Saturday 5th May & Sunday 6th May 2018 - "May The 4th Be With You" - Weekend of Conflicting Events On

I have quite a few things I would like to see and do this weekend however have to pick or choose which ones to see and do as you can't be at 2 places at once! Therefore "May the 4th be with you" ( ie me) literally!

It is also dependant on weather.

Saturday there is the 10 km fun run out at Olympic Park which I chose not to do as there is something much more fun I wanted to do with my nephew - "May The 4th Be With You" Star Wars Ultimate Fan Weekend at the Powerhouse Museum. Yes you heard it 2 days of nerdy fun! I had to select a timeslot on Saturday as I have 3 conflicting events I would like to attend on Sunday (also weather dependant). Over the weekend there is also The Finders Keepers Market on at Barangaroo which is on from Friday 4th - Sunday 6th May 2018 and on Sunday 6th May 2018 only there is The Zine Fair @ the MCA as part of the annual Writers Festival and the Autumn Harvest Festival out at Rouse Hill Farm and House  an annual festival run by Sydney Living Museums but I may not go this year as it is such a long trip out there - I would have to pack not just a picnic lunch but breakfast and dinner as well! I attended last year so will give it a miss this year. The vintage shuttle bus runs from Schofield Station via Rouse Hill Town Centre this year rather then Riverview Station in previous years if anyone reading my blog intends to go today. Maybe more people will use the vintage shuttle bus this year with the new route as it was under used last year. (Refer my previous blog on the Harvest Festival note there is more then 1 Harvest Festival I attend each year).

So am I a Star Wars fan? No not really , I only liked the original movies. Not a fan of the newer franchises. Will I be dressing up? No but I purchased a Storm Trooper T shirt to wear - my work collegue thought I would feel out of place if I didn't dress up. My nephew is dressing up I think as Darth Vader - he may have to squeeze into his costume according to my sister (he decided not to dress up in the end).

According to the news over the weekend there will be 11 000 people at least - I was smart I purchased my ticket for the Saturday 12 noon - 3 pm session for myself and my nephew in advance. This session is sold out and when my sister and my nephew's  little sister tried to come along they couldn't get tickets therefore they are going to the earlier sessions last hour when I can meet up with her.

This is another one of my first time events I am attending and blogging about. I hope it will be a lot of fun, I even joked to my work collegue about turning up dressed as a non Star wars character and asking "Isn't this Oz Comic Con?" ( refer my previous blog about attending last year's Oz Comic Con for the first time).

I was allowed in just before 11.30 am when I explained that I was separated from my "child" who was already inside. When they scanned my ticket and saw that I did have an adult and a child ticket but no child they let me through (otherwise nobody with a 12 noon ticket was allowed in until 12 noon). Once inside you could stay as long as you liked however you could not exit and re enter after your session time. Because the kids were hungry and their session time over they left after 12 pm instead of staying for the 12 noon to 3 pm session as I had originally planned and booked for.

Photos attached of some of the activities we did at the event - mainly photo opportunities with cosplay and lifelike statues of Star wars characters.

First photo opportunity with Chewbacca (not my child by the way) 

Lower entrance to the museum lit by 2 giant light sabres.

Storm Troopers  - unsure if this storm trooper was an official one or a cosplay one. That gun although fake is a little too close for comfort to one of the children though!

Rey

Princess Lieh

Cosplay competition

Photo opportunity with life sized props & real life Star Wars characters around the museum

Coding activities

Jedi training

Kids colouring activities - I like to collect these but most of the popular ones had all been taken by the time I arrived. (I think I was missing some from the Future Park Exhibition as well)

Science & Star Wars with previews of "Solo A Star Wars Story"

Finally I found Darth Vader! But too many Storm Troopers around - it was difficult to spot the real from the fakes!

VR Light Sabre experience -  up to a 2 hour wait for a 5 minute expeience. Buy your own then you can play with it as much as you like!

view from mezzanine level of Jedi training session below

I like how this Storm Trooper positioned himself in a dark corner where crowds walked passed and stands still only moving  when kids passed - giving them a possible fright and then moves on after a while to another position in the museum.

