Costume and trivia contests, panel discussions with the cast and crew along with a VIP after-party constituted the two-day event held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, Tractor Brewery and Albuquerque Indoor Karting.
Miguel Jaramillo, Breaking Bad Festival co-founder, said the idea for a fan festival came from his friend and co-founder Jennie Rexer. The duo had bonded over their passion for the show, including the writing and cinematography, and they immersed themselves in everything from production to its weekly presence on televisions across the world, he said.
Fans and volunteers from Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States used social media to help get the festival off the ground, he said.
“We’d love for this to become an annual event so people could make their Breaking Bad pilgrimage if they haven’t been to Albuquerque or want to come to Albuquerque and fulfill their Breaking Bad fix,” Jaramillo said.
Julia Glover and Glen Carloss said they traveled 4,802 miles from the United Kingdom to Albuquerque for this event. After indulging in the series from afar for so long, they could finally experience it first-hand because of the founding of the festival, she said.
“Breaking Bad is really, really big in England. Everyone loves it,” Glover said. “We’ve watched the series two times over.”
Glover and Carloss won VIP access to the festival through a contest in which they had to creatively use breakfast food to tribute Breaking Bad, Carloss said.
The influence Breaking Bad has on the city of Albuquerque, from vendors in Old Town selling Breaking Bad memorabilia to tours stopping at Walter White’s and Jesse Pinkman’s homes, was the most impressive part about attending the inaugural festival, he said.
“It’s funny to be around everyone who just loves the same thing,” Glover said.
Pam Gheysar, a self-proclaimed Breaking Bad super-fan, said she traveled from Denver to be a part of Friday’s and Saturday’s events.
The sense of community and love from both Albuquerque and other Breaking Bad fans was the interesting part about being at the festival, she said. Gheysar said she has hopes of becoming a part of the official Breaking Bad Fan Fest staff as marketing personnel to help with promoting and making the festival an annual occurrence.
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“This is just a fantastic opportunity for Albuquerque, the people of Albuquerque and for fans to come together,” Gheysar said. “I hope that next year is just bigger and better.”
Ana Jayme is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
