The Weird Weekend
Encyclopedia
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
hosted by the Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
in rural North Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Founded in 2000, it is a fundraiser for the CFZ
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
.
History
The event had very humble beginnings. The first event was held in a tumbledown Parish Hall in ExeterExeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. According to the CFZ, it was attended by only about a dozen people, and made a loss of £75.
The next two events were held at Exeter University in conjunction with the University Science Fiction Society, and although they were marginally more successful, they still only just about broke even, and the 2003 event - the one which, ironically, was their first success - very nearly didn't happen.
Interviewed by the Exeter Express and Echo in 2003, Jon Downes and Richard Freeman admitted that they only went ahead with the plans for the 2003 event because they were talked into it by friends, and they had already decided that the 2003 event would be the last.
However, a new venue (the 16th Century haunted pub The Cowick Barton), and a broader policy of guests was a success, and the fourth event made nearly £1,000 ensuring that the event would continue.
It was held at the Cowick Barton for three years, but eventually outgrew the venue. By 2005 it was the largest cryptozoological conference in Britain, and in 2006, when the CFZ relocated from suburban Exeter to the small village of Woolfardisworthy
Woolfardisworthy, Torridge
Woolfardisworthy is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district in the English county of Devon. The village is accessible via the A39 road, 2 miles from the village.-Name:...
in North Devon, the Weird Weekend followed, and the 2006 event was a massive success.
Apart from the Fortean Times
Fortean Times
Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing and then I Feel Good Publishing , it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of December 2010, its circulation was approximately 18,000...
Unconvention, the Weird Weekend is now the biggest, and most important fortean event in Britain, and regularly attracts visitors - ans speakers - from all over the world. In recent years, the event has included music, theatre and art exhibitions, as well as workshops where visitors can learn cryptozoological and naturalist techniques. Since 2003, the CFZ has held an open day as part of the festivities, where people can come and see their work for themselves.
The Weird Weekend is unique because, as Jon Downes, one of the founders said in a 2006 interview:
"It is a success because it is a social event as well as a scientific one. It is also the only such event in the world where there are as many interested members of the general public, as there are hardcore cryptozoologists".
Earlier events were marked by an anarchic, alcohol-fuelled, and often surreal, approach, but after the move to North Devon, the event is now much more family oriented.
Previous Events
2000Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern
Nicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
, Richard Freeman, Mike Hallowell, David Farrant, Emmet Sweeney, Malcolm Robinson, Chris Moiser, Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
and Mark Norman
2001
Matthew Williams, Sir Lawrence Gardner, Chris Moiser, Tim Matthews, Richard Freeman, Steve Jones, George Bishop, Jonathan Downes, Nigel Watson, and Joyce Howarth.
2002
Larry Warren, Gail-Nina Anderson, Mike Hallowell, John Tindsley, Malcolm Robinson
Malcolm Robinson
Sir Hugh Malcolm Robinson CB was Chief Inspector of Factories of the British Government from 1917 to 1920.Robinson was born in York, the son of Canon H. G. Robinson of York Minster...
, Chris Moiser, Richard Freeman, George Bishop, Ian Simmons, Nigel Wright, Bob Mann,`Square the Moon`, `Jon Downes & The Amphibians from Outer Space`.
2003
Richard Freeman, Mark North, Rachel Carthy, Nigel Wright, Paul Vella, Darren Naish
Darren Naish
Darren Naish is a vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer. He obtained a geology degree at the University of Southampton and later studied vertebrate palaeontology under British palaeontologist David Martill at the University of Portsmouth, where he obtained both an M. Phil...
, Steve Jones, Adam Davies, Tim Matthews, Chris Moiser, Col. John Blashford-Snell
2004
Patrick Harpur, Ronan Coghlan, Richard Freeman, Gail-Nina Anderson, Merrily Harpur, Jonathan Downes, Nick Redfern, Gary Cunningham, Chris Moiser, Darren Naish, Matthew Williams, Scott Wood.
