The fourth annual NerdFest returns to the Rickshaw Theatre this Saturday, bringing with it all manner of costumed weirdness, complete with live sword-fighting demonstrations, live music, burlesque, and magic performances. Westender talked to organizer Morgan Zentner about the growing appeal of “nerd” culture and what exactly defines a nerd anyways.
Tell me about the inspiration behind NerdFest and why is it the best thing ever?
NerdFest was originally created for a folk metal band that I was playing with at the time as we were having a hard time finding a festival locally that would fit the type of music we were playing. Since leaving the band, I decided to keep going with NerdFest and hope make it one of Vancouver’s most talked about nerd subculture events. It's just the best thing ever because where else are you going to have a variety show with vendors, wizards and the most epic of costume contests?
What is a "Nerd", and why will this event be better than Christmas for them?
It is well known that “nerd” is used to describe people that are overly studious and is usually used in a derogatory fashion. We are here to take back the use of the word “nerd” and make it something to be proud of! By definition nerd means smart, so be proud of your inner (or outer!) nerd and know that at this festival you will be amongst fellow nerds. When you come to the Rickshaw, you will notice that we will be transforming the building into a place where around every corner there is something different. With a long list of vendors including dragons, chain mail, drinking horns, face painting, and even tarot readings, there is definitely something for everyone. You could definitely even get your Christmas shopping done all in one night! There will also be many opportunities to grab some great prizes donated by our amazing sponsors.
This year marks the fourth year you've put on NerdFest. How has the event changed in that time? How has the "Nerd"-scene changed?
The festival had started with a more medieval theme to go along with the subject of the music we were playing at the time, but eventually evolved to an all-encompassing nerd theme so that we could involve a more broad range of performers and vendors. We are adding a balcony market as well as a few new faces to the NerdFest performer roster. There have been a long list of local businesses that have gotten involved as sponsors and we are huge supporters of local business. I feel that sometimes the scene can be somewhat divided into different subject categories and rarely are they all combined. The exceptions being the larger “cons” that take place but are few and far between. With events like NerdFest, we are able to bring the communities together in one night and are able to expose people to local artisans and performers that they may not normally get a chance to experience.
The event features live music, actual sword-fighting, burlesque, and even magic! What are you personally most excited about this year's event?
Its hard to pick just one thing! Our burlesque dancer is new this year so I am looking forward to seeing Diamond Minx perform. I am also a huge fan of the Whiskeydicks and with it being their CD release show I am sure they will be pulling out all the stops! But what I am looking forward to the most is seeing all the costumes that many of our audience members will be wearing. Our costume contests is taken quite seriously by some and its always a great time finding contestants.
