In a weeks' time Thor Park and Thor Central in Genk (Belgium), will be the stage for Geek Village Summer Fest 2025. This one of a kind fusion event of an outdoor fantasy festival and an indoor comic con adventure, will take place from Friday the 15th until Sunday the 17th of August. The outdoor 'fantasy' part of the festival will be open for public from 1 p.m. on Friday and on Saturday from 10 a.m. the indoor 'comic con' area will join the fun. On Friday and Saturday the festival will be open until midnight and on Sunday until 11 p.m. For those, who don't want to miss a minute of fun there is an event camping. In this article we will tell you more about this unique event and what you can expect...
Outdoor area - Thor Park
The outdoor area in Thor Park will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In this outdoor area, you can immerse yourself in the world of steampunk, walk through Viking villages and pirate ports and you can wander through Elven Woods. There will be medieval battles to attend, live storytelling and themed food trucks. There will be live music to enjoy throughout the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, you can even watch a movie under the stars.
Indoor area - Thor Central
On Saturday morning, the majestic Thor Central will open its doors for the indoor (comic con) part of the festival. Over 400 exhibitors will be selling all kinds of geekish goodies. You can make your way through the artist alley and feast your eyes on all kinds of cool collectibles. You can show your skills in the gaming zones and see (or be part of) spectacular cosplay competitions. On top of that you can meet some very special guests at Geek Village Summer Fest. You can have a chat with them, attend their paneles to hear them talk about their career and you can even get some things signed and it's all for free!
Special guests
Among the special guest at Geek Village Summer Fest are Comic artists, cosplayers, designers, influencers and (voice) actors. Now we will tell you more about the actors and the comic artists.
(Voice-) Actors
Free Souffriau (Saturday and Sunday)
"Mega Mindy, Mega Mindy! Ik ben een echte superheld..."
Yes, the woman behind Belgium's one and only female superhero is coming to Genk. This Belgian singer and actress is a true icon of the Belgian pop culture. She was born in Gent (February 8th, 1980), trained as a musical performer and eventually rose to fame with her work in musical theatre and eventually television.
Besides her role as Mieke/Mega Mindy in the TV show with the same name (which combined action music and charm), she also showcased her talents in stage productions of "Annie", "Romeo & Julia" and "Peter Pan".
Louis Talpe (Saturday and Sunday)
As a young boy he wanted to become a pilot (because he loved "Top Gun") or a professional football player, but luckily he became an actor.
He was born in Kortemark (May 22nd, 1981) and originally pursued an education in sports before he became interested in the acting profession. He studied at Herman Teirlinck Institute, which is one of Belgium's leading drama schools. He gained recognition with his role as Toby (opposite Free Souffriau) in "Mega Mindy"and a spin off "Mega Toby". Later on he played Vincent in the critically acclaimed TV series "Spitsbroers", about two brothers finding balance in their lives navigating football, family and fame. He also played Robrecht in the Belgian crime drama series "De Ridder". Internationally, Louis played Lord Anthony Rivers in the BBC period drama "The White Queen", he played domestique Dominique Chabol in the movie "The Racer", which is set in the 1998 Tour de France, which is notorious for the huge doping scandal that came to light during this Tour. More recently he played a major role as Frank Verstraeten in the Belgian blockbuster "Zillion", about the legendary Antwerp nightclub with the same name. Currently, I (Liv) am watching "Onder Vuur" ("Under Fire"), a Belgian TV series about a fire department stationed in Oostende.
Bob van der Hoven (Saturday and Sunday)
Dutch voice actor, singer and narrator Bob van der Houven is known as the voice-over in the documentary series "Rail Away". Besides this he is the Dutch voice of Stitch, Dobby ("Harry Potter"), Huey, Dewey and Louie in "DuckTales", "E.T." and many more. Besides voice acting and narrating, Bob released his own music and founded his own studio "Bobsound".
Aline Goffin (Saturday and Sunday)
Flemish voice actress, theater performer and singer will be at Geek Village Summer Fest on both Saturday and Sunday. She is mostly known for voicing Anna in "Frozen", Margo in "Despicable Me" and Violet Parr in "The Incredibles". Besides this she is also an accomplished musical theater artist and part of the singer-songwriter trio Along a Line.
