Pop culture festival starts Friday

What’s billed as the Okanagan’s “most incredible, international pop culture festival” gets underway Friday in Kelowna.

The fifth annual Kelowna Fan Experience is a celebration of film, television, cosplay, video games, special effects, movie props and anime.

And, for those attendees old enough to remember them, disco dancing and vinyl records.

“We celebrate all that is cool about being original and creative,” says Bonnie Gratz, artistic director of New Vintage Theatre, creators of KFX.

In total, more than 150 artists and vendors will be arrayed at several downtown venues Friday through Sunday, including the Kelowna Community Theatre, the Rotary Centre for the Arts and the downtown library.

Highlights include the premiere Friday night of The Humanity Bureau, a film shot in the Okanagan starring Nicholas Cage, and presentations by Nathalie Boltt, an actress who stars in the Vancouver-filmed, Archie Comics-inspired show Riverdale, as well as actor Gary Jones, who starred in the series Stargate SG-1.

Some original props from Stargate SG-1 will also be shown at KFX.

“After 2 1/2 years collecting all the separate Stargate screen-used Jaffa armour pieces, six months and over 250 hours restoring it, it’s finally done,” says Richard Johns of Empire Movie Props.

More information is at kelownafx.com, and tickets can be purchased at selectyourtickets.com.