Northwest Bronyfest! A Write-Up~

[SETHISTO'S BLURB HERE]


Last weekend, Friendship is Magic fans from across the west coast collided in Portland, Oregon to attend the first annual Northwest Bronyfest. More than 75 people traveled from places as far as southern California and Vancouver, BC to meet up with fellow fans of the show and hang out over a weekend of crazy events and activities. Of these attendees included none other than Filly, the great synchtube celebrity, and Odyssey, the musical artist also known as 'Eurobeat Brony!'

As an event organizer, I decided to focus on more of a festival feel for the weekend in place of the usual convention-type events. It was a stressful and exciting risk, but come the morning of August 6th, all my worries were immediately allayed. Shortly after the initial meet time, residents and visitors of Portland who happened upon the downtown park would come face to face with dozens of guys and gals laughing and chatting away under the northwest sun. They might also notice a peculiar bit of street artwork:

Unplanned, someone had brought colored chalk to doodle around the park with our favorite characters. This all lasted for another hour or so when someone perked up with the idea of food. Most had either rushed or missed an early breakfast, so the massive group moved as a unit to the nearby Pioneer Place mall food court to grab some grub. According to one brony arriving late to the scene:

"Upon reaching the food court, I was a little stunned by how many Bronies were really there, just talking and hanging out. I can say this much, it certainly didn't fit with the anti-social normal nature that most internet meetups tend to have. People were finding their place and discussing anything and everything as we waited for things to get started." - Hans 

There were still a few hours to kill before the real fun started, so the herd moved on to Powell's Books, the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. The place really is a labyrinth, and worth spending an entire day both literally and figuratively getting lost across its rooms. Unfortunately, we only had a small tease of the glory, and quickly moved down the road to Voodoo Doughnut, quite possibly the greatest treat that will ever grace your tongue (sorry Pinkie!).
[Incidentally, they broke a world record on Bronyfest day 1!]

Everybody grouped back together around 5:00 at the ever-wonderful Red Coach. This spectacular burger joint gave us five hours to use their venue after closing, and for the mere price of buying dinner. If any of you end up in Portland, go hit 'em up -- they LOVE us (yes, they made us a custom menu). We had the whole place to ourselves, and completely maxed out the upper floor of the ~100 person capacity allotted to us.

The evening saw a many fantastic events. On top of a multitude of masterful music mixes and the MLP marathon, there was a custom hair modeling tutorial, merch sales, tables of art (including the whiteboard I decided to bring at the last minute), the most delicious 'baked bads' I have ever tasted, and one absolutely brilliant stand-up comedy act spanning over 15min! [Seriously, go watch those. If you missed the links here they are again. Brilliance.] We also got an exclusive pre-release listen and autographed singles of Odyssey's newest Super Ponybeat track, Singing Telegram!

After a far-too-brief night sleep, the next day brought with it one entire day chilling at a park just outside of town. We lost a handful from the night before who could only stay one day, but gained a few extra for one wonderfully sunny Sunday. At this point, once perfect strangers now talked like the best of friends, and we all feasted on delicious barbecue delights provided by Roy G. Biv (thanks again for everything, you crazy foal -- you and Luke really saved the day).

The day's events were more low-key, going more the route of conversation and music, thanks to a stereo set of pony tracks brought by one of the attendees. There was coloring, crafting, and other artistry, as well as more merch sales, a really kickass car, and a failed attempt at building the Target MLP tent from the new Canterlot set (I recommend against purchasing it). The evening even saw a few sing-alongs around a rather dashing but somewhat egotistical guitarist. I sure hope he starts posting his stuff online soon..

But I digress. Those of us who survived into the night went back into town for a final Voodoo run to end the weekend. The whole thing was an unbelievable success, and not only do we have plans to scale up for next year's event, but there is talk about bringing a winter event up to Seattle! We'll be sure keep you updated~

- Bejoty
Northwest Bronyfest Organizing Lead