The Fan Fest Society announces 2024 event in Guilford
Tickets to the three-day Gilmore Girls fan-focused event launch 1/24
The Firelight Event – A Gilmore Girls Fan Fest
Guilford, Connecticut
October 18-20, 2024
Tickets go on sale on January 24
The Fan Fest Society today announced the launch of ticket sales for its annual gathering of Gilmore Girls fans, called “The Firelight Event” taking place in Guilford, CT, October 18-20, 2024. Tickets for the three day gathering are $395 and include access to 40+ events, activities, meet & greets, giveaways, costume contests, tastings, panels and more. A limited number of tickets will be available at www.thefanfestsociety.com beginning January 24, 2024 at Noon EST.
Since 2016, the festival has offered fans a chance to experience obvious parallels of their favorite show, based on a fictional town in Connecticut. The annual three day event, celebrating the hit TV series, has become a reunion of friends, including a dozen or more cast & crew members, with open arms to newcomers. This year marks the first time the event will take place in the coastal town of Guilford.
The festival is produced by fans, Jennie and Marcus Whitaker, who have held this event annually over the past nine years, in both the U.S. and Canada, across six different cities attracting people from all 50 states and a total of 23 countries. The event typically hosts a dozen or more cast and crew members. Announcements about attending cast & crew will begin in early March and continue as logistics are confirmed.
As for Guilford, this will be the first organized event centered on the show’s cult-like following, one that has been reignited by streaming services over the years. With events inspired by the show, the festivities include cast panels, meet & greets, photo ops, cosplay, trivia, live music and other thematic activities. The full schedule will be available by mid-summer.
The idea behind The Fan Fest Society launched in 2016 on a roadtrip from New York to Maine and took incredible effort from the entire community to become what it is today. This fan-created, fan-led, fan fest isn’t meant to recreate the show, it’s meant to recreate the feeling, to bring people together to share memories and talk about how it affected them then, and now.
“The event has traveled to several towns since 2016, but this is our first event on the coast of Connecticut and we’re thrilled about it,” Jennie Whitaker, co-creator of The Fan Fest Society, said. “The area captures the essence of our event so well that Guilford felt familiar from the very first time I walked through the green. It was easy to picture attendees milling about town, drinking coffee, enjoying the scenery and meeting up with new and old friends. We expect it to be exactly what attendees want, quintessential Connecticut with a weekend of fan fest activities.” Whitaker, said.
And so, from October 18-20, this coastal town, full of the Connecticut charm fans will instantly recognize, The Fest Fest Society will gather together for fandom and fellowship.
“The Fan Fest Society does not produce a typical ‘con’ in a convention center. Our events are smaller, more immersive and infiltrate a welcoming town alongside a willing cast and crew. It’s something that every great show deserves, people behind it, willing to keep it alive,” Marcus Whitaker, co-creator of The Fan Fest Society, said.
For more details about The Firelight Event, as well as other Fan Fest Society events click here.
Click here for the latest news in Guilford
Click here for the upcoming events in Guilford
Click here for news in New Haven County
Click here for the upcoming events New Haven County
••••• Message center •••••••
Connecticut business owners:
Connecticut with us! Are you a local business owner in Connecticut looking to boost your visibility and reach more customers? Look no further! Our platform provides a unique opportunity to showcase your business to an engaged audience of people who love and live in Connecticut. By partnering with us, you can reach potential customers who are actively seeking things to do, places to dine, and local merchants and service providers to support. Don’t miss out on this chance to grow your business and connect with the local community!
Connecticut with us!
Get our news straight into your inbox daily
Stay connected with us on social media
Facebook • Instagram • Threads • Tiktok
Join our Reddit community
Share your Connecticut experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here to return to Finding Connecticut’s home page
Looking for the latest news by region, topic and events
Latest news by region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • Middlesex County • New Haven County • New London County• Tolland County • Windham County
Latest sports news by team
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns •
2024 schedules
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns
Events my region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • New Haven County • New London County • Middlesex County •Tolland County • Windham County
Events by interest
Art • Sports • Family Friendly • History • Concerts • Farmers’ Markets
Events by the month
January 2024 • February 2024 • March 2024 • April 2024 • May 2024 • June 2024 • July 2024 • August 2024 • September 2024 • October 2024 • November 2024 • December 2024
Events by venue
College Street Music Hall • Space Ballroom • Westville Music Bowl • Wall Street Theater • Hartford Stage • The Bushnell • Goodspeed Opera House • Mohegan Sun