ORLANDO, Fla. – Con of Thrones 2023, a “Game of Thrones” fan convention scheduled for late August in Orlando, has been canceled amid “the increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation and atmosphere in Florida,” according to a statement from Mischief Management.
The statement continued to say that the convention “would not be the level of event that the community expects and deserves,” adding the decision to cancel was difficult and involved feedback from partners, attendees and guests.
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All those who purchased tickets to the event will receive an email with transfer or refund options. Reserved hotel accommodations made through Hyatt Regency Orlando for the convention will be canceled automatically, organizers said.
In May, the Human Rights Campaign, NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and Equality Florida issued travel advisories for Florida, meant to warn minorities, immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. The advisories weren’t to be a boycott of the state per se and were rather seen by their authors as ways to highlight laws they say are hostile, restrictive and unsafe, invoking the “Parental Rights in Education” law,” a 6-week abortion ban pending a legal challenge in the Florida Supreme Court and a law allowing Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a permit, to name a few they had in mind.
“We’re saying to come. Just be aware what kind of state it is,” said Kran Riley, NAACP Orange County Branch president. “We just feel that it’s time for us to warn individuals that when they come to Florida, they’re coming into a hostile territory.”
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Florida leaders have since rebuffed these notices, with Attorney General Ashley Moody stating Chicago could use similar warnings instead and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., writing “Florida is openly hostile toward Socialists, Communists, and those that enable them,” both on social media. Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said at coverage of the advisories on Twitter, “Liars lie.”
Con of Thrones has become known as a regular event since 2017. More than 100 hours of events, panels and programming were expected to get underway from August 25-27 in Orlando, including appearances by “Game of Thrones” actors Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Kate Dickie (Lysa Arryn), Hannah Murray (Gilly) and Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel).
Those who booked a room for the convention with Hyatt Regency Orlando and do not receive a cancellation confirmation email within five days were advised to contact the hotel directly, organizers said. Other convention-related inquiries were directed to the organizer’s email, help@conofthrones.net.
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