The Kids’ Lab and All Ages Stage at FAN EXPO Denver is a place where kids, teens, and families can learn, play, and connect through comics, gaming, tv and film, and other pop culture. Located on the main show floor, the Kids’ Lab:
- PROVIDES hands-on opportunities for families and fans to engage with diverse pop culture-based media
- HIGHLIGHTS the value of pop culture-based education in the 21st century
- BRINGS TOGETHER a diverse mix of community partners, creators, and special guests throughout the weekend
- OFFERS a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage and make lasting memories with a uniquely passionate, diverse audience of thousands of families, educators, and kids at the event.
Enjoy the Attractions!
- Get inspired! Learn from writers, artists, and performers and how-to arts sessions from Pop Culture Classroom on the All Ages Stage.
- Unleash your creativity. Make a Creature in this year’s Arts and Crafts Zone. Or, learn from the experts at Tomorrow Maker Studios and other creative professionals.
- Solve the mystery of the Alien Slime Lab! Piece together the clues in a slimy experiment.
- Game on! Check out Level 7 Games’ Playable Video Game Museum and Pokémon TCG demos throughout the weekend.
- Rock out with Swallow Hill Music in their special music zone.
- Get wild with The Butterfly Pavilion and Denver Downtown Aquarium’s live insect and marine life displays — and explore the age of dinosaurs with Dinosaur Ridge.
- Let’s go! APEX’s parkour course and dancing with The Colorado Ballet will get you moving.
All Ages Stage Schedule
| FRI 2:30pm | Level 7 Games: How I Opened A Video Game Store | Join the founder and owner of Denver’s own Level 7 Games stores as he discusses his journey of opening a successful chain of game stores! |
| FRI 3:15pm | Tomorrow Maker Studio: Building Your Own Cinematic Universe | In this panel The Tomorrow Maker Studios after school program will discuss their journey from a small, no budget after school film program to a full fledged film student run film production company that produces full and short length films, comic books, animated projects and a retro RPG video game. Additionally, the panel will break down the process of taking an idea for a story and turning it into a piece of art that can be experienced by the masses. |
| FRI 4pm | CU Boulder: Spider-Man’s Performance of Identity in Politics | Spider-Man first appeared in August 1962 as a 1960s high school teenager juggling his contemporary life challenges against the demands of his prosocial mission. The creative team shuffled by #38, and different configurations of Spider-Man stories emerged to replace each other over his nearly 60-year publication history. This panel will analyze different versions of Spider-Man to identify differences in narrative structure, audiences served, and how social identity is performed. |
| FRI 4:45pm | Actor Spotlight: Patricia Summersett | Meet the voice of Princess Zelda! Join Patricia Summersett as she talks about what it takes to become a voice and performance capture actor for games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Assassin’s Creed. |
| FRI 5:30pm | Intro to Cosplay with Cosplay Judge Melanie Jasmine | Interested in creating your own cosplay but unsure where or how to start? Learn the basics of cosplay with one of the judges of FAN EXPO’s Cosplay Contest, Melanie Jasmine! |
| FRI 6:30pm | Being C-3PO with Anthony Daniels | This is the droid you’re looking for! Anthony Daniels talks about his career playing C-3PO in all 11 Star Wars movies and his new book, I Am C-3PO–The Inside Story. |
| FRI 7pm | Swallow Hill Music Demonstration | Join Denver’s own Swallow Hill Music in this pop culture-themed music demonstration! |
| FRI 7:30pm | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Creating Interactive Branching Stories with Twine | Do you love role-playing games, video games, and choose-you-own-adventure stories? Learn from Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors how to use Twine, a free brower-based tool, to create your own playable and interactive stories with branching narratives. |
| FRI 8:15pm | APEX Movement: Circus in Pop Culture | The APEX School of Movement is here to demonstrate stunts and moves like you see in the movies! Learn how actors, stunt-doubles, and performers move their bodies. |
| SAT 10:30am | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Draw Your Manga Self-Portrait | Join Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors to learn tips on how to draw in a manga-style and draw your own manga self-portrait! |
| SAT 11:15am | Colorado Ballet: Ballet Heroes | In this workshop, participants will explore the performing art form of ballet and the heroes within the ballet world. Do you know who Misty Copeland is or Maria Tallchief? Have you ever tried a plié or tendue? We will explore ballet heroes, movement, and more in this workshop. |
