Fantasy Worlds Festival

Fantasy Worlds Festival was held in California and founded by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
The first one was Darkover-centric and sponsored by Friends of Darkover. This con was January 1979 California.
==Fan Comments==
==1979==
The first con in this series was Darkover Grand Council Meeting.
==1980==
The second con in this series was now officially called "Fantasy Worlds Festival," and was sort of the same con as January 1978 California. While they don't call it the "second con," they do infer that it is when they billed the one in 1981 as the "third" one.
Fans later could get a transcript of one of the speeches: 
File:Darkoverconflyer.jpg|flyer for 1980
 
===1980: Con Reports===
==1981==
February 27-March 1, 1981.
It was billed as the third con in this series, but is the second in the "Fantasy Worlds Festival."
Amber, Darkover, Deryni, Chronicles of Tornor, etc.
Guests of Honor: Elizabeth A. Lynn, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Katherine Kurtz, Diana Paxson
There was a "specially catered medieval banquet."
Don Simpson presented a slide show. The toastmaster was Jon de Cles.
==1982==
April 16–18, 1982, Travelodge Motel near the Oakland Airport.
This was the fourth con.
Guest of Honor was C.J. Cherryh. Fan guest of honor was M.R. "Hide" Hildebrand. Also Katherine Kurtz, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Adrienne Martin Barnes, Diana Paxson, Paul Edwin Zimmer, Jon de Cles, Millea Kenin.
There was a "no-host bar" reception where fans could meet the authors, panels, discussions, readings, speeches, an art show, a dealers' room, and "by popular demand, a Bardic Revel, and a revival of [the skit] Free Amazons of Gor, directed by Dorothy Breen who created the role of the Shmaiden. Also socializing and an all-night hospitality and (shudder) folksinging room." from a flyer
==1983==
March 18–20, 1983 at the Oakland Airport Hyatt.
==1984==
==1985==
It was held at the Hyatt Hotel in Oakland, CA on April 19–21, 1985.
==1986==
From a blurb in the newly-ressurected Darkover Newsletter, issue #31: "The Fantasy Worlds Festival will be held at the Oakland Airport Hyatt Hotel on February 7,8, and 9, 1986. Diane Duane will be the Guest of Honor and MZB the hostess, with many other authors and fans, an interesting hucksters' room, games, video, and some very interesting programs. Please come...."
==1994==
The con was to be/held at the The Berkeley Marina Marriott April 22–24, 1994.
The convention had a dealer's room, filking, and dance, but no formal masquerade or art show.
Guests of honor were Larry Dixon and Mercedes Lackey. Other guests were Marion Zimmer Bradley, Cynthia McQuillin, Diana Paxson, Dr. Jane Robinson, Deborah Wheeler, Elisabeth Waters, and Paul Edwin Zimmer.
Elisabeth Waters talked about this con in 1993:
Marion Zimmer Bradley touted this con in June 1993: 
===1994: Con Reports===
==1995==
The dead dog party for this con was held at "The Other Change of Hobbit," a famous bookstore in San Francisco. It began at 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 12, 1995; in attendance were C.J. Cherryh, Deborah Wheeler, Jane Fancher, Marion Zimmer Bradley and many other special guests hob-nobbed after the convention.
===1995: Con Reports===
 
==1998==
"As part of the Fantasy Worlds Festival in 1998, the last convention Marion organized, Marion and Rachel E. Holmen edited MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY'S FANTASY WORLDS, an anthology of stories by "MZB's Writers." It contains stories by Robin Wayne Bailey, Jessie D. Eaker, India Edghill, Rosemary Edghill, Dorothy J. Heydt, Heather Rose Jones, Cynthia McQuillin, Syne Mitchell, Diana L. Paxson, Steven Piziks, Raul S. Reyes, Deborah J. Ross, Dave Smeds, Michael Spence, Laura J. Underwood, Cynthia L. Ward, Elisabeth Waters, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Paul Edwin Zimmer."
==References==
Category:Darkover
Category:Marion Zimmer Bradley
Category:Fantasy Conventions
Category:1979 Conventions
Category:1970s Conventions
Category:1980s Conventions
Category:1990s ConventionsCategory:Conventions in United States