profile and events, with all their info and thousands of photos & videos, on our website, HERE!
MYTHS & STORIES !
1) Tell us a few words about Fantasmagoria, its history and contents! When and how did it start? What themes is it about? Are those themes based on the organizers’ personal interests, and if so, when did you start taking an interest in each of them, before your first event?
Fantasmagoria was born 5 years ago, during a magical moment of synchronized inspiration of its founders ( Giorgos Damtsios, Marios Dimitriadis, Nikos Koumartzis, Valantis Nagoloudis, Evangelia Papanikou and Evlampia Tsireli ), who, recognizing the gradual rising expansion of fantasy literature worldwide, as well as the flourishment of the genre in Greece in recent years, wanted to create an event that would bring the people’s love for fiction and fantasy in all its forms together. Along with the happy circumstance of the public’s warm response, as well as the facts that fantasy was becoming the pop culture of our time, the new organizing committee ( Dimitris Kalogiannis, Christos Keskinis, Dimitris Kolovos, Savvina Kotseridou, Christos Koutsianos, Valantis Nagoloudis and Ilias Tsiaras ) opened up the festival to new fields: to all the arts, to science, to technology, to robotics. The event, which unfortunately didn’t take place due to the health crisis, would have been 2 to 3 times larger in structure, interactivity and thematically. It’s now clear that Fantasmagoria has acquired its own identity, its own character, so it’s impossible to rely solely on the organizers’ personal interests. Of course we are all into and related to fantasy in some way, however, what defines the character and scope of the event are always the trends of our time, the needs of our time and the needs of the people and among all that, we , the organizers, are called to respond. Fantasmagoria shapes us, and not the reverse.
Cosplayers//GR Cosplay Photobooth Photos at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photos by Cassiel Cosplay Photography
2) What led you to proceed with organizing Fantasmagoria? How long and what exactly did it take until the first event was possible? What can one find there and how do you think it differs from other events of similar type or theme?
I feel that a big part of the question has already been answered above. The demands of organizing a festival like Fantasmagoria – the way it is now – are huge! It’s an event with exhibitions, with many rooms and many stages that operate all in parallel, with 2 separate sections ( children’s and adults’ ) that must “run” simultaneously and independently, with a large audience, which we must protect, facilitate , inform, with over 400 artists and exhibitors that we must respect, serve functionally, highlight in the best way. For those 2 days of the festival, we and our partners work every day, all year round. Extremely important, of course, is the contribution of Fantasmagoria’s volunteers, without whom it might not have been possible to do all this. Allow me not to answer the last part of the question, since, in Fantasmagoria, we have chosen to observe and highlight what unites us with others and not what separates us. Where we look alike and not where we differ. It’s an extremely difficult time for events, which has already deprived the scene of people and other similar festivals. It would be a great achievement if Fantasmagoria could embrace those events that had a little more difficult time, but were really worthwhile, and somehow preserve their continuity. In any case, it’s only important and beneficial to have many people and many festivals related to fantasy and it’s our wish that those who love fantasy will visit all of them and come to their own conclusions about their similarities and differences, if any of that concerns them.
Exhibitors at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
3) What was the biggest, but also the most difficult Fantasmagoria you have done so far? What defines them as such?
Fantasmagoria is getting bigger year by year, so year by year it gets more demanding. The biggest difficulty we face, however, is the acceptance of not holding the event due to covid-19. The postponement of the event cost everyone of us and we were really sad, not so much for our own efforts but especially for the public, who were deprived of the opportunity to enjoy an event of European standards, with international guests, with a continuous flow of workshops that increase interaction, with wonderful concerts and exhibitions – even from museums of contemporary art abroad -, with a dining area for the first time at the festival, which would bring us all closer and would allow the public to stay longer in the festival to watch as many activities as possible. We hope that all this will take place in our next event, as soon as the conditions allow.
Dance Act and Stand Up Comedy at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
4) How much effort, time and money does it usually take to set up Fantasmagoria? What is the usual preparation plan that you follow?
Setting up Fantasmagoria requires incalculable effort, incalculable time and fortunately not incalculable money, as this would make it impossible to make it a reality, since the event is philanthropic, free and based solely on sponsorships, volunteering and income based on the cost of participation for exhibitors, which is the minimum possible, so that our purpose can be served, meaning the promotion of new artists related to Fantasy from all over Greece. We are all required to work on it daily and seriously, as if doing a second profession. During the days of setting up and holding the festival no more than 3-4 hours remain for sleep and rest and I want to mention for those who don’t know about it, that none of us receives any financial or any other kind of benefit from all that. Our reward is emotional and moral, but it’s enormous. Culture is what separates man from all other species on the planet and it’s the key to solving all kinds of problems of both man and humanity. It is therefore worth the effort and time and financial contribution of each of us, not as a sacrifice but as an investment for our lives and as an investment for the future of human society.
Video of 35 Cosplays and themed costumes of Fantasmagoria 2019 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
5) How did you feel during the first Fantasmagoria and how after its end? Describe this experience to us.
Personally, I participated in the first Fantasmagoria event as a volunteer. I remember my enthusiasm for what I encountered, the sense of originality, the joy I received from communicating with people I met, the surprise about their talent. I felt like I became part of a family and I feel exactly the same today, so many years later. Fantasmagoria is a great company, a family, an open embrace that fits, thinks about and supports all those who become part of it, with love, respect and selflessness.
