G-Fest, also known as Godzilla Fest or G-FEST, is an annual convention dedicated to the Godzilla franchise and the kaiju genre. It is sponsored by Daikaiju Enterprises, Ltd and held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare Hotel.
Information[]
G-Fest was founded by G-Fan magazine editor and publisher J. D. Lees, a Canadian high school teacher. Persons assisting Lees in organizing G-Fest include Jeff Horne, Brett Homenick, Armand Vaquer, Stan Hyde, Dawn McKechnie and others. Actor Robert Scott Field regularly attends G-Fest as a celebrity guest and translator.
Taking its name after Godzilla, the event features panels, contests, and theatrically-screened films of various kaiju, such as Godzilla and Gamera. People who have worked on kaiju films and series appear as guests at G-Fest; among them, a major guest is honored with the coveted "Mangled Skyscraper Award" for their contributions to the genre.
Dates[]
- G-Fest (Friends of G-FAN) '94
- Location: Howard Johnson Hotel, O'Hare Airport, Illinois
- G-Fest (G-Con) '95
- Location: Radisson Hotel, Arlington Heights, Illinois
- G-Fest (G-Con) '96
- Guests: Ken Satsuma, Haruo Nakajima, Guy Mariner Tucker
- Location: Radisson Hotel, Arlington Heights, Illinois
- G-Fest (G-Con) '97
- Guests: Don Glut, Marc Cerasini, Bob Eggleton, Stuart Galbraith IV, David Kalat, Steve Ryfle
- Location: Wyndham Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
- G-Fest '98
- Guests: William Stout, Mike Fredericks, Yoshikazu Ishii, Gene Rizzardi
- Wyndham Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
- G-Fest '99
- Date: July 23-25, 1999
- Guests: Robert Scott Field, Volker Engel, Forry Ackerman, Noriaki Yuasa, Wataru Mimura, Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Shusuke Kaneko
- Films: Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Forry Ackerman
- Location: Burbank Hilton, Burbank, California
G-Fest 2000
- Date: July 14-16, 2000
- Guests: Koichi Kawakita, Ken Satsuma, Haruo Nakajima, Noriaki Yuasa, Megumi Odaka, Kieta Amemiya, Yuji Sakai, Robert Scott Field, Sadamasa Arikawa, Jerri Ito, Mach Fumiake
- Films: Gojira, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Son of Godzilla, Rebirth of Mothra III
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Koichi Kawakita
- Location: Hollywood Roosevelt, Los Angeles, California
- G-Fest '01
- Date: July 13-15, 2001
- Guests: Shinichi Wakasa, Bob Eggleton, Robert Scott Field
- Films: Gojira, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Greg Shoemaker
- Location: Radisson Hotel, Arlington Heights, Illinois
- G-Fest '02
- Date: July 12-14, 2002
- Guests: Koichi Kawakita, Hurricane Ryu, Robert Scott Field
- Films: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Stan G. Hyde
- Location: Radisson Hotel, Arlington Heights, Illinois
- G-Fest X
- Date: July 18-20, 2003
- Guests: Noriaki Yuasa, Carl Craig, Yoshikazu Ishii, Robert Scott Field
- Films: Battle in Outer Space, Gamera 3: Reveng of Irys, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Noriaki Yuasa
- Location: Radisson Hotel, Arlington Heights, Illinois
- G-Fest XI
- Date: July 9-11, 2004
- Guests: Teruyoshi Nakano, Robert Scott Field, Brian Thomas
- Films: Invasion of Astro-Monster, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Teruyoshi Nakano
- Location: Holiday Inn O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XII
- Date: July 8-10, 2005
- Guests: Yoshimitsu Banno, Yoshikazu Ishii, Robert Scott Field, Carl Craig, Robert Conte
- Films: H-Man, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla: Final Wars
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Yoshikazu Ishii
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XIII
- Date: July 7-9, 2006
- Guests: Kazuki Omori, Robert Scott Field, Yoshikazu Ishii
- Films: Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Negadon: The Monster from Mars, Gamera: The Brave
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Robert Scott Field
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XIV
- Date: July 6-8, 2007
- Guests: Rhodes Reason, Shelley Sweeney, Robert Scott Field, Don Glut
- Films: King Kong Escapes, King Kong vs. Godzilla
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Don Glut
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XV
- Date: July 4-6, 2008
- Guests: Haruo Nakajima, Don Frye, Robert Scott Field, and J.D. Lees
- Films: Matango, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, YAMATO TAKERU, Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla X Mechagodzilla
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XVI
- Date: July 3–5, 2009
- Guests: Kenji Sahara, Robert Scott Field, August Ragone, David Kalat
- Films: Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, The Mysterians, Mothra vs. Godzilla, The Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Kenji Sahara
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare International, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XVII
