Official language: English
The usual basic ticket price: ~45€
Status: Active
About the event
UK PonyCon (UKPC) is the longest-running MLP con in Europe, usually held in mid-October. During its existence, it took place in various cities: Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham, and others.
Unlike many other cons, which were created after the launch of MLP: FiM and focus almost exclusively on bronies, UK PonyCon was created as an event for fans of all generations of My Little Pony and this tradition stays until today. Even though it began as an event for collectors, today you will find a mixed target group of old generation fans, bronies, and families.
The event takes place from Saturday to Sunday and you will find most of the things that are usual for MLP cons: presentations, panels, games, charity auction, cosplay competitions, and more. The program is in many ways also suited to children and their parents
A large part is dedicated to merchandise stalls: you will find many merchants and exhibitors of merchandise from the older generations of My Little Pony, many of whom have been collecting for many years. Of course, there is also merchandise dedicated to the last generation, so everyone will find their favorites.
On Saturday evening, a concert is held at the same place.
Overall, this is an event in a calm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Unlike other events of a similar size, you don’t have to rush from one program to another with the fear that you will miss something. UK PonyCon is a great example of the fact that a convention with about a thousand visitors can be conceived differently than a big hype show. The program is not super dense, so you have plenty of time for various other activities and meeting with other fans.
History
UK PonyCon has been held every year since its beginning in 2003 and until 2013 it was an event mainly for fans of previous generations of MLP with a size of up to 300 participants. In the following years, the number of attendees began to grow rapidly and along with the size, the program also changed. It would travel almost every year to a different town in the UK. In 2018 they found a good venue at Nottingham Trent University and stayed there for the following years.
In 2020, due to the pandemic, it was held several times as an online event called ”UK PonyCONLINE”. From September 2021, UK PonyCon returned as an in-person event held again at Nottingham Trent University.
More info about the years and themes can be found on the fandom page and on the UKPC history page on the event website.
Mascot
The mascot of the UK PonyCon is Britannia – a white earth pony with a blue-white-red mane. Her cutie mark is the flag of the United Kingdom (called Union Jack).
UKPC mascot should not be confused with the mascot of the BUCK convention, which is also called Britannia.