The closing ceremonies of Worldcon 75 saw an absolutely packed hall of over 1000 seats applaud the second largest Worldcon ever. Final figures, confirmed at the ceremony, were 10,516 Worldcon memberships and day passes purchased, with 7,119 actually attending in person. Over 2,000 of the above were first-timers to Worldcon, representing over 60 countries.
At the closing ceremony, the guests of honor, authors Johanna Sinisalo , John-Henri Holmberg, Nalo Hopkinson, Walter Jon Williams, and Ian Stewart, and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, were all seen off with rapturous applause. The organizing committee were similarly hailed, and Worldcon 75 staffers who performed above and beyond the call of duty were recognized with special Northern Lights Awards.
Feedback from organizing team veterans was that the atmosphere has been great, despite some crowding issues in the halls – no unusual thing at major cons. The actual popularity speaks for itself (see below). It’s hard to imagine any Worldcon equalling this one for many years to come – although everyone has great hopes for Worldcon 2019 in Dublin. And the ceremony ended with the ceremonial banging of the gavel to signify the passing of the Worldcon … ahem … torch to Worldcon 76 for 2018 in San Jose.
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