Mischief Managed: LeakyCon 2019 Recap

Just like a good delivery owl (we are looking at your Pigwidgeon) LeakyCon has come and gone, leaving only memories and a few items of memorabilia behind. For the second year in a row, Dallas and the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center were selected to host the event. This year marked the 10thanniversary of LeakyCon, a fan-based convention that centers around the Harry Potter novels and movies.

LeakyCon improved the setup this year by moving into a larger section of the Convention Center to accommodate for the number of fans anticipated to attend. The layout definitely made it easy to maneuver, but it also made attendees wish there had been more vendors or activities since there was quite a bit of open spacing in the main area. While there were many unique and awesome souvenirs, there didn’t seem to be much of a variation of items/vendors for those that attended last year.

Without a doubt, the house common rooms were the preferred areas for many LeakyCon goers. The rooms offered games, activities, and decorations specific to each Hogwarts house. The Slytherin commons were lacking a bit compared to the rest (another case of bias against the elite students), but travel to other rooms was not forbidden. Friendly competition, meetups, discussions, and trading took place in the commons throughout the entire weekend.

This year, LeakyCon really established itself with live performances. The music and wizard rock concerts were among some of the most memorable parts of this year’s convention. Every attendee on Saturday was granted access to a live acoustic performance by Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy. There was also a Yule Ball which took place Saturday night, allowing resident wizards to dress in their best garbs and dance like no muggle was watching.

The fandom is what really continues to drive LeakyCon. It is awesome to see kindred spirits meeting up to celebrate a single loved topic. Attendees were quick to strike up a conversation or give away ribbons and other items to those that found their favor. Between the comradery and cosplay, the fans were as impressive as the celebrity talent brought in for the event. Need proof? Take a look at some of our favorite photos from LeakyCon Dallas 2019.