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Announcing Tolkien 2019: the 50th anniversary celebration of the Society
Young attendee fascinated by one of the exhibits in the art hall at the Return of the Ring.

The Tolkien Society is pleased to announce Tolkien 2019, the largest celebration the Tolkien Society has ever held. Taking place at the Macdonald Burlington hotel in Birmingham from 7th to 11th August 2019, the event will bring together hundreds of fans, scholars and artists from all over the world.

About the event

Tolkien 2019 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Society, and follows on from the successful events Tolkien 2012: Return of the Ring, Tolkien 2005: The Ring Goes Ever On, and the 1992 Tolkien Centenary Conference. We are currently planning for around 500 attendees, which is twice the size of an ordinary Oxonmoot.

The event itself will include an impressive array of speakers, alongside panels, games, quizzes, art shows, theatrical productions, dealers, a banquet, dancing, workshops, and much more. Our event in 2012 had over 100 talks, workshops and panel discussions, and we are anticipating a similarly comprehensive list; if you would be interesting in delivering a paper, please visit our Call for Papers.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the Society’s history and Tolkien’s life and works. If you are interested in Tolkien, this is an event that isn’t worth missing!” – Shaun Gunner, Chair

Over the coming months we will be announcing more information about the event, but we can already confirm we have secured the following speakers: Wayne Hammond, Alan Lee, Christina Scull, Tom Shippey and Brian Sibley. We will announce more speakers as soon as they are confirmed.

Location

Tolkien 2019 will take place at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham, the childhood home of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Macdonald Burlington Hotel is a four-star hotel in the heart of Birmingham that is fully accessible. Situated directly opposite Birmingham New Street train station, the Macdonald Burlington is located in the centre of one of the UK’s biggest and most vibrant cities with world-class shopping, culture and entertainment, and restaurants all within a short walk of the venue.

For the duration of the event — Wednesday 7th August to Sunday 11th August 2019 — we have exclusive use of the conferencing facilities at the hotel, meaning there will be a little bit of Middle-earth in central Birmingham.

How to book

To book your attendance at the event, register now on our dedicated website, Tolkien2019.com.

Members of The Tolkien Society should visit the Members’ Area of the website to obtain the discount code to access reduced registration prices.

About the Author: Shaun Gunner
Shaun is the Chair of The Tolkien Society. First elected in 2013, Shaun has overseen the Society's expansion from 600 to 3,500 members. Shaun regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works and the future of Tolkien scholarship whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences. In his spare time he can be found playing video games and Lego, or on Twitter. He chaired another charity, Mankind, and is a local councillor.