Rating:  8/10 long queues for some interactive activities. VR light sabre challenge 1.5 hour minimum wait (which increased to 2 hours by 4.00 pm). Droid wondering around the museum not very intelligent nearly ran me over but loves kids. Droids on Mars station was not in action. I did not go to the panel talks but liked the IBM Star Wars & science series shown in one of the theatrettes Over all a lot of fun for kids and adults. There was also a very long queue just sit in the cockpit of a speeder 1:1 scale just to take a photo ( photo above outside in museum's forecourt - tip do this activity last after you exit the museum at the very end of your session do not try to queue during your 3 hour session you will not have time to see anything else inside and you will not be let back in after your session time is up) . I could not be bothered as I was so hungry by now opting instead to seat down at Market City and have a 3 choice takeaway meal with rice of curry chicken, woodears beans lotus root and chicken and beancurd with chilli beans and thinly sliced pork from The Taste of Chou

( Taiwanese cuisine) Yum I must have been hungry but I have been meaning  to try this for quite a while now avoiding it due to long queues.

Photos below . Rating 9/10 as good as I thought it would be - After all you do eat with your eyes!

Sunday 6th May 2018 - First stop was the Zine Fair @ the MCA. So no Autumn Harvest Festival this year because I just could not be bothered travelling out to Schofield  Station about 2 hours away .

As usual a very busy event. I didn't have to spend long there before I picked up my first illustrated book by a 7 year old little girl named Annalise Cheung  called "Blythe Bunny & Friends." I got her to sign it " To Annalise From Annalise"  Although a little young for my 8 year old niece she can still appreciate the cute illustrations. There were other books for kids aged between 5 and 11 years old.

Photos below

Onto finding something my nephew would like. I actually had a brief look at this author's book but wasn't sure about it therefore I went around searching for any other kid's books before returning to have a second look and also  purchased this book called "Action Tank" and had it signed by the author  Mike Barry. Age bracket of  readers of his book 7 - 12 year olds.

Photos below

Nothing for me this year unfortunately.
Rating 8/10 - always a crowd drawer. Maybe I should have a zine stall @ next year event!? It's not all about the zines there are lots of stickers note cards note pads and notebooks pins badges postcards even figurines photographs etc on show and for purchase. workshops as well as panel talks scheduled as well. Something for everyone. Kids of all ages are getting more involved in the Zine Fair under adult supervision of course.

Onto my next stop- I hope there is wifi on board  this ferry from Circular Quay  to Barangaroo to The Finders Keepers Market at The Cutaway. I only have an hour there to look around just like the last time I was there pushed for time again!

Ok it's 4.05 pm and the organisers of the Finders Keepers Markets are still charging full price for entry ie $5 until the last half hour before closing which I find extremely unfair so I will wait until the last half hour as I'm not really here to buy anything just having a quick look around, take some photos and blog so I'll rate it straight away  5/10 another don't  bother - wait for the Christmas Finders Keepers Market  in November or December. Way overpriced entry fee considering the same market during the Summer last year only charged $2 entry fee and The Big Design Market @ EQ only charged $2 entry fee and by donation which most people were willing to pay anyway so I think it is a bit of a rip off and there are probably better similar markets around. With all the construction going on around Barangaroo it is not the most easy destination to get to either. I think people go for the food trucks and pop up bars @ the market and not just the market stalls.

Photos below.

The food stalls , food trucks seating & a DJ

The Venue

What's an event without a selfie booth of some sort?

Finally the stalls

Plants, pots & Ceramics  there were at least 3 stalls selling ceramic versions of reusable coffee cups

Textiles & Clothing for adults & children

Stationery - paper, cards, gift tags, prints, tea towels 

Candles, chocolates & other sweet treats, beeswax wraps - there were 2 companies who made these, drink bottles, lunch bags & lunch boxes 

Jewellery galore - but everyone is making ceramic bead necklaces!

Time to go home but this time by train and bus - the ferry is too slow. A walk back to the closest train station Wynyard and a bus from Chatswood Station. End of a very busy weekend. I will try and sleep in tomorrow on my day off.