Geek Village is a relatively new convention on the Belgian scene, actively trying to manifest itself as one of the big ones next to Comic Con Brussels and FACTS. Today I’m talking about the winter edition, which took place at the Trixxo Arena in Hasselt on December 20-21, 2025.
And while it is definitely a fun event, I would say they are not quite there yet as it has its up- and downsides.
I have never attended this convention before, so I can’t speak to how they set up in their usual venue, but the Trixxo Arena in Hasselt was definitely too large. This meant it was far too spread out and things were a bit chaotic. They did their best to direct people to the right space (toilet directions with tape on the floor were much appreciated), but sometimes if you wanted to find a member of the crew you had to go all the way to the entrance, and that was, for a venue this size, not terribly convenient.
It did mean they had the space to easily create lanes wide enough for people needing to use mobility aid, which was much appreciated.
Finding things was a little hard, due to them being so terribly spread out, and there was little clear indication of which area was where. They did post a general map beforehand, but it was up to visitors to have actually been shown the thing by social media and then bring a version of it themselves. Handing out programs at the door would have been a vast improvement.
I understand where they were coming from, considering they were trying to diversify and offer things that other conventions don’t have, but they may have ended up shooting themselves in the foot a bit.
Their Christmas theming went hard, and was much appreciated the weekend before Christmas, giving people the opportunity to take pictures at several photo set-ups.
There was a 3D booth, vendors and cosplays of all kinds, even an 18+ only section (don’t ask me what went on there, I haven’t the foggiest), roaming entertainment, a pirate village, fire breathing act and much more. They also focused on fandoms you don’t see at every other convention. In this case there was a large Warhammer 40K booth manned by members of Belgian and Dutch Warhammer groups (The Hellhounds Belgicus 411 and 180th of Krieg), where people could take photos and check out franchise props.
There were a lot of the usual wares on sale, heavily leaning toward mead and other home-brewed alcohol as well as Pokémon cards, but there were a few vendors that aren’t usually present at conventions. Intermixed with indy artists, which is great because shopping small is a good thing. Of course, actually finding them proved another matter.
The staff was friendly and helpful. There was a fair variety, if overpriced, of food and drinks (you were allowed to bring your own) and they had done their best to install a quiet zone and space to eat.
The temperature could have been turned down, though, as it was a bit of an oven on the Sunday when I visited.
Frankly, I feel like timing and overextending didn’t serve Geek Village well. But with some tweaking, this could become a most excellent convention.
Just before the holidays is never a good time to organize an event, as people already have a full planning and little cash left. On top of that, the 18+ area, and the focus on it on their Instagram promotion, likely didn’t manage to bring across that this was a fun convention where you could find something to your liking regardless of your age.
Would I recommend going? Potentially, if it’s local and you want a convention that is less crowded than the big ones, then give it a go. But keep what I wrote here in mind.
Many thanks to my friends, who attended both days and who helped me write this review! You know who you are, and you’re all awesome!
