by FFE EU News staff

Fans of the popular US TV series Game of Thrones in Europe are in for a treat. A French organization has announced that they plan to hold the first unofficial convention in Carcassonne, Aude department, southwestern France. However, they need to raise €75,000 to run the event.

WIC CON, short for Winter is Coming Convention, is planned to be a 3-day convention that will run from the 14^th to the 16^th of March 2014, 2 weeks before the airing of the fourth season of the show.

Lyon-based organisation As An Event has explained that Carcassonne is “an exceptional setting.” Maxime Luitaud, the head of the organisation, has said that “we’re tired of conventions in hangars and that all of the most important ones take place outside of Europe.”

Carcassonne, France

Carcassonne is a 5^th century walled town that has been invaded by Visigoths and Romans. Planned activities include role plays across the village, medieval-themed banquets and sword fights.

For funding, the organisation has turned to crowdfunding through kisskissbankbank.com, an online public donation site that is used to finance projects. So far, the organisation has raised €2,000.

As incentive to fans, Luitaud said that four main actors have signed up for the convention. “We’ll reveal their names when we receive more money,” he said. The group remains optimistic that they will raise the amount.

Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy series based on American novelist George R.R. Martin’s books A Song of Ice and Fire. Both the books and TV series have developed a cult following around the world.