- Date: July 9–11, 2010
- Guests: Akira Takarada, Bob Eggleton, Robert Scott Field, William M. Tsutsui, David Kalat, Damon Foster
- Films: Son of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla vs the Sea Monster, Godzilla (1954)
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Akira Takarada
- Rosemont Hotel at O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XVIII
- Date: July 15–17, 2011
- Guests: Hiroyuki Watanabe, Shinji Higuchi, Hiroshi Sagae, Robert Scott Field, August Ragone
- Films: Gamera: Super Monster, Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna & Ultraman Gaia: Battle in Hyperspace, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Shinji Higuchi
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XIX
- Date: July 13–15, 2012
- Guests: Akira Takarada, Satoshi Furuya, Robert Scott Field, Svengoolie
- Films: King Kong (1933), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Gorgo, Gamera, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Bin "Satoshi" Furuya
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XX
- Date: July 12–14, 2013
- Guests: Tsutomu Kitagawa, Shinichi Wakasa, Shizuo Nakajima, Robert Scott Field, Frank H Woodward, Cleve Hall
- Films: 20 Million Miles to Earth, Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, Gamera vs. Gyaos, The X From Outer Space, Pacific Rim (Midnight showing), Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Shinichi Wakasa
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXI
- Date: July 11–13, 2014
- Guests: Koichi Kawakita, Tomoko Ai, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroshi Sagae, Don Frye, Robert Scott Field, Shinpei Hayashiya
- Films: King Kong (1976), King Kong Lives, Gamera vs. Barugon, Yonggary, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Bob Eggleton
- G-Fest Hall of Fame inductees: Tim Bean, John DeSentis and Chris Oglio
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXII
- Date: July 10–12, 2015
- Guests: Masaaki Tezuka, Noboru Kaneko, August Ragone, Robert Scott Field, Kow Otani
- Films: Them!, The Deadly Mantis, Gamera vs. Jiger, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Masaaki Tezuka
- G-Fest Hall of Fame inductees: August Ragone, Matt Frank, and Tom Tvrdik
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXIII
- Date: July 15–17, 2016
- Guests: Akira Takarada, Linda Miller, Satoshi Furuya, Hiroko Sakurai, Robert Scott Field, August Ragone, Yoshikazu Ishii, Hiroshi Sagae, Carl Craig, Sojiro Uchino, Tony Isabella, C. Martin Croker
- Films: King Kong Escapes, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Yonggary, Gamera vs. Viras, The Green Slime, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Hiroko Sakurai
- G-Fest Hall of Fame Award inductees: Damon Foster, Ed Godziszewski, and John Roberto (posthumously)
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXIV
- Date: July 14–16, 2017
- Guests: Michiru Ōshima, Yuji Kaida, Shinji Higuchi, Ryuki Kitaoka, Kazuhiro Nakagawa, Kiyotaka Taguchi, Robert Scott Field, Tony Isabella
- Films: King Kong vs. Godzilla, D-War, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Shin Godzilla
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Michiru Ōshima
- G-Fest Hall of Fame Award inductees: Jeff Horne, Sean Linkenback, and Kyle Yount
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXV
- Date: July 13–15, 2018
- Guests: Megumi Odaka, Keizo Murase, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Don Frye, Gene Rizzardi
- Films: The Valley of Gwangi, Dinosaurus!, The Mighty Peking Man, Pacific Rim Uprising, Rampage, Godzilla vs. Mothra
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Megumi Odaka, Keizo Murase, Kenpachiro Satsuma
- G-Fest Hall of Fame Award inductees: Skip Peel, David Nunes, Paul Gavins
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
- G-Fest XXVI
- Date: July 12–14, 2019
- Guests: Akira Takarada, Shusuke Kaneko, Peggy Neal, Yoshikazu Ishii, Sonoe Nakajima
- Films: All Monsters Attack, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, The X from Outer Space, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Invasion of Astro-Monster, Linking Love
- Mangled Skyscraper Award: Shusuke Kaneko
- G-Fest Hall of Fame Award inductees: Sonoe Nakajima, the Baioa Family, Martin Arlt
- Location: Crowne Plaza O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
In May 2020, G-Fest was canceled for the first time due to public gatherings and health concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
External links[]
- Official G-Fan / G-Fest Website
- Mania Movies coverage of G-Fest 2005
- Photo Coverage of the G-Fest 2006 model show
- A fan's coverage of the 1996 G-Con (before the name was changed to G-Fest)
- A fan's coverage of the 1997 G-Con (before the name was changed to G-Fest)
- Titanosaurus Society of North America Yahoo Groups G-FEST Photo Archives