Comic artists
Aleksi Briclot (Saturday and Sunday)
Aleksi is a renowned French illustrator, concept designer and comic artist. He designed covers for Marvel and Dark Horse. He worked on video games like: "Alone in the Dark 4", "Spawn: Simony", "Haze", "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" and more. He was co-founder and art-director of Dontnod Entertainment. Briclot was also one of the head artists for "Magic: The Gathering (Wizards of the Coast)" and worked on the artwork for other games like "World of Warcraft TCG", "Dreamblade" and "HorrorClix".
Asha Kishna (Saturday and Sunday)
This Dutch cover artist worked for Crusade Comics and Dynamite. Her strong passion for character creation and world building make readers want to come back for more. Among her work are covers for "Miss Fury: Joy Division" and "Vampire PA: Bite out of Crime - #1
Bart Proost & René Bergmans (Saturday and Sunday)
Bart Proost is a beloved Belgian comic artist and Bart Proost is a Dutch born artist and colorist, also known as Humberto. Together they are the brains behind the comic book series "Alexander de Grote" ("Alexander the Great"). Besides this Bart Proost also worked on graphic novels, like "Kaspar Hauser: In the Eye of the Storm", "Chavanon", "Caspar David Friedrich: Painter of Silence" and more. His work is often historically inspired. Bart Proost (Humberto) worked on the comic "SfinX" (which was a long running comic in the Dutch magazine "Tina"), "LUI" and "Jules & Ollie".
Dennis Menheere (Saturday and Sunday)
Dennis Menheere is a Dutch comic book artist, who identifies strongly as an allround nerd, retro game enthusiast and bookworm. His most notable work is the one shot comic "Etheres", but he also worked as cover and interior artist for clients, like: Image, Titan Comics and Vault. Dennis says he discovered comics when he was a young boy and eventually taught himself art through studying Klimt , Mucha and Monet (he could not afford art school).
Felisa Markhorst (Saturday and Sunday)
This talented Dutch comic artist is known for her unique style and passionate storytelling. Her most notable work is "Sirens of Blood and Water".
Jochem van Gool (Saturday and Sunday)
Van Gool is a Dutch born, but Belgium based traditional 3D animator, character designer and illustrator. At the moment he is well-known as an artist for the Disney TCG "Disney Lorcana", producing illustrations for popular cards like: Rapunzel, Mufasa, Belle and Jafar. He also worked as traditional animator and lead character animator on the Netflix movie "Klaus".and worked on Warner Bros' movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy"
Lennert Riedé (Saturday and Sunday)
The accomplished Dutch comic writer Lennert Riedé will also be at Geek Village Summer Fest. He wrote several fantasy themed comic series, like: "Moviemonsters", "Livet" and "Warlock".
Patrick Cornelius (Saturday and Sunday)
Patrick Cornelius is a renowned Belgian comic artist and illustrator, who is best known for his work on the comic series "Virus". Besides this he is also the mastermind behind Geek Village's ground plan.
Renée Rienties (Sunday only)
Dutch comic artist and illustrator, whose most notable works include: "Oyasumi", "Figments of Passion", "Snelle Sam" en "Camille".
Richard Boom (Saturday and Sunday)
Founder of COMICSFORSINNERS, veteran comic publisher and writer. His passion for comics and his experience in crowdfunding and publishing make him one of the driving sources of the industry.
Shirow Di Rosso (Saturday and Sunday)
Belgian comic book artist and colourist Shirow Di Rosso is coming to Genk. Series he coloured include: "The Chronicles of Amoras", "The Red Knight", "Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen", "Suske & Wiske De Vroem Vroem Club" and many more.
Pixie Mind Arts (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
The creative force behind the Geek Village logo and House Style. Belgian designer An Mangelschots, better known as Pixie Mind Arts, is quintessential in shaping the visual identity of Geek Village.
Wim Swerts (Saturday and Sunday)
This celebrated Belgian comic artist is widely known for his work on beloved comic series "Samson & Gert", "Kabouter Plop", "W817" en "Vertongen & Co.". His work on these and lots more, make him an iconic figure in Belgian Comics and Illustration.
We already met Wim once at a comic con, where Liv had a comic of "F.C. de Kampioenen" signed. Wim Swerts was very nice and took the time to make an illustration and sign the comic.
Other guests
Other guests include cosplayers Jacob Kuipers (The Party Pirate), Cosplaysandlattes, Kadicosplay, Kurama Usagi, Nymphahri, Spill the Tea and The Warrior King. Content Creator Kurkdroop will also be making an appearance in Genk.
Will we see you there? Tickets and more information are available on the website of Geek Village Summer Fest.
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