If you’ve ever spent up big to travel to the Big Smoke - east, west, north or south - to attend one of the many pop-culture conventions, or “cons” as they are affectionately known, have we got some exciting news for you.

Dubbo Dream Con is coming to town.

Celebrating the “weird, wonderful and speculative”, the festival runs from May 15-16 and features a mix of free and paid events covering the sub-genres of horror, fantasy and sci-fi across film, writing, craft, art, performance, games, TCG trading and costume-play (cosplay).

Hosted by Dubbo Filmmakers and made possible with SPARC (Shaping Plans to Advance Regional Culture) funding from Dubbo Regional Council, the festival will be held in The Green Room, also known as The Greens, the old bowling greens adjacent to the Western Plains Cultural Centre, Wingewarra St.

Dubbo Filmmakers spokesperson and local cultural advocate Erifili Davis said the festival will have something for everyone.

“Dubbo needs a festival, something that might include people from all backgrounds,” Erifili explained.

“Dubbo Filmmakers, we’re particularly focused on sharing stories and storytelling, and we just thought that Dubbo Dream Con would be a fantastic idea to be able to create a platform for that. And so Dubbo Dream Con was born,” she added.

With tickets to some pop-culture festivals costing hundreds of dollars, locals will be thrilled to learn the Dubbo Dream Con has a range of free and paid events, and for the latter, tickets range from just $5 to $20.

Pricing of paid events has been kept low to encourage the community to attend, and also in recognition of the current economic climate and cost of living concerns facing many in the community, Erifili said.

The full program for the festival can be found on the event’s website at www.dubbodreamcon.com.