AMENDMENT AND NOTE- I state in this article that Cons are not very Family Friendly and as corrected they do have several events available for all ages so Yes, they are family Friendly they are Cost Prohibitive. Note This is my perspective and not meant to be fact but my experience from the different cons I have attended and as stated I am biased toe festivals as I have personally found them to be more enjoyable.
While I reserve the right to be wrong this is pretty much my point of view and how I define the two. Both are of equal importance and can be great to attend it is simply a personal matter of preference. So, for lack of anything better here goes my 2.5 cents "inflation". Bear in mind there are no absolutes in anything, so my opinion and definitions are held in a generalized form.
A Con or Convention is aimed at a very specific customer with an interest in the theme of the Con being geared to that genre.
A Festival utilizes a theme both to gain the interest of a set genre along with creating an ambiance for guest.
Cons are held indoors often at expo centers or at hotels with large banquet rooms.
Festivals can be held either indoors or out depending on the facilities such as a Fair Grounds or a Street.
Cons are ticketed events with varied packages which guest can upgrade to in addition to the cost of admission.
Festivals are often free to attend with a majority of the events being free with a few special ticketed events.
Con Vendors carry a very specific style of product aimed at the guest who ill be attending them.
Festival vendors will carry products which are aimed at the ambiance theme of the event but will also provide a wider variety of products to appeal to a wider customer base.
Cons are aimed more at the single individuals or couples with no children Not to say that Families are not welcome they are just not as family friendly.
Festivals tend to be more family friendly as they keep to a theme but also have a variety of events and entertainment that is geared to the general public.
Cons tend to aim at being instructional and informative and will often have guest who specialize in the genre of the con and are easily recognized for their work in that area.
Festivals may have special guest as well as panels dedicated toward their theme but rely more on entertainment and introducing new people to the genre which they are using for a theme.
Disclaimer or admittance pick your flavor My personal choice is Festival as it allows in my opinion a bit more variety and can serve as an introduction into a genre. I also feel that festivals are much more family friendly due to the variety and the ability to hold special panels befitting the genre of choice. By no means do I underestimate the value of a con as they do provide very specific attributes that you may not find at a festival due to the specialty of being very genre orientated. My opinions are based on the fact that I do have a family which I enjoy having with me and the fact that by nature my personality is a bit more random and chaotic and not as organized as a Con.
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