The World Fantasy Convention is coming back to the UK in 2013, when it will be held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel.

For fans who want to join immediately, WFC is offering a £75.00 “Early Bird” Attending Membership rate.

The press release stresses there will be a “firm membership limit” but does not say what that limit will be. The Guests of Honor also have yet to be named.

The WFC 2013 concommittee is led by Amanda Foubister, Chairperson and Hotel Liaison, previous chair of Toronto’s Ad Astra and the 2007 and 2010 World Horror Conventions. Stephen Jones, renowned British anthologist, is a Co-Chairperson working on Programming and Publications. He helped led the 1988 and 1997 World Fantasy Conventions and the 2007 and 2010 World Horror Conventions. Novelist Michael Marshall Smith is a Co-Chairperson working on Publications.

Among the familiar names on the committee list is London Worldcon bidder James Bacon, who will be responsible for Dealers’ Room, Hospitality and Events. Good times!  

All of this sounds so promising I will skip the usual blogly attempt to force a connection between this story and my experiences at a con years ago in that same hotel in Brighton.

More information about WFC can be found on the www.wfc2013.org website.

The full press release follows the jump.

[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION RETURNS TO UK IN 2013

WE ARE DELIGHTED to announce that the World Fantasy Convention will be returning to the British Isles for the first time in sixteen years over Hallowe’en 2013.

The key organisers of the 1988 and 1997 WFCs in London, the 2007 and 2010 World Horror Conventions in Toronto and Brighton, and some of the most successful British FantasyCons ever held, are all involved in the planning of this unmissable event for fans of the fantastic in literature and the arts.

The location will be the picturesque and vibrant seaside town of Brighton, on the south coast of England, and we will be using the historic Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel, which stands right on the seafront. Just an hour’s train journey from the centre of London, and with easy links to both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, the Metropole is the ideal venue for a world-class event, having hosted two World Science Fiction Conventions (1979, 1987). So there is plenty of space to hold one of the most memorable WFCs in the convention’s history.

Over the next couple of years we will be releasing information on the official website (www.wfc2013.org) about Guests of Honour, Themes, Dealers’ Room, Art Show, Room Rates, Programming, the World Fantasy Awards, special events, promotions, advertising and all the other things that make WFC the one date in the convention calendar that no professional or fan can afford to miss. You can also follow the latest news on our special Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds, so sign up today!

Please be aware that there is a firm limit on the number of Attending Memberships, so once the convention is sold out there will be no more memberships available. Remember, World Horror Convention in Brighton sold out in advance last year, as has this year’s World Fantasy Convention in San Diego (eight months prior to the event!), so the sooner you join, the sooner you are guaranteed a place. Plus the membership rate will increase at regular intervals as we get closer to the dates of the convention.

To this end, we are offering an “Early Bird” Attending Membership rate for those who want to book now. For just £75.00 you are entitled to attend all four days of the convention, receive all convention publications, and have the right to make nominations for the World Fantasy Awards (nominating ballots will be available towards the end of 2012). Membership does NOT include the World Fantasy Awards Banquet on the Sunday, tickets for which must be purchased separately.

All the information can be found on the website — <www.wfc2013.org> — under “How to Join” on the left-hand menu. You can easily sign up now by following the instructions on the page and paying via the PayPal buttons. The membership fee will be automatically converted into your local currency at the time of the transaction.

This very special rate is only available until October 30, 2011, when the price will rise.

If you attended the previous UK World Fantasy Conventions or the World Horror Conventions in Toronto and Brighton, then you know that we are committed to giving you an event that will be unforgettable. This is your opportunity to participate in one of the most exciting and exhilarating conventions ever held in Europe, for both professionals and fans alike.

The Brighton World Fantasy Convention will equal the very best in the history of the event. If you are serious about your writing career, or simply enjoy reading in the genre and want to meet like-minded people, then you really cannot afford to miss it . . .

DON’T JUST WISH YOU WERE HERE . . .

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION 2013, BRIGHTON, ENGLAND

— The WFC2013 Team

<[email protected]>

<www.wfc2013.org>