The creators of Christmas Con, the three-day convention dedicated to connecting fans with the stars of their favorite holiday TV movies — particularly the dozens produced annually by the Hallmark Channel — will bring the weekend to the Midwest for the first time this summer. Organizers say tickets are going fast for the June 2023 event in Kansas City, with longtime Hallmark actor Jonathan Bennett serving as the event's “Official Host.” Here's what you need to know:
Lots of Hallmark Stars to Attend Christmas in Kansas City
The next Christmas Con will run from June 9-11 in Overland Park, Kansas — a suburb of Kansas City. Several hours after ticket sales opened on January 13, the convention's parent company, That's 4 Entertainment, posted on Instagram that the $250 VIP tickets — which provide perks like a “fast pass” to skip lines during celebrity photos — were already 50 percent sold out.
In addition to Bennett, organizers say more than 20 fan favorites are scheduled to attend, including Andrew Walker, Paul Campbell, Erin Cahill, Brennan Elliott, Benjamin Ayres, Wes Brown, Danica McKellar, Taylor Cole, Jen Lilley, Cameron Mathison and Melissa. Joan Hart.
In a statement released in early January, Christmas Con co-founders Christina Figliona and Liliana Kligman said, “We've been constantly asked to bring Christmas Con to the Midwest, and what better place to host a Christmas convention than Hallmark's hometown of Kansas City.”
Although the convention is not a Hallmark production, the event's screenings and meet-and-greets focus heavily on Hallmark movies and stars, as Hallmark is the undisputed leader in the holiday movie genre. In fact, in the answerrelease again released Jan. 11, Hallmark Media said that in the fourth quarter of 2022, Hallmark Channel was the No. 1 cable entertainment network for the ninth consecutive year and that Hallmark original movies accounted for 97 of the top 100 movies worldwide the cable television network in 2022.
Hallmark Media is a subsidiary of Hallmark, the iconic Kansas-based stationery company that began in 1910. While Christmas Con will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center, the location provides attendees with the opportunity to tour the Hallmark Visitor Center, located 18 miles away in downtown Kansas City.
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Christmas Con started in 2019 in New Jersey, attracting 10,000 fans, according to New Jersey Community Magazine. New Jersey, home of the Christmas Con co-founders, is the base for the convention, with an event held there every December. Following the Midwest event this summer, a second Christmas Con will be held at the New Jersey Expo Center from December 8-10. VIP tickets for this event sold out in just 20 minutes, according to People magazine.
Hallmark stars often say they enjoy attending the events because they get to meet and hear from their most loyal fans, as well as connect with other actors they haven't seen in a while. On Thats4Entertainment's Instagram post announcing some of the talent scheduled to appear, several stars commented, including Paul Campbell, who wrote: 'I can. Not. Wait. SO excited for this!”
During an Instagram Live with co-founders Figliona and Kligman in November 2022, Hallmark actor Wes Brown said it's important for him to connect with people about the movies he's made.
“It's really surreal, you know, when we're shooting these movies, sometimes we're in the middle of nowhere. It's just us,” he said.
“And then to see the impact, so many months later, even years later, when they put a movie up, we did one, two, three years ago,” he continued. “I think that's the best part about it, seeing how many people show up to these things to let you know what traditions you've created in their lives and so many memories. You don't really see that or get a glimpse of that when you go out on set sometimes.”
During each convention, the stars often share photos and videos on their social media feeds so that other fans can get a taste of the fun. After the Christmas Con held in December 2022, actor Paul Greene posted a video montage of his favorite moments from the weekend on YouTube, writing, “What a wild, fun, delicious weekend we had together meeting all of you in New Jersey #christmasconnj2022.”
