This post was originally published in the July 2026 edition of Watch The Skies.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a portion of Shore Leave, a fan run convention that has been around for a very long time. I hadn’t ever been to Shore Leave. It had always been in my peripheral vision, but the emphasis on media guests never held appeal to me. I hadn’t planned the trip, but the invitation was too good to pass up.

The convention itself looked to be running smoothly. The registration tables didn’t have lines. The lobby was buzzing with activities. There was even an attraction set up under the entry canopy out front. Cosplay had a very strong presence here – and the outfits were on point. I saw such effort and obvious care it was impressive. The myriad activities were all laid out on an easy to read grid. The convention also had a big blood drive going on, and while I was unable to participate I was glad to see it so prominently displayed.

There was a big area that was specifically for the media stars. I did not stand in line to talk to any of them nor purchase photos and autographs, but it was a decent showing for what I could see. They were all placed with space for lines, with large banners making them easy to locate. Fans seemed to be having a great time chatting and swapping stories.

The vendor area was bigger than I was expecting. There were bunches of people and any time I was in there it always seemed busy. While I didn’t chat with a large sample of vendors, those I did speak with seemed to be moderately happy with how sales were going for the weekend. There was an excellent variety of fan made things, books, toys and collectibles lined up and waiting to catch your eye.

The panels seemed well attended, though there was one that was a bit of a bust while I was there. I got to participate in one of the crafting workshops. I listened in on some interesting tidbits from authors and editors and got to hear a couple of funny stories along the way. In all, a well attended panel series.

There was a game room, though I didn’t spend much time there. There was an art show, but it was smaller than I had hoped. It was tucked back in a corner behind the celebrity area (and the entry was at one point partially blocked by an overflowing autograph line). The art on display was really nice and all of it high quality, there just wasn’t much of it.

Shore Leave hadn’t been on my radar before, but now that I’ve been I suspect I’ll be going back for more!