Ascendio 2012: A Harry Potter Fandom Event

Hi from HPEF, the team behind awesome Harry Potter fancons (Infinitus, Azkatraz, Portus, Prophecy, Lumos, The Witching Hour and Nimbus - 2003)! We’re hosting ASCENDIO, our next (and final) HP fancon in Orlando in July at Universal Orlando’s Portofino Bay Resort, and a private event called Night of a Thousand Wizards 2 at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on July 12.

The WWoHP, Ascendio and Universal Orlando are magical, and we’d love to see you there! Ticket & event info is here, our amazing YA novelist reading/signing schedule is here, and our special StarKid Totally Awesome reg pack details are here, so check them out.

But before we get everything started in Florida, we have a few things from cons past and present that we’d love to give away, including an Infinitus umbrella signed by Christian Coulson (Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets) and a bunch of Team StarKid, including Darren Criss, Lauren Lopez, Brian Holden and Jamie Lynn Beatty - Joe Moses, who’ll be back for two JMOMS shows at Ascendio.

Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley) and Afshan Azad (Padma Patil) have offered to sign it too, if the winner wants - it’s your choice!

We’re also giving away an Ascendio Swag Bag. Actually, it’s four bags - the official con tote in Hogwarts House colors - and we’re adding a con t-shirt, stickers, Craft Faire surprises and more!

How do you win?

    You may reblog this post up to two times a day until midnight Eastern US time on June 25; we’ll do the drawing on June 26 or 27, depending on how many we have to count through.
    Likes DO NOT COUNT.
    The winners will be chosen by a random number generator. They will have 48 hours to confirm with their address. The first number wins the umbrella, the second number wins the Ascendio Swag Bag (to be shipped after July 17).
    We will ship anywhere in the world, except to countries barred by the UN embargo from getting shipments from the US.  If you’re attending Ascendio, we’ll give you your prize at the event. The same individual cannot win both versions of the giveaway.
    You do not have to be following us, but it’s appreciated! If you are following us and win, you’ll get an extra gift from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in addition to your prize!
    Any questions, please just ask here on tumblr. We’d prefer if you’d send an ask with your name on it so we can reply privately and not clog up people’s dashes.

Who cannot win?

Anyone who signed the umbrella, and any HPEF Board Members and Ascendio senior staff. But we appreciate your signal boosts! If someone who’s ineligible reblogs this, and wins either package, we will choose the reblogger at the next number.

What if I know people who’d love to win this, but aren’t on Tumblr?

They can get a new tumblr account and start reblogging this!

And we’ll have a Swag Bag giveaway on Twitter soon, too.

Ascendio Registration Closes Tomorrow!

We’ll have daypasses available onsite, but the only way to get a Full registration for Ascendio, the final fancon by HPEF which is taking place in Orlando, Florida & at the WWoHP from July 12 - 15, is to register online before midnight (EDT) tomorrow!

Also, yesterday, we posted an amazing announcement about Night of a Thousand Wizards! Now, each NoaTW 2 ticketholder will be able to enter Universal’s Islands of Adventure® starting at 2 PM on Thursday, July 12, and will get a $20 voucher for dinner that can be used that evening. The price of a NoaTW ticket remains the same.

After 10, NoaTW2 ticketholders will have exclusive access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where we’ll be featuring an extensive menu of dessert and beverages on the streets of Hogsmeade - and they’re included with your NoaTW 2 ticket! And don’t forget - NoaTW is the only chance you’ll have this year to wear costumes in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

During Night of a Thousand Wizards, we’ll have a a DJ spinning music, lashings of Butterbeer, a chance to hang out with Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley) and Afshan Azad (Padma Patil) and so many other awesome moments! Remember - online registration closes on June 25, and we won’t be selling Feast tickets or Full registrations on-site. Click here to register now, or add a Night of a Thousand Wizards ticket to your registration. 

Who else is coming to Night of a Thousand Wizards? The HP Alliance’s Andrew Slack, Mark of MarkReads, members of Team StarKid, authors like Lev Grossman, and Ascendio’s Special Guests Chris Rankin and Afshan Azad!  You should join us too! Each ticket includes admission to Islands of Adventure starting at 2 PM, a $20 gift card to use towards food in the Park, dessert and free-flowing Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice after 10 PM in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and our exclusive Night of a Thousand Wizards event on the streets of Hogsmeade! Tickets start at $140 for Ascendio registrants.

And don’t forget all the excitement of our Quill Track with awesome YA authors and literary agents, Theatrical Shows, Wrock, Programming Sessions, Cast Member Meet & Greets, Hillywood Show panel, StarKid panels & meet&greets, cosplay events, our Ball with themed drinks, and so much more!

We’ll see you in July!

manatapped:

flamesofatimelord:

sadlittlekingofasadlittlehill:

lindsayface47:

gelfling:

thegreatwhitehorsescomeup:

bestofhands:

tigerbloodadonisdna:

ohno789:

Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people.

Unlike most of the party games you’ve played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends.

The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card.

And it is distributed under a Creative Commons license, meaning it is not only free to play, but remixing, and changing the game are more than just encouraged.

The official hard copy has been sold out for a while now, but a PDF of all the cards, and instructions distributed by the creators for making your own deck can be found here.

You’re welcome, and enjoy!

Scott brought this home today. You can answer every subject card with Kanye West. 

I do own this. From the cards, it looks much better than apples to apples could ever be.

I would like this.

I NEED IT

This is perfect.

I need to play this

I will play it with you. Actually the Kingdom will join and play this madness. It’s gonna be crazy!

It plays just like Apples to Apples; which means that its equally as fun.

We’re still working through the details, but it looks like Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley) will be hosting a Cards Against Humanity game at Ascendio in July - probably sometime on Friday but the date/time is up in the air until he’s back from Bank Weekend travels.

Yes, there will be customized drinks available for purchase, too.

(Source: yourmargins)

If you’re interested in helping out with Ascendio, there’s something terrific for you to do in Orlando in July. Remember, you need a registration for the day(s) that you want to volunteer, except that everyoneis invited to help out on Wednesday when we stuff registration packs, to work the door at the To the Manor Ball, and on Sunday for the Auction and Raffle. Some of the areas where you can help include:

• Security (you get a cool t-shirt!)
• Programming Prefects (essentially room monitors for Formal Programming sessions)
• Common Room staff (help monitor our Common Room… and enjoy the festivities at the same time!)
• Registration desk
• Meet & Greet desk (love to give directions/explain things to people? This is for you!)
• Decorations (on site, this includes decorating before the ball, and more!)

Click here fill out the Volunteer Form and be placed in our Database; we’ll get in touch with you and put you on a team within a day or two. Ascendio is run entirely by volunteers. From the board and senior staff to the on-site volunteers, HPEF events wouldn’t be what they are without help and commitment from its attendees. By volunteering, you can help shape Ascendio, meet fellow fans before the symposium, and gain an insider’s viewpoint to event planning.

Plus, we’re having a reception or two for our volunteers, and if you help out onsite, you’re cordially invited!