UK PonyCon (abbreviated as UKPC) is a My Little Pony convention in the United Kingdom. Originally established as the International My Little Pony Convention[1] by Victoria Stapleton in 2003 as a convention primarily aimed at collectors,[2] the surprise popularity of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and subsequent formation of the brony fandom led to an influx of attendees and a more prominent focus on the fourth generation of the show.
As of 2020, UK PonyCon is the longest running My Little Pony convention in Europe.
Mascot[]
Britannia in G4 style, as illustrated by Prince Lionel.
UK PonyCon's mascot is Britannia, a white earth pony with red, white and blue mane and tail. Her cutie mark is of the Union Jack.
Events[]
UK PonyCon has historically hosted conventions across several days, with certain days of the convention designated "members only days" and having strictly limited attendance. The convention location would also move city each year. These practices have been phased out as the convention has grown more popular.
Many of the early outings of the convention were officially sanctioned by Hasbro.
UK PonyCon 2004[]
- Date: November 27, 2004
- Location: The Platform, Morcambe, United Kingdom
- Attendance: Unknown
- Charity: £100 for the Horse and Pony Protection Association
Hasbro sent representatives to attend the convention and to donate pony toys that had been customized by celebrities for the charity auction.
UK PonyCon 2005: Butterfly Island[]
- Dates: November 10–12, 2005
- Location: Sachas Hotel, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 300 (approx.)
- Charity: £250 for the Starlight Children's Foundation
The first two days of the convention were members only. Hasbro representatives attended the convention to showcase the upcoming Crystal Princess range.
UK PonyCon 2006: Crystal Princess[]
- Dates: October 27–28, 2006
- Location: Britannia Hotel, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Attendance: Unknown
- Charity: Over £1,000 for Redwings Horse Sanctuary
UK PonyCon 2007: Silver Anniversary[]
- Dates: October 26–27, 2007
- Location: Redwood Hotel & Country Club, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 150 (approx.)
- Charity: £5,000 for The Rainbow Centre for Children
The first day was members only. The convention theme, Silver Anniversary, was chosen to celebrate 25 years since My Little Pony was created.
UK PonyCon 2008: Birthday Party[]
- Dates: October 10–11, 2008
- Location: The Barn Hotel, Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 200 (approx.)
- Charity: £5,059.91 for WellChild
The first day was members only. Notably, the members only day was hosted in a different building to the rest of the convention.
UK PonyCon 2009: Ponies Around the World[]
Part of a poster advertising UKPC 2009, as illustrated by Reaperfox.
- Dates: October 23–34, 2009
- Location: The Megacentre, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 200 (approx.)
- Charity: Over £700 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The first day was members only.
UK PonyCon 2010: My Little Pony and Me[]
- Dates: October 22–23, 2010
- Location: The Public, West Bromich, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 150 (approx.)
- Charity: £1,300 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The first day was members only.
UK PonyCon 2011: Luck[]
- Dates: October 21–22, 2011
- Location: Brighton Racecourse, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 200 (approx.)
- Charity: £750 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The first day was members only.
UK PonyCon 2012: Royalty[]
- Dates: October 5–6, 2012
- Location: Jury's Hotel, Long Eaton, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Attendance: Unknown
- Charity: £1,500 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The first day was members only.
UK PonyCon 2013: 10 Years of UK PonyCon[]
- Dates: September 7–8, 2013
- Location: Mercure Holland House Hotel and Spa, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 350 (approx.)
- Charity: £2,000 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The first day was members only.
UK PonyCon 2014: UK PONYCON ROCKS![]
- Dates: October 11–12, 2014
- Location: Mercure Leicester The Grand Hotel, Leicester, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 500 (approx.)
- Charity: £2,500 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
- Guests of honor:
- Community guests: Geek Belly Dance
UK PonyCon 2015: Space[]
- Dates: October 10–11, 2015
- Location: Mercure Leicester The Grand Hotel, Leicester, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 700 (approx.)
- Charity: £2,500 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
2015 was the first year that UK PonyCon didn't sell tickets at the door, as they sold out prior to the beginning of the convention.
UK PonyCon 2016: Heroes and Villains[]
- Dates: October 22–23, 2016
- Location: wikipedia:Royal Armouries, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 750 (approx.)
- Charity: £3,000 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
UK PonyCon 2017: Wild West[]
- Dates: October 21–22, 2017
- Location: UWE Bristol Exhibition and Conference Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 800 (approx.)
- Charity: £6,000 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
The convention's theme and celebration of the Apple family is a play on Bristol's location in the West Country, an area of England known for apple farming and cider production.
UK PonyCon 2018: Crystal Celebration[]
- Dates: October 13–14, 2018
- Location: Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 1,000 (approx.)
- Charity: £6,750 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
- Guests of honor:
UKPC 2018 was the first to host an evening music festival—named the Crystal Ball—featuring performances from Steely Hooves, EileMonty, Prince Whateverer, and BassPon3.
UK PonyCon 2019: Ocean Adventures[]
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- Dates: October 12–13, 2019
- Location: Nottingham Trent University city campus, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Attendance: 950 (approx.)
- Charity: £11,000 for the Riding for the Disabled Association
UK PonyCon 2020: Spooky Con[]
Originally scheduled for October 10–11 with a Halloween theme, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent national lockdown in the UK led to the postponement of UKPC 2020 until May 2021.[3] The change in date necessitated a change in theme, however the location and announced guest of honor remained the same.
To compensate for the postponement, the virtual convention UK PonyCONLINE was launched to show remotely presented panels and events, as well as to facilitate an online vendor hall.
There have been two UK PonyCONLINE's scheduled to date:, one of which retains the date and theme of the original convention.
- Britannia's Birthday Bash (October 13, 2020)[4]
- Britannia's Spooky Sleepover (October 10–11, 2020)[5]
UK PonyCon 2021[]
- Dates: May 8–9, 2021
- Location: Nottingham Trent University city campus, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Guests of honor:
- Show guests: Kelly Sheridan
References[]
- ↑ UK PonyCon 2013 website. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Retrieved on 2020 October 1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 History of UK PonyCon. Retrieved on 2020 October 1.
- ↑ Announcing postponement of UK PonyCon 2020 (2020-05-13). Retrieved on 2020 October 1.
- ↑ Your invitation to Britannia’s Birthday Bash (2020-05-15). Retrieved on 2020 October 1.
- ↑ Reskell (2020-07-11). Spooky Sleepover - UK PonyCONLINE. Retrieved on 2020 October 1.
External links[]
- UK PonyCon website
- UK PonyCon on Facebook
- UK PonyCon on Twitter
- UK PonyCon on YouTube
- UK PonyCon on Instagram
- UK PonyCONLINE website
- UK PonyCONLINE on Twitter