Video by Brittany Moore
The President, Cassandra, Silence and various other characters from the Doctor Who Universe gathered at the Herbert University Center on Saturday, July 9 for Jacksonville’s first Time Lord Fest.
This convention is typically reserved for Tampa’s Whovians, but The Ken Spivey Band was ready to expand this exciting event to another Florida city. A surprising contender emerged from the search for a new host.
“Jacksonville, oddly enough, had just as many people interested in Doctor Who as Tampa did,” Convention Chair Ken Spivey told Spinnaker. “It looked like there was a nice little hole in the market, and people — initially we thought it would be a slow reaction — people were excited immediately.”
But this isn’t just some annual concert, conference or costume contest. Spivey said the Time Lord Fest is a result of concert gone convention, which is why attendees can expect an unusual experience with more performances, dancers and speakers than most others.
The band increased its following by performing at a number of Doctor Who conventions in Tampa, Orlando and even Time Gate in Atlanta. The Ken Spivey Band has earned its title as a T-rock (Time Lord rock) band with more than 37,000 followers on Facebook and coverage from MTV.
“We turned it from just a concert into a festival,” Spivey said. “That’s why it’s a lot more energy than most conventions, we’ve got a lot more performances, we have more musicians, dancers, things of that nature.”
To keep the many fans busy, the Ken Spivey Band stuffed the University Center with a life-size TARDIS, 53 vendors, two stages and Doctor Who enthusiasts decked out in realistic character costumes.
Celebrity guests, including BBC Film Director Louis Robinson and the Ken Spivey Band, kept the main stage busy. Authors, contests and a newlywed couple worked well on the companion stage where attendees could listen in while visiting vendors.
Even though this convention revolves around the Time Lord, Spinnaker found Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel and DC fan gear from lanyards and rice bags to coasters and posters sprinkled throughout vendor booths.
According to Spivey, holding the Time Lord Fest during the summer at UNF worked well because the campus and The Ken Spivey Band aren’t as busy. This convention also typically attracts millennials.
“I understand that the summer doesn’t have a lot happening over here, and it’s a perfect hole in my tour schedule,” Spivey said. “I usually have July off, so this is a great time for me to do something.”
If you missed the Time Lord Fest this weekend, don’t fret. Spivey plans on coming back to campus around the same time next year.
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