Zombies to sci-fi opera: Worldcon arrives in Glasgow

How do you survive a zombie apocalypse? Who are the best cats in science fiction? Is Judge Dredd no longer a parody?

These are some of the varied questions being asked in Glasgow for this year's Worldcon, one of the world's biggest science fiction conventions.

The event's 82nd edition will welcome around 9000 fans to the city, with more than 900 panels and talks scheduled to take place over five days.

Organisers told BBC Scotland News that the diverse range of programming will include a local flavour, with a discussion on authors Iain Banks and Alasdair Gray and the world premiere of Scottish opera Morrow's Isle.

The convention, which begins on Thursday, will also see the presentation of the prestigious Hugo awards, recognising the best science fiction literature of the past year.

"It’s one of those rare opportunities where the world comes to you," says Tendai Huchu, a Zimbabwean/Scottish author taking part in several panels this year.

"There are so many panels going on. You can just stumble into things and who knows what direction you will end up going down. It’s a great opportunity to meet other people, find out what is going on, what trends are happening and just talk shop."

First held in New York in 1939, Worldcon has welcomed many giants of science fiction and fantasy over the years, whether as guests or attendees, with 2024 marking the third time Glasgow has hosted it.

Unlike major comic-cons where the emphasis is often on celebrity guests and dealers selling collectables, Worldcon is centred around the literary side of the genre, with discussion and talks to the fore.

"Around 65% of people attending will be hearing someone talk at any given time," says Esther MacCallum-Stewart, the chairperson for the 2024 gathering.

"I believe there are 984 different things happening over the five days, and that doesn’t include things that are self-organised on the side.

"A lot of it is chosen by the community. We ask for suggestions for panels and people send in things that either they would like to do, or that they would like to see. It’s a really nice way of levelling the playing field in terms of what's discussed."

Organisers dedication to keeping the playing field level attracted worldwide attention earlier this year when the Game of Thrones author George RR Martin wrote online that he had never heard back about panels he had proposed.

Instead he was directed to filling in forms the same as any other applicant.

However the range of panels that are going ahead at the SEC campus will cover a huge amount of topics.

This can be straightforward in scope, such as discussions marking anniversaries of films (including sci-fi adventure Stargate and Sean Connery's cult classic Zardoz) or examinations of serious issues, like the growth of artificial intelligence.

Then there are more off-the wall items , from Deliciously Evil: Villain Romances and Why We Love Them to The Many Legs of SF: Creepy Crawlies in Space and Best Cats of SFF, where a panel will discuss "their favourite felines."

A major event comes on Thursday night with Morrow's Isle - a libretto written by Scottish author Ken MacLeod about a secretive scientific project on the Clyde, and featuring musicians from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

"One of the things that we were really keen on doing was making sure this was a Scottish Worldcon," adds Esther, who grew up reading sci-fi greats like Doris Lessing and Arthur C Clarke.

"So we have partnered with local groups like Glasgow University, we're holding outreach events in libraries and we’ve got Scottish language items in the programme.

"There are items on Iain M Banks and Alasdair Gray and on integrating Scottishness into sci-fi writing. Worldcon hasn’t been in the UK for 10 years so we had a lot to choose from with ideas."

According to Tendai, that also reflects how strong the current Scottish science fiction scene is.

"There is a very strong community here so this is a great time for Scottish sci-fi," he says.

"You have groups like the Edinburgh Science Fiction and Fantasy group, where writers meet up regularly. It is usually at the early stages of their career, and then over time you start to see some of them getting published. It's a fabulous space [for writers]."

Last year's Worldcon was held in Chengdu in China, a decision that sparked considerable protests among writers and fans in protest at the country's treatment of Uyghurs.

For this year's event Esther - a professor of game studies at Staffordshire University - says organisers wanted to place inclusion at the heart of the convention.

"There is a big trend in science fiction at the moment towards science fiction that is very kind and very thoughtful," she says.

"Someone like Becky Chambers is a good example. The themes for this World Con are caring, inclusion and imagination. We want people to feel welcome here."