Is there any way we can turn back the clocks and experience VidCon London all over again?
For the first time ever, VidCon was held right here in the UK. For many, the gathering, which was held at the ExCeL Centre in London, was the first big YouTube event of the year, and TenEighty was there in full force, covering everything from the panels to the numerous activities attendees were able to partake in. Since we got to experience it up close and personal, we thought we’d round-up our fave moments, in case you, like us, wished to relive the weekend.
Here they are, TenEighty’s top 10 moments from VidCon London 2019!
The live recording of Educating Josh
Photo Credit: Emma Pamplin
Luke Cutforth‘s Educating Josh is definitely one of our all-time favourite YouTuber-hosted podcasts. Hosted by Luke, Lucy Bella Earl, James O’Neil and Josh Winslade, the podcast sees the hosts discussing a topic, with the aim of getting Josh to listen to their viewpoints. (It’s a lot harder than it sounds.)
We were pretty excited to hear the group would be putting on a live episode at VidCon London and even happier to hear Elle Mills would be making a guest appearance! The discussion had was definitely an interesting one, and you can bet we wanted to join in on the action.
The Night of Awesome
.@maxandharvey are just 😍 #VidConLDN pic.twitter.com/bcV76UTffV
— VidCon (@VidCon) February 17, 2019
The Night of Awesome was just that, a night of awesome! It’s tradition to close out VidCon with the show and this event’s rendition was definitely one to remember. Hosted by Luke Franks, it featured appearances by Veronica and Vanessa Merrell, Tom Ridgewell, Hank Green, Leslie Wai, Max and Harvey Mills, Twist and Pulse, KSI, Gabbie Hanna, Simon de Wit, Saffron Barker, Jaiden Dittfach, Robert James Rallison, Rebecca Parham and Andrew Shane – we know, quite a lineup!
Max and Harvey had us singing our hearts out, while Gabbie floored us with a performance of her new song, Medicate. Oh, and do we dare mention the Pictionary shenanigans? If there’s one part of the weekend we wish we could relive over and over again, it’s definitely this.
LGBTQ+: Coming Out Online Panel
Photo Credit: Emma Pamplin
The LGBTQ+: Coming Out Online Panel was moderated by Doug Armstrong, and featured Riyadh Khalaf, Elle and Patrick Starrr discussing their experiences with coming out on the internet. The panel covered an array of topics, from how parents can support their children who identify as LGBTQ+ to if the group thought attitudes toward coming out online had changed.
It was one of our favourite panels of the weekend, and we felt each answer given was well-throughout.
Rhett & Link’s live concert
📸: @anieckvm pic.twitter.com/5wo3orQTUm
— Rhett & Link (@rhettandlink) February 16, 2019
We here at TenEighty HQ are HUGE fans of Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, and we’ve been pretty jealous that the rest of the world has been able to experience them live with their concerts and Tour of Mythicality, while we here in the UK have been left to look on with sad eyes.
Well, we finally had our moment, with the pair performing a live concert while at VidCon London! We loved watching them perform some old favourites and engage in many a rap battle. It left us feeling both nostalgic of our time growing up on YouTube and proud of how these two have built such big careers for themselves.
When attendees curated the Community Mainstage playlist
It’s descended into hilarious chaos. People are now holding up a range of funny photos and memes on their phones as the audience camera pans around the crowd. We’ve been rick-rolled, we’ve had the Shrek memes, and we’ve been told to subscribe to Pewdiepie. #VidConLDN pic.twitter.com/0ZNm6qsvUV
— Liam O'Dell (@LiamODellUK) February 17, 2019
We knew there was going to be some shenanigans at play when we heard organisers were allowing attendees to decide the playlist for the Community Mainstage, but we didn’t realise just how crazy it would become! Not only were some meme-tastic songs played, including Smash Mouth’s All Star, but we found ourselves rick-rolled and told to subscribe to Felix Kjellberg!
Other YouTube gatherings, take note: this is the PERFECT (and most hilarious way) to not only get audience interaction, but to bring attendees together for a memorable time.
Joe Tasker’s attempt at a disguise
We love it when Joe Tasker disguises himself at YouTube events (everyone remembers his attempt at last year’s Summer in the City), so you can bet we were excited when he tweeted that he had disguised himself as an old man at VidCon London. As you might expect, things didn’t necessarily go according to plan…
While we’ll admit the talcum powder turning his hair grey trick did work to an extent, there appeared to have been quite a few creators who recognized Joe, despite the killer job he did on his disguise. Oh, well, it’s all done in a bit of fun, right lads?
All the activities open to attendees
Image Credit: Christy Ku
We were blown away by the amount of activities available to attendees. Whether it’s always been your dream to get slimed by Nickelodeon or you’ve wondered what it’s like to live inside an actual bubble, there was tons to do to keep everyone occupied between the meet and greets, panels and live performances.
What was your favourite activity? Be sure to send us a tweet to @TenEightyUK and let us know!
The live recording of Dear Hank & John
Photo Credit: Emma Pamplin
As if Hank and John Green weren’t busy enough, the pair are also hosts of the wildly popular Dear Hank & John podcast. It’s featured a slew of guest hosts over the years, including dodie, Rosianna Halse Rojas and US vlogger Gaby Dunn, and for the live recording Hank brought Jana Hisham on stage.
We don’t want to spoil anything, incase you have read our recap of the recording, but we’ll say this: these two coming together resulted in a pretty engaging and entertaining conversation, and we loved their dynamic.
Boss Women Who Kick Ass Panel
Photo Credit: Christy Ku
The Boss Women Who Kick Ass Panel was moderated by Jana, and featured a discussion with Hannah Witton, Hazel Hayes, Saffron and Elle. The panelists spoke on a variety of topics, including the points at which they felt they’d become “successful”, the importance of holding oneself accountable and how they find motivation. Personal topics were also discussed, with Hannah talking about her recent health difficulties and Hazel explaining how she became a filmmaker.
It was great to watch a group of boss women kick ass and tell it like it is.
VidCon Prom
Last night was fun at @vidcon prom! Performing my main set tonight at the main stage at 5:30! See you there! pic.twitter.com/G4ZtQeqm9m
— Leslie Wai (@LeslieWai) February 17, 2019
There’s nothing much to say about VidCon Prom, other than it was great to be in a room with a bunch of YouTube fans, dancing our hearts out to some great music. We felt like one big community in that room and it was pretty heartwarming, to say the least.
The prom, as well as The Night of Awesome, also showed us that we totally need to see Leslie perform more.
Photos by Emma Pamplin and Christy Ku.
So there you have it…
Our 10 favourite moments from VidCon London 2019! We can’t believe the event is over, but we’re hopeful it’ll return to the UK next year. What were your favourite moments from the weekend? Were you able to meet any of your favourite creators? Be sure to send us a tweet to @TenEightyUK and let us know!
Want more VidCon London 2019? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
- How The Changing Face of Celebrity Is Also Radically Changing Media Panel at VidCon London 2019
- TenEighty Meets Hank Green at VidCon London
- Finding Your Style and Voice Panel at VidCon London 2019
- Representation Matters Panel at VidCon London 2019
- YouTube Community Reacts to VidCon London 2019
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or like TenEighty UK on Facebook.