| SAT 12pm | Drawing Magical Creatures with Tony Fleecs | Join comic writer and artist Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs, My Little Pony, Star Wars), as he demonstrates how to draw magical creatures in this interactive workshop! |
| SAT 12:45pm | Dinosaur Ridge: How to Build a Dinosaur | How do you build a dinosaur? With dice, costumes, and the Dinosaur Name Game! Join Dinosaur Ridge as we explore dinos in pop culture and how to create them! |
| SAT 1:30pm | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Creating Cool SciFi and Fantasy Worlds | Learn from Pop Cutlure Classroom’s instructors how professional creators dream up worlds like Gotham, Hyrule, and Asgard, and work together with the audience to create a new world of your own! |
| SAT 2:15pm | History Colorado: 70s Dance Break | Need a dance break? Groove through the decades with History Colorado and move your body to the 70’s greatest hits! |
| SAT 3:00pm | Colorado Symphony Cellists | Enjoy pop culture hits performed by members of the Colorado Symphony. |
| SAT 3:45pm | Draw Along with Adrian Ropp | Join Adrian Ropp, director for the Disney Infinity video game series and comic book artist (Pink Panther, Underdog, Rocky and Bullwinkle) in this interactive draw-along session! |
| SAT 4:15 | Actor Spotlight: Monica Rial | Hang out with Pop Culture Clasroom and Monica Rial (Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia) |
| SAT 4:30pm | History Colorado: Escape from the Giant Rolling Boulder | How DOES one escape from a giant rolling boulder? Join the History Colorado musuem and find out! |
| SAT 5:15pm | Actor Spotlight: Maile Flanagan | Hang out with Pop Culture Classroom and Maile Flanagan (Naruto, Lab Rats) |
| SAT 5:45pm | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Fan Fiction Foundations and FUN | Fan fiction can be a great starting point for young aspriing writers. Join Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors to learn more about what fan fiction is, why it’s a great way to practice writing, and how to get started creating your own fan fiction! |
| SUN 10:15am | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: 5 Tips to Making Awesome Comics | Are you an aspiring comic writer or artist? Learn 5 tips to make awesome comics from Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors and published comic creators! |
| SUN 11:00am | Actor Spotlight: Jason Liebrecht | Hang out with Pop Culture Classroom and Jason Liebrecht (My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan) |
| SUN 11:30am | Bugs as Heroes & Villains: Cusing Comics in Science | Where do we see bugs in popular culture? Can bugs be heros and villains in our stories? How about in our own world? Learn fun facts about insects and dive deep into the world of bugs in pop culture! |
| SUN 12:15pm | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Creating Pixel Art | Pixel art is a unique form of artwork largely inspired by video games from the 1980s and 1990s. Although its origins are in the past, it remains a popular style today! Learn to create your own unique pixel art from Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors. |
| SUN 1:00pm | Dinosaur Ridge: How to Build a Dinosaur | How do you build a dinosaur? With dice, costumes, and the Dinosaur Name Game! Join Dinosaur Ridge as we explore dinos in pop culture and how to create them! |
| SUN 1:45 | Actor Spotlight: Troy Baker | Voice actor Troy Baker discusses his award-winning career as the voice behind some of the most famous video game characters of all time! |
| SUN 2:15pm | Draw Along with Thom Zahler | Join cartoonist, writer, and artist Thom Zahler (My Little Pony) and learn to draw in this interactive workshop! |
| SUN 3pm | Pop Culture Classroom Presents: Fantastic Fan Art | Look around, fan art is everywhere at FAN EXPO! But how do you create unique fan art? Learn to create one-of-a-kind artwork based on your favorite characters and stories from Pop Culture Classroom’s instructors. |
| SUN 3:45pm | APEX Movement: Move like Spider-Man! | The APEX School of Movement is here to demonstrate stunts and moves like you see in the movies! Learn to move like Spider-Man does! |
Attractions in the Rotating Space
| 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Pokemon! Learn To Play the Trading Card Game with Level 7 Games |
| 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Superhero Demo with the Colorado School of Mines |
| 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Pokemon! Learn To Play the Trading Card Game with Level 7 Games |
| 12:45 PM – 3:45 PM | Denver Center for the Performing Arts |
| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Cheeseman Park D&D with History Colorado |
| 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Pokemon! Learn To Play the Trading Card Game with Level 7 Games |
| 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM | The Science Of: Robot Hands |
