Ents Schedule

Thursday

In the bar: on Thursday evening from 6pm to midnight the bar will be open for socialising and drinks. We’ll provide Topic Tables, which means some of the bar tables will have suggestions for things to talk about. (There’ll also be a No Talking Table for those who would rather not, and plenty of non-assigned spaces.) If you want to bring knitting, board games, etc along, do feel free. We will play some 1950s-60s type music during the evening in the dancefloor area.

Friday

In the bar:

• On Friday evening the bar will be open 6pm to midnight again.
• From 8.30-9.30pm we have a live musical performance from the lovely Patrick Carr (they/them). 

From 9.30pm onwards we’ll have a DIY silent disco. This means that you bring your own phone and earbuds, or whatever you use to play music, and we all dance together while playing our own music. It’s a lot of fun and also means people in the bar can chat more easily. We plan to host a corresponding Zoom event so virtual attendees can join in the silent disco too (again providing their own music). You can also dance outside the bar, or really anywhere you like!

Saturday

On the lawn: On Saturday lunchtime from 12.30pm we’ll have a picnic on the lawn. All welcome, we’ll provide some food and drink but also encourage you to bring your own.

In the bar: On Saturday from about 5pm we’ll be getting ready for the ball in the bar – helpers welcome (especially ones who are tall and/or good at crafts, because Katy is a bit lacking in both those departments.)

On Saturday evening the Ball will run from 8pm to midnight. The theme is Magical Nature. Some people wear fancy dress, some don’t – it’s entirely up to you. There will be music from our DJs throughout, and again we’ll have a Zoom event running alongside. 

There may or may not be a giant nest, sarcastic affirmation trees, fairies, and the feeling of being in a slightly ramshackle indoor forest. 

If dressing up, please avoid cultural appropriation – if worried, email us on entsbiconuk22@gmail.com to discuss, or there are useful guides online.

Sunday

On Sunday we will raffle off some of the Ball decor (there may be a lot of soft toys looking for a home), and then we encourage everyone to bring out their leftover food for a big communal picnic before we go home. 

Throughout the event…

The room above the bar will be open for general use, games etc, but please note it’s only accessible via the stairs. 

The quiet room is available at all times and so is the lawn and the area outside the bar.

The crafts and games room will be available throughout. 

Online ents: there is a Gather space available at all times and as above, we plan to host a Zoom event on Friday and Saturday nights. Links will be provided to registered attendees – please do not share them.

FAQs:

Do I have to book or pay for anything?

No. All of this is included, and you can just turn up. 

What kind of music will be played?

It depends on the DJ, but we usually tend towards pop, indie, retro and a bit of rock. Expect to hear quite a lot of 80s and 90s music, but there will be up to date songs too .(We might even have a teenage DJ this year. Although her favourite band is Radiohead.) We try to include a good selection of queer and POC artists. Please note all DJs are likely to be volunteers, not professionals. 

I want to join in with the silent disco but I don’t know what music to play/ I don’t have the equipment.

We’ll have Spotify playlists you can play if you’d like. We can’t provide music players, but we might have some spare headphones or earbuds, especially if you ask in advance. In previous years some people who forgot their earbuds have just danced to the music in their heads! 

How will the evening Zoom events work? 

The plan is to set up a projector in the bar and project the Zoom events onto the wall. People in the bar will be able to see the people on Zoom, but the Zoom attendees will only see a part of the bar, which we will identify as such for privacy reasons. Hybrid events are a new thing, and this will be the first hybrid BiCon, so this is something of an experiment, but we think it should work well. 

Will there be live performances?

Yes, from Patrick Carr (they/them) on Friday evening. 

What kind of games will be in the games room?

Whatever we can get hold of. You’re very welcome to bring games, but we suggest you label them as yours and don't leave them unattended unless you don’t mind what happens to them.

When you say chat to an elf…

This may very much depend on whether anyone turns up in an elf costume. We may replace elves with pixies, gnomes or in some cases werewolves. The value of elves can go up as well as down.