UK PonyCon report, part five: Sunday, second half

This "accessibility" intro was a typically thoughtful touch

Back with the UK PonyCon report at last! I tell you what, while I didn't really want to take quite so long over this, and while I hope any future reports will be written in a considerably snappier time frame, doing this year's so slowly has at least allowed me to keep alive a little of the UKPC spirit for rather longer than I normally would! Today's instalment is the last one that contains details of stuff actually at the convention, though I'll have a shorter one covering the few things that happened on the Monday, then the final merch haul post.

Anyway, after the World's Biggest Tea Party panel, thoughts were turning to the end of the con drawing near, but there was still more to come. My last actual panel was Storywriting and Storytelling, presented by PiratPeter and Amy. The former was in the room, the latter joining via Zoom. Inevitably there were a few issues with the link, but Petey is pretty unflappable and took everything in his stride. They'd gone for a broader approach than just fanfic, looking at all kinds of stories, and that worked very well. The panel didn't contain a great deal that was ultra-startling, but that wasn't its intention. A very solid and well thought out panel.

Then it was back to the Mane Stage, although we weren't having the Closing Ceremony just yet. First were the grand finals of Pony Kart! I hadn't seen this at the con before now, but it's not the most difficult game to pick up and seeing the split-screen action on the big screen was great fun, especially as by this stage the competitors could usually actually drive reasonably straight. The fun was doubled (huzzah!) by having running commentary provided – though sadly not by Pinkie and Spike – and by the crowd in the hall getting quite involved themselves. FWIW the eight characters available were the Mane Six, Trixie and Derpy. Because Derpy, of course.

I'll admit to half wishing we'd had Rainbow Dash Attack like this in the old days

After several rounds of this and a fun post-final race between a couple of staffers on Rainbow Road (what else?) we were at the Closing Ceremony. This went on in pretty much the same way as it has done in previous years. Lots of thanks, contest winners rewarded, mild antics from the Britannia ponysuiter, more thanks, you get the idea. There were two special notes, though: all-time UKPC records for both overall attendance (1,371) and money raised for charity (£20,000). That attendance is up there with BUCK 2013 and 2014 at the very height of the fandom – pretty impressive stuff!

AJ Bridel, who'd become extremely popular with us all this weekend, also joined the staff on stage near the end, though Ashleigh Ball was unable to be there – apparently because she was still finishing off signing autographs! (The ridiculously long queues for these, and the way many people had to be turned away, are things that will need to be looked at carefully if any similarly big-name guests attend next year.) Right at the end, there was the traditional selfie of the con staff up on the stage and the rest of us cheering and waving plushies in the background. We really didn't want to go. Who would, when this had been such an enjoyable iteration of the convention?

And then it was over and we had to leave the venue for boring old academic events and industry conferences. I left one or two tiny things on the freebies table (new for this year and a very good innovation) for any late-leavers and hung around briefly before heading outside for the last time – well, the last time in 2024, at least – to wait for my friends for the traditional Worcester Shires private group photo. It was coming on to rain by this time, and a couple of bikers turned to jeer at us Pony folk as they rode past. Sadly they did not immediately slip on the wet tram tracks and wreck their bikes, but you can't have everything. I'm pretty sure they were just jealous we'd had more fun than them.

The end is neigh...

Then another Worcester tradition: the walk up to the Gooseberry Bush for the post-convention meal together. I always look forward to this as I find it very laid-back and without the “Is it going to work out?” stress that's at the back of some minds during the Friday night Roebuck meet. That's still nice, but this one is just a bunch of friends having a good time together after sharing a great weekend. I couldn't quite match Patrick's remarkable burger with extra burgers (seven in all...) but I still ate plenty, and I was delighted that, unlike some Wetherspoons, this one did offer custard with certain desserts! I had chocolate fudge cake.

An hour or so into our meal it started raining properly. I was slightly on edge about that, since I had to do a fair bit of walking later and I didn't want to get soaked with no way of drying wet clothes before I checked out. The buses run hourly on Sundays, so once I'd decided I wasn't going to make the 8:30 there was no option but to eat and drink and chat more. How sad! We'd put about three tables together, and there were... I dunno, 15 of us? Something like that. It was a much more pleasant experience than breakfast in this same pub in the morning!

All good things do come to an end, though, and – still with my con badge around my neck – I set off for the bus station. I was in luck and by this time it was barely raining at all. The Red Arrow was dead on time and, barring some irritating roadworks in Nottingham city centre, there were no delays. I was back in the hotel at about eleven. I spent a little while on Discord (both chatting to any friends who were around and reading stuff on the UK PonyCon server) and then I reluctantly took to my bed. Okay, not my bed, Travelodge's. Taking towels would be one thing, not that I do that either, but... :P

Fluttershy, cake, custard, cider, ponies and friends. Hard to beat that combo!

I'll reflect in more detail on UK PonyCon 2024 as a whole later, perhaps at the end of the Monday post and before the merch haul one. Suffice it to say now that I was very, very sorry it was over. Everyone desperately wanted UKPC's landmark 20th birthday celebration to be a big success. It was. It really was.