SpartaCon,

About the event

An Epic Beginning

When I first envisioned SpartaCon, I wasn't sure if others would understand the scope of what I was attempting to create. I wanted SpartaCon to be more than just a typical convention. I wanted it to feel like family coming together, having fun, and enjoying the company of the stars from the T.V. series that brought so many of us together. I wanted to create an interactive experience, not just for the fans, but also for the guests. My one big dream for SpartaCon was to create an arena-like feel and host live gladiator battles. In order to do that, there had to be sand. 

On August 15 & 16, 2015, The Red Serpents hosted the first U.S. Rebels Convention for fans of the T.V. series Spartacus, and for fans of  ancient history, culture, fantasy and the sword-and-shield genre. SpartaCon featured live gladiator battles in which the gladiators recreated the famous battles from the Spartacus T.V. series. DC Stunt Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based training and networking organization, choreographed and performed the gladiator battles. Battles were held throughout the day and offered great entertainment for attendees and guests.

Spartacus cast members enjoyed watching the gladiator battles from their "Pulvinus" suites in between photographs and autograph signings. In an epic Primus battle, Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) closed out the final gladiator games with internationally recognized edged weapons and combative expert Steve Huff. As the crowd shouted the name, "Spartacus!" over and over, Liam declared,

"I AM SPARTACUS!"

Changing The Face Of Fan Conventions

What makes Rebels SpartaCon so unique and different from any other convention is that it's an interactive con for fans and celebrity guests alike. ‪‎SpartaCon‬ incorporates celebrity-led demos, trainings and workshops.  Fan participation includes men, women and children with many different skill levels. 

SpartaCon programming included :

• Earn The Mark where "new recruits" train like a gladiator. 

• Gladiator Academy, led by Manu Bennett (Crixus), Stephen Dunlevy (The Egyptian), Ellen Hollman (Saxa) and Vanessa Cater (Verenda). 

Why should you sponsor?

Help make SpartaCon II even more baddass!!

SpartaCon was a success because so many of you saw the vision of what SpartaCon will be. Now that planning for SpartaCon II is well underway, once again, we call upon our rebel brothers and sisters to help make SpartCon II even more baddass!! 

With SpartaCon II, we hope to finish fulfilling the dream of transforming a baseball stadium into Gladiator arena. 

For SpartaCon II, we want to:

• Add more interactive programming such as archery, and educational workshops.
• Tie in a Roman theme by adding more decorations, props and authentic artifacts. 
• Offer more registration swag items for attendees.
• Offer transportation between the hotel and venue. 

Meg Snyder

The Red Serpents are fans of ancient history, culture, and fantasy. Our name is taken from the first episode of the series Spartacus, a series that was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. The image of the red serpent that appears in the first and last episode of the series brings Spartacus’ rebellion full circle, as it is the physical manifestation of his wife’s prophecy that he is destined for great and unfortunate things.

Our mission is to host a convention that demonstrates the fighting techniques of various ancient cultures, and to display artistic creations and interpretations in the areas of leathering, armor making, paintings, drawings, comic books and more.

We aim to please the fans by hosting the biggest, most exciting Rebels convention ever! Complete with cos-players, artists, exhibits, celebrity guests, Stuntmen and Stunt Coordinators, Crossfit trainers and Legion instructors!

Our goal is to spread our interest of historical activities and ancient fighters who redefined how battle strategies are implemented today. We intend to instruct, encourage, and support a healthy lifestyle by focusing on food nutrition, exercise, and strength training. We plan to achieve these goals through means of annual conventions hosted in various cities throughout the United States.

If you are a fan of television and films, such as Spartacus, 300, Vikings or Xena, if you enjoy reading books about ancient cultures such as Rome, and Greece, or if you love live action role-playing (LARPing), The Red Serpents is a community for you.

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