Choir at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
6) What’s your opinion, in proportion to Greece’s size, about the size and level of the audience of the scene towards which Fantasmagoria is addressed?
The truth is that the public welcomed fantasy festivals with curiosity, but also with uneasiness, and this was logical and to be expected in a country that’s not very familiar with fantasy literature, even though it has inspired it with its culture significantly all across the world. The steps that have been taken since then until today are many. We are proud to say that there are already many who have dispelled stereotypes about fantasy, realizing that fantasy is much more than they thought it to be. It’s a skill. It’s a possibility. It’s an instinct that, like all instincts, helps us to survive and balance both as individuals and as societies. I believe that with the quarantine, with the fear of disease, death, alienation, with the deprivation of art all this time, people felt the value of fantasy and creativity in our lives in many ways and that the situation will be very different from civilization’s reboot and beyond. I think that people – the general public and not the few initiated – need such events and seek them out. It’s up to us to become as extroverted as conditions require.
Cosplayers//GR Cosplay Booth at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
7) Are you satisfied with the people’s response to Fantasmagoria during all these years, as well as with the number of Cosplays attending?
When you start something, you have to prove that it’s worth it, in order to get established. That’s the right and just thing to do and it doesn’t only apply to Fantasmagoria, it applies to all of us, collectively and individually. The participation of both artists and visitors is growing steadily and at an unexpectedly fast pace, and I believe this will continue as long as we respect both of them respectively.
Exhibitors at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
8) When and why did you decide to include Cosplay in Fantasmagoria’s themes? What more do you think does the presence of Cosplays provide to Fantasmagoria?
Cosplay was considered from the beginning, by the organization, as an integral part of fantasy. Fantasmagoria continues and will continue to support Cosplay, not only as a manifestation of Fantasy and as a trend that is spreading worldwide in the field of entertainment, but also as an opportunity to get acquainted with something different on all levels and accept it.
Video of the two Cosplay Parades at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
9) What can one find related to Cosplay at Fantasmagoria? Are there any specific activities and events related to it? Do you think they are sufficient or is there something more that you would like to provide regarding Cosplay? Do you think that Cosplay as a theme will continue to be a key part of Fantasmagoria for a long time?
The presence of Cosplay and cosplayers at the festival is strong and irreplaceable. In addition to the contests and the now established cosplay parade, cosplayers also participate in various events that take place within the festival, as well as in promotional activities of the festival and Fantasy in general. The better we organize this aspect, the more dynamic can be the utilization of cosplayers by the organization be. The official cosplay community in Greece has always been a media sponsor of the festival, actively supporting, covering the events, looking after cosplayers’ equipment, providing free repairs and assistance for any costume, but also informing anyone interested. Our goal is to organize a large exhibition of cosplay costumes, to hold workshops on how to make a costume but also on how a character is theatrically, psychologically and kinesiologically structured and of course to secure a official guest who will represent Cosplay and attract more public from the community.
Board Games at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
10) Is there a long term goal or personal dream you want to achieve through Fantasmagoria?
Our goal is, through the “Association for the Promotion and Dissemination of Fantasy”, meaning the body organizing Fantasmagoria, to integrate the festival into actions of educational institutions of all levels, in Municipalities and Regions, in other festivals and institutions, in institutions of art and culture and to any body interested in promoting quality and original spectacle, with creativity at its core. Fantasy is something very broad, serious and especially important. It doesn’t take us away from reality. Instead, it helps us realize reality, manage it, and improve it. The car we are driving, our mobile phone, the internet, the new medical technologies and methods, the dreams we see and the dreams we make, are all products of our fantasy. The ultimate and real goal, then, is to recognize the value of fantasy that it already has. To get the place it deserves in literature, in culture, in our hearts. Mainly there.
Creative Activities at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
11) Is there any important or funny experience that happened during Fantasmagoria that you will never forget?
I choose, as the first thought coming to mind, to share the both funny and substantial reaction of a child which burst into tears when it asked its mother when they would be visit ingFantasmagoria again and she replied “next year when it happens again”.
Martial Arts Presentation at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
12) What is the first thing you would tell to someone who seriously considers visiting Fantasmagoria for the first time? And what can he expect to see there in the future?
In a fantasy festival, the greatest value lies in what you don’t expect to see! The pleasant surprise … the unexpected that changes your perspective on things … something you get to know for a moment and it’s as if you have always known about it. That’s what we want to provide to anyone visiting us and that’s what I would advise everyone to look for.
Video with general footage of all content of Fantasmagoria 2019 – Video by Cosplayers//GR
13) Is there anything last you would like to share with our readers?
With your readers and with everyone, I would like to share our optimism and faith in the good and the beautiful. We would be happy to welcome them in our next event, but also in the “Association for the Enhancement and Dissemination of Fantasy” and on our social media pages. It’s important to find each other, to meet and share, both our concerns and aspirations, during these unhappy, colorless and lonely times! May imagination accompany us!
Art Exhibition at Fantasmagoria 2019 – Photo by Cosplayers//GR
EVENTS BY FANTASMAGORIA WITH COSPLAYS ! INFO, PHOTOS & VIDEOS !
Cosplayers//GR, the Greek Cosplay community ( 2007 – today ), the only big non-profit neutral and independent Greek Cosplay community network, dedicated to providing -all- existing news about the community, coverage, recording and promotion of all Cosplayers, Cosplay events and anything associated with Cosplay in Greece.
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