Founder · 2024–Present
NerdyNI
Northern Ireland's fandom community. Quizzes, anime discos, markets, and meetups, built on the belief that fandom deserves infrastructure, not just events.
In the room
What it looks like.
The story
How it happened.
After a decade in convention culture and three years coordinating content for millions of viewers, the question wouldn't go away: why does Northern Ireland's fandom scene only exist a few weekends a year? NerdyNI was founded to make it exist every month.
The first quiz night at The Pavilion sold out. Then the second. The format was simple: proper questions, real prizes, zero gatekeeping. The room understood it immediately.
The Pokémon Quiz became the signature: hosts in costume, teams in cosplay, and a waiting list longer than the capacity. Proof that a quiz is never just a quiz. It's a ritual.
Anime Disco took the community onto a dancefloor: 150+ attendees, cosplay encouraged, anonymity optional. The kind of night Northern Ireland's fandom scene had never had a venue for.
The biggest chapter yet: 1,500+ attendees in a single day at 2 Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre. Goods for nerds, by nerds: imported goods, anime, video games, TCG, indie artists, K-pop, the works. The community had outgrown the back room and taken over the high street.
Philosophy
These aren't events.
They're community.
Belonging over attendance
Success isn't a headcount. It's how many people walk in alone and leave with people to sit with next time.
Participation over spectacle
Nobody is an audience member at a NerdyNI event. The cosplay, the teams, the chants: the room makes the show.
Infrastructure over events
One great night is an event. A calendar people plan their month around is infrastructure. We build the second one.
Safety as a feature
Inclusive by design, not by disclaimer. Everyone gets to be unapologetically into what they're into.
Pedigree
A decade in convention culture.
Archive
The record.
Event posters
Community moments
The Botanic Inn · Belfast
Join in
Partner, sponsor, or just show up.
Venues, sponsors, collaborators, and curious newcomers: NerdyNI has a door for all of them.