A bid to bring Worldcon, the international sci-fi literary festival, to the Scottish city of Glasgow has launched today.

The Glasgow in 2024 Bid Team intends to bring the World Science Fiction Convention back to Glasgow, Scotland, for what will be the third time. The event has been held in the Scottish city of culture in 1995 and 2005.

The bid will officially launch at this year’s Worldcon, Dublin 2019 , which takes place in Dublin, Ireland, from 15th-19th August. The venue for the Scottish bid is The Glasgow Scottish Event Campus (SEC). The dates planned will be Thursday 8th to Monday 12th August, 2024. Just in time for UK school summer holidays.

A worldcon event can take many years to organise, so bids tend to start planning early. Teams of fans compete on an international level to bring the event to their city. If successful 5,000 science fiction fans and professionals will be assembling in Glasgow exactly five years from today to enjoy a unique part of the fannish experience.

The theme of the Bid – and of the Convention, is “A Worldcon for Our Futures”. According to Bid Chair Esther MacCallum-Stewart, “science fiction has always provided insight into current events, by telling stories about where those events may take us. This is more important than ever at a time when the world is facing so much change and uncertainty – not only in science and technology but in economics, politics, culture and all aspects of society. Our aim is to bring people together – from writers and artists to scientists and activists – to debate these issues with energy and optimism.”

Worldcon is the longest running Science Fiction convention in the world. Volunteer ran, it has a unique and detailed schedule. In addition to being the home of the Hugo Awards, it’s responsible for the birth of great many traditions and customs within the science fiction community.

For more information, check out Glasgow2024

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