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Concerts, Costumes, Games, Fashion coming to downtown’s New Mountain venue for fifth annual GeekOut Fan Arts Festival
GeekOut continues its perennial growth in the Asheville events scene, returning to downtown after three successful iterations at UNCA’s Sherrill Center. The relocation will offer more usable space for events and performances, and easier access to food and lodging.
This year’s theme is “Indie, Meet Tech,” and puts a spotlight on art and performances that use technology with an electric flair to their aesthetic, from steampunk to cyberpunk and everything in-between. Special guests include electronic musicians RBTS WIN and Phutureprimitive.
GeekOut will also feature vendors and artists from across the Southeast, combat and stunt demonstrations, live-action role-playing, and costume contests in adult, children’s, and group categories. Attendees will be able to explore and pose with fan-built replicas of famous cars from Back to the Future, The Blues Brothers, and Jurassic Park.
A new addition to the 2016 festival is the Cosplay Couture fashion show, where the talent of local fashion designers engages the energy and impact of pop-culture costumes. The show is organized by Asheville fashion show mainstay Ginger Wilde.
Festivities begin Friday evening with the popular GeekOut Promenade, where costumed fans of all ages will congregate at Prichard Park for photos, Pokemon catching, and revelry, before making their way to New Mountain where the 21+ fans will enjoy the return of Geektastic, a vaudeville-themed burlesque revue.
“GeekOut offers Asheville a chance to experience top-notch art & performances from around the country right next to fantastic local talent,” said GeekOut Program Director Janae Elisabeth. “With this shift to artistic focus, our guests are musicians, print and graphic artists, fashion designers, podcasters, technophiles, and geeks like us.”
After-hours events, which are for fans over 21, include the Geektastic revue on Friday and performances by RBTS WIN and Phutureprimitive on Saturday. Both shows are at New Mountain and begin at 10 PM. Saturday passes are $15 for adults and $5 for children 5-12, and Combo passes (which include the Saturday festival and after-party) for $25.
