WhoFest is a recurring '' Doctor Who''-focused

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

convention held in the

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, area. First held in November 2013 as a one-off celebration of the 50th anniversary of ''Doctor Who'', WhoFest is now held annually each April. WhoFest is a production of the Dallas Future Society, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that seeks to promote the advancement of science, literature, and music for all mankind. This is the same organization that has run

FenCon FenCon is a literary science fiction and fantasy Science fiction convention, convention with filk held each year on or around the fourth full weekend of September in or around Dallas, Texas. The name is derived from "fen", the fannish plural of "f ...

, a literary and music oriented general interest science fiction convention, since 2004.

Programming

Notable features of WhoFest include how-to programming, panels, fan discussions, gaming, a diverse selection of guests, celebrity encounters, a charity auction, a dealers room, "WhoKids" children's programming, trivia contests, concerts, and a dance on Saturday night. Many attendees wear costumes as various ''Doctor Who'' characters and others.

Critical reaction

In June 2013, the ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...

'' named WhoFest as one of the "red-letter dates for geeks, fans, ndcollectors" as well as one of the signs that Dallas/Fort Worth has become "so geeky". In November 2013, the ''

Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

'' called WhoFest "an enjoyable, eye-opening experience". In February 2015, the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' declared WhoFest an event that "jumped out and made our nerd hearts go pitter-pat". In April 2015, ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...

'' described WhoFest as a way to "get your geek on" and "a fun event for all ''Doctor Who'' fans".

Past conventions

2013 - WhoFest

WhoFest was held November 22–24, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas in

Addison, Texas Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. Addison is situated to the immediate north of the city of Dallas, with a 2020 census population of 16,661. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipali ...

. The convention was held on these dates to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first ''Doctor Who'' broadcast in 1963. While the event featured panelists, experts, and fans, there were no celebrity guests from the television series at the convention. Activities included costume contests, discussion panels, videos, WhoKids children's programming, and participation in the live worldwide debut of ''

The Day of the Doctor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' 50th anniversary special. Activities in support of Carter BloodCare, that year's designated charity, included a live auction and a

blood drive Blood Drive may refer to: Donation *Blood drive, campaigns and special events to solicit blood donations Games *Blood Drive (video game), ''Blood Drive'' (video game), a 2010 vehicular combat video game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 *''Corpse Pa ...

. The convention chair was James Mahaffey. The convention T-shirt was designed by Barry Whitewater and the "50 Years of ''Doctor Who''" poster was created by Keri O'Brien. Forced to cap membership sales at 1,000 due to space limitations in the hotel, WhoFest sold out months in advance, prompting the convention to seek a new home for WhoFest 2.

2015 - WhoFest 2

WhoFest 2 and the Irving Invasion was held April 24–26, 2015, at the Westin Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in Irving, Texas. Key program participants included actors

Colin Baker Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor who played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series '' The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series ''Docto ...

(who played the

Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Ba ...

Nicola Bryant Nicola Jane Bryant (born 11 October 1960)England & Wales Birth ...

(companion

Peri Brown Perpugilliam “Peri” Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. An American botany major from Pasadena, California, Peri is a companion of the Fifth ...

Terry Molloy Terry Molloy (born 4 January 1947) is an English actor. He is known predominantly for his work on radio and television, especially his portrayal of Davros, creator of the Daleks, in the BBC television science fiction series '' Doctor Who''. C ...

(

Davros Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Davros is a major enemy of the se ...

), and

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...

(voice of

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ( ...

, and other characters) plus producer

Jason Haigh-Ellery Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...

of Big Finish Productions. The convention chain was James Mahaffey. WhoFest held an auction and other fundraisers during the convention to raise $5,000 and hundreds of pounds of food donations for that year's designated charity, the

North Texas Food Bank The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a social benefit organization located in Plano, Texas. The organization distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of nearly 1,000 feeding programs and 400 Partner Agencies in 13 North ...

. Artist Keri O'Brien designed the convention's signature "TARDIS dressed as the Sixth Doctor" artwork which was used by Michael Braun to create unique art prints and the convention's official T-shirt.

2016 - WhoFest 3

WhoFest 3 and the Daleks of DFW was held April 22–24, 2016, at the Westin Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in Irving, Texas. Key program participants included actors

Eve Myles Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series ''Torchw ...

Frazer Hines Frazer Simpson Frederick Hines (born 22 September 1944) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and appeared in ''A King in New York'' (1957) with Charlie Chaplin. He later played Jamie McCrimmon in ''Doctor Who'', appearing i ...

Wendy Padbury Wendy Padbury (born 7 December 1947) is a British actress and former talent agent. She has appeared in television series since 1966, including as Zoe Heriot, a companion to Patrick Troughton's Doctor in ''Doctor Who'', from 1968 to 1969. Earl ...

, Richard Franklin,

Simon Fisher-Becker Simon Fisher-Becker is a British stage, television and film actor, specialising in comedy and character parts. His more notable roles include Tony Fazackerley in ''Puppy Love'' for the BBC, The Fat Friar in the ''Harry Potter'' film ''Harry P ...

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series '' Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishma ...

, and Colin Spaull plus writer

Andrew Cartmel Andrew J. Cartmel (born 6 April 1958) is a British author and journalist. He was the script editor of ''Doctor Who'' during the Sylvester McCoy era of the show between 1987 and 1989. He has also worked as a script editor on other television serie ...

. The convention co-chairs were Tim Miller and Mike Erickson. WhoFest held a charity auction to benefit Habitat for Humanity of South Collin County. Artist Michael Braun designed the convention's signature "Dalek invasion via the

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is a bridge in Dallas, Texas, that spans the Trinity River. The bridge is named for Margaret Hunt Hill, an heiress and philanthropist. The bridge was constructed as part of the Trinity River Project. Designed by Sant ...

" artwork featured on promotional posters, merchandise, and the convention's official T-shirt.

2017 - WhoFest 4

WhoFest 4: The Power of Five was held May 5–7, 2017, at the Westin Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in Irving, Texas. Key program participants included actors Peter Davison (who played the

Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

), Dan Starkey, and

Mark Strickson Mark Strickson (born 6 April 1959) is a British TV producer and actor best known for his acting role as the character of Vislor Turlough, a companion of the Fifth Doctor, on the television series ''Doctor Who.'' Early life Strickson was born ...

and toastmaster Devin Pike. WhoFest held a charity auction to benefit local PBS station KERA. The convention co-chairs were Robyn Winans and Mike Erickson.

Upcoming conventions

On September 17, 2017, WhoFest announced on its Facebook page that the convention had begun an indefinite hiatus.

References

External links

WhoFest official website
{{Texas SF Conventions 2013 establishments in Texas Defunct science fiction conventions in the United States Conventions in Texas Festivals in Dallas Recurring events established in 2013