Final Fantasy XIV’s official Fan Festival isn’t the only thing uniting the MMO’s community. This weekend, the unofficial, player-run event LunarCon returns for its third year of panels, parties, and charity initiatives. Get the glams ready.
Tomorrow, September 29, LunarCon kicks off on FFXIV’s Crystal Data Center with opening ceremonies, lessons on Au Ra history, and a live song and dance troupe. The online festivities run through October 1, closing up the first two with a little late-night clubbing in The Goblet.
If you’re unfamiliar with fan events like the LunarCon FFXIV celebrations, it’s worth checking out. As a free convention established by a group of friends, it’s as easy as a server visit or teleport away. Panels are hosted on Twitch, outlined in the con’s official schedule, and interested players can line up outside of in-game player housing to see themselves as part of the crowd.
Plenty of other LunarCon activities are worth a shout, too. On Saturday, you can participate in the cosplay contest, attend a concert to see community-favorite creator Husky by the Geek, or learn to improve your Frontlines game. Also, as the weekend rages on, LunarCon will raise money for Extra Life, with its current goal set at $10,000.
It’s not the first time LunarCon stole the fandom spotlight. Last year, I attended the player-hosted convention all weekend with a few friends — it made for some of my most memorable in-game moments (also some of the most hilarious). There’s also the, uh, nightlife scene, and I adore it. Shout out to the stranger from last year who traded me a stack of questionably named reagents.
And while Square Enix may not have officially acknowledged it, there were a few instances of FFXIV’s data center travel breaking or backing up with a queue. Those moments never seemed to last long, but it was pretty damn cool to see fans making so much noise at a thing also run by fans.
I’ll be there for all of it, but catch me lining up early for the event’s Triple Triad panel. And if someone gives you a little Ishgardian Tea at the Pride party, that’s probably me.
