What and Why

2005 is the fiftieth anniversary of the complete publication of The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. The first two volumes (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers) were published in 1954, while the third, The Return of the King, was published on October 20th 1955.

To celebrate this anniversary the Tolkien Society is holding a conference and convention in August 2005. It is taking place at Aston University, Birmingham, England from 11 to 15 August 2005. The date was chosen so that people who have travelled from far parts of the world to attend Worldcon in 2005 (in Glasgow from 4 - 8 August) can go on to attend Tolkien 2005. We are also working in co-operation with the 2005 WorldCon organisers.

What we have planned

The Latest News page will be updated each time we have new information to tell you. Whether this is a new guest, or a price rise, or whatever.

We are creating a programme with as broad an interest range as possible. From serious academic streams to ones relating to the recent films, from ecological to mythological, from the serious to the light-hearted – and that's just during the day… In the evening there will be entertainments. Take a look at the Programme page for further information and for details of how you can present a paper or otherwise get involved.

We are arranging for a wide variety of guests to be in attendance. Tolkien 2005 isn't just a film-fan event, so our guests include notable Tolkien scholars and experts. For up to date information please visit our Guests page.

Where is it?

The entire event will be held at Aston University, Birmingham. We will be using The Main Building for function rooms; accommodation and meals will be in The Lakeside Building. For those who wish to use hotel accommodation there are several good quality hotels within a few minutes walk or drive.

Aston University is just north of Birmingham City Centre; it is just a few seconds drive from the bottom end of the A38(M) (which is part of the UK Motorway network). There is reasonable quantity of on-site parking available; however, you may need to be allocated a pass to use it: more information on this will be included in attendees packs. It is only a one mile walk from Birmingham New Street railway station and half-a-mile from Moor Street railway station. Snow Hill railway station is also very close. The new Bullring shopping centre is one kilometre away, by Moor Street railway station.

The university can also be reached very easily by scheduled air routes. Birmingham International Airport (BHX) is a few miles away. Most places in Europe and North America have flights to and from Birmingham International. There is a direct train service from Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street which only takes about 15 minutes. Just to make it even easier there is a direct Skyrail link between the airport passenger terminal and the railway station: journey time two minutes.

Information on Aston University.

Information on Birmingham International Airport.

I want to go!

Booking for both registration and accommodation is open. It is possible to book on-line using a credit or debit card on our secure server. Full details on the rates can be found from the Registration page; accommodation details are on the Accommodation page.

Additional Information

A good Tolkien convention isn't complete without an Art Show; so naturally we're including one. Art is just one of the many ways that people respond to Tolkien. Please visit the Art Show page to find out more.

It seems that never a day goes by without a new Tolkien book being released; there is such a wide range of items that are of interest to Tolkien enthusiasts. Consequently, the Dealers' Room is an essential part of the convention. The Dealers' Room page has information both for prospective dealers and those interested in exchanging money for goods.

Because The Lord of the Rings has world-wide appeal we have instigated a Participation Programme to involve as many other Tolkien groups from around the world as possible. Is your society registered? Further details on the Participation Programme page.

To help you find answers to most questions that you have we have created an FAQ page. Please check this out before contacting us as it is quite possible that your question is answered here.

If there is something that you want to know but can't find the answer on this web site please get in touch via the Contact Us page, however, please make sure you have checked out the FAQ page first.

Link to us

If you are interested in helping to promote Tolkien 2005 through your web site then we would be pleased to be linked from you. Please direct your link to http://www.tolkiensociety.org/2005/. If you would like us to provide you with a reciprocal link then please get in touch through our contacts page. Please note that all links from this site need to conform to the Tolkien Society's policy for linking.