2005
Richard Ingram, Chris Moiser, Jeremy Harte, Peter Costello, Nick Redfern, `Foolish People`, Jonathan Downes, Richard Freeman, Gareth Medway, David Farrant, Simon Sherwood, Sam Shearon, Jon Hare, Dr Gail-Nina Anderson, Steve Jones, Ronan Coghlan
2006
Bob Morrell, Dr Lars Thomas, Matthew Williams, Richard Ingram, Lionel Beer, Andreas Trottmann, Paul Cropper, Jon Ronson, Nick Redfern, Richard Freeman, Paul Vella, Chris Moiser, Larry Warren, Jeremy Harte, Ronan Coghlan, Jonathan Downes, Oll Lewis, Jon McGowan, Ant Wallis, Anthony James
2007
Larry Warren, Peter Robbins, Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
, Richard Freeman, Oll Lewis, Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern
Nicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
, Jonathan McGowan, Matthew Williams, Mike Hallowell, Dr Charles Paxton, Gregoriy Panchenko, Adam Davies
Adam Davies
Adam Davies is an English-born Welsh footballer who played for Cambridge United and the Wales national under-21 football team....
, Dr Darren Naish
Darren Naish
Darren Naish is a vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer. He obtained a geology degree at the University of Southampton and later studied vertebrate palaeontology under British palaeontologist David Martill at the University of Portsmouth, where he obtained both an M. Phil...
, Chris Moiser, Paul Vella and Ronan Coghlan
Ronan Coghlan
Ronan Coghlan is an Irish writer living in Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland.Coghlan was born Dublin in 1948. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin ....
.
There were exhibitions from: Mark North, Dr Iggy Tavares, and a display of pictures of monsters by the children of Woolfardisworthy.(3)
2008
Matt Saulsbury, Geoff Ward, Richard Freeman, Jonathan Downes, Ronan Coghlan, Dr Karl Shuker, Jon McGowan, Mike Hallowell, Dr Gail-Nina Anderson, Dr Mike Dash, Tim Matthews, Richard Ingram, Chris Moiser, Oll Lewis, Michael A Woodley. There were exhibitions from Rebecca McGowan-Griffin, Metamorphosis, and Ben Leese
2009
Richard Freeman, Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
, Ronan Coghlan
Ronan Coghlan
Ronan Coghlan is an Irish writer living in Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland.Coghlan was born Dublin in 1948. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin ....
, Dr Karl Shuker
Karl Shuker
Karl P. N. Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.- Career :...
, Jon McGowan, Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
, Tim Matthews, Oll Lewis, Michael A Woodley, Paul `Mr Biffo` Rose, Neil Arnold, Paul Vella, Tim the Yowie Man
2010
Richard Freeman, Jonathan Downes (Keynote Speech and Expedition reports), Ronan Coghlan (The Holy Grail), Oll Lewis (Giant Scams), Max Blake, Lindsay Selby (Loch Ness Adventures), Nick Redfern (The Goatman), Lars Thomas (Identifying Hair Samples), Mike Dash (The Monster of Glamis), Matthew Williams (Crop Circles), Carl Portman (on the track of the Whistling Spider), Andy Roberts (The Berwyn Mountain UFO Crash).
2011 Event
The 2011 event will be held on the 19-21 August, and confirmed speakers include:Matt Salusbury: Hunting Pygmy Elephants in India
Adam Davies:On the track of the Orang Pendek
Oll Lewis: The Man Who Humbugged Barnum
Neil Arnold: The Mystery Animals of Kent
Kevin Goodman: The Warminster Triangle
John Hanson/Dawn Holloway: The Haunted Skies project
Glen Vaudrey: The Waterhorse
Peter Christie: Fortean North Devon
Max Blake/Dr Darren Naish: The new British Lynx
Henry Hartley: Fortean aspects of the modern Maya
Nick Wadham: Giant spiders
Richard Freeman et al: The India expedition
Ronan Coghlan: The Labours of Hercules
External links
- The Weird Weekend Website
- A Weird Weekend Review of the 2000 meeting by Nigel Watson
- Article about the 2009 event by Nick RedfernNick RedfernNicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
- Review of the 2007 event by Matt Salusbury in Fortean TimesFortean TimesFortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing and then I Feel Good Publishing , it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. As of December 2010, its circulation was approximately 18,000...