The largest convention of fantasy and science fiction, Rikon 2025, took place this year in Rijeka, specifically at Exportdrvo.
The program was officially opened on Friday, September 27, 2025, at 4 PM with brief words from the organizers and representatives of the institutions that supported the convention.
The program hosts, Ivona Pierobon and Matej Poljanić, presented the full-day program for the entire weekend. This included video game tournaments, presentations, dance competitions, and cosplay competitions, as well as an open board game zone and airsoft arena. Along with all this, there were plenty of booths filled with figurines, swords, plushies, and various other props.
There were numerous presentations, and we simply couldn't visit them all, but we managed to see a few!
To start, we headed to the Polaris stage where there was a presentation titled "What SF Teaches Us About Ourselves - Homage to Aldo Paquoli," where we listened about how SF films are actually a mirror of our society, our fears, and hopes, as well as a way to explore ourselves. During the presentation, cultural, political, and technological changes reflected by the SF genre over the decades were showcased. Through this, we discover our deepest fears and moral dilemmas.
After a short break to fill our hungry bellies at the numerous food stalls located at the entrance to the hall, we returned for a talk with the main guests, Shaune Harrison and Paula Anne Booker-Harrison, legendary SFX artists known for their work on the Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Marvel franchises throughout their careers. During this presentation, we learned some interesting facts about various legendary films they worked on and how those films were created by SFX artists. They also shared stories they collected over the decades in that industry.
This was their first of three presentations they would hold during the convention.
At the end of that presentation, we headed to the Polaris Stage where, at that moment, Dijana Dominis Prester was holding a presentation titled "Physics in the Myths and Symbols of Our Ancestors." During this presentation, we learned how our ancestors, who did not have the technology we possess today, knew how to read physics and described it through various myths and symbols throughout history. It should also be noted that the data from this lecture was obtained through the GluOne project and the author's own insights.
To conclude the first evening, we headed to the K-Pop Dance competition, during which dancers competed in three different categories: solo, duo/trio, and group. The winner at the end of the show was chosen by the jury and the audience.
As the first day of the convention came to an end, we all headed to Bačva Pub where we enjoyed the after party!
The second day started a bit earlier, and we watched how the HEMA organization reconstructed historical sword fighting techniques that were most commonly used in the 13th and 16th centuries. The AmerRI fitness center and their trainer Paulo Lazarić, along with his assistants, demonstrated those techniques.
with the necessary equipment.
After a short trip to the past, we headed to the gaming zone where tournaments in League of Legends and FC26 were held, hosted by River City games. Alongside these two competitions, on the other side of the hall, there was also a TCG free play zone where teams gathered to measure their strengths against their decks.
From there, we moved to the Cinema Hall where we briefly watched short films from around the world that were showcased at the Grossmann festival. It should be noted that these films rotated throughout the day, so you could come and go whenever you wanted, always finding some new films.
After that, we headed to the Arcanum Stage where we participated in the Big Bang Theory vs Friends battleship quiz hosted by Lada Bogović Božić and Dubravko Bogović. The questions were related to the series Friends and Big Bang Theory, and the game battleship was used, but instead of guessing the location of the opponent's ship, you had to answer the quiz question correctly.
At the end of the quiz, we made our way to the central stage where Shaune Harrison and Paula Anne Booker-Harrison performed again, this time explaining how they came up with ideas for building prosthetics in films, how someone can build their portfolio, and how to get their first job as an SFX artist.
They also shared various anecdotes that occurred during film shoots and how some actors, even though they were allergic to certain materials used in masks, accepted roles that often required them to be in a complete suit made of materials they were allergic to.
At the end of that presentation, we stepped outside for a bit to relax and grab a bite to eat. After a short break, we headed to the Polaris Stage where Damir Steinfl held a presentation titled "Comics, Jokes, and Other Diversions," during which he showed us a cross-section of his work in comics. We also explored possible scenarios for the development of newspaper comics and caricatures.
With the conclusion of that presentation, we headed to the cinema hall where the second part of "Animation in Fantasy and SF" was just being screened, during which we could test our knowledge. From various old classics to modern sagas, everything could be found in this animated quiz.
After that, we decided to return to the main stage where we watched the cosplay competition. The organizers created two categories: Apprentice League and Master League. The Apprentice League is for beginners, while the Master League was for those who already have experience in cosplay and have competed at conventions.
Each contestant had up to two minutes for their performance on stage to impress the audience and judges.
This year, the judging panel is:
Obelyn - Iva Mikolić (HR) – our multiple award-winning cosplayer
Sabaku Cosplay (AT) – Austrian representative from international cosplay competitions (WCS, ECG, CCC)
Walkiah Cosplay (DE) – professional cosplayer and judge with extensive experience across Europe.
At the end of the competition, a Tombola started during which excellent prizes were given to the lucky winners. And to conclude the evening, a small performance began where the girls who competed during the day could showcase their "Pole dance" with their choreography and acrobatics on the pole.
The after party this time took place at Club Palach where guests could also participate in Karaoke.
Unfortunately, we couldn't remind you of the third day, but we must say that we had a lot of fun during those two days. And that it was more than interesting and we can’t wait for the next Rikon next year!"
