Why Forever Twilight in Forks matters — even now

Recently, I spoke to a journalist about the twentieth anniversary of Twilight, the enduring love of the fandom, and what makes Forks, Washington a must-visit destination for fans. It allowed me an opportunity to wax poetic about Twilight, and the fans, and Forks itself, of course. But it also got me thinking.

With so many fan conventions hosting their own Twilight-themed reunions – often featuring big-name actors from the films – what does set Forks apart? After all, the movies weren’t shot there. Stephenie Meyer, the author of The Twilight Saga, doesn’t live there. It’s a small logging town in the middle of nowhere. If asked, locals will tell you it’s closer to outer space than the closest Wal-Mart.

And yet, every September, something extraordinary happens in the quiet town of Forks. On weekend closest to Bella Swan’s birthday, the real-life setting of Twilight transforms into something closer to fiction.  

No – it becomes a place where fiction breathes. Where fantasy walks beside you. Where, if you’re lucky, Alice Cullen might give you fashion advice… while Jasper Hale eyes you hungrily from across the room.

I’ve been visiting Forks as part of the Forever Twilight in Forks Festival, an annual celebration honouring Stephenie Meyer and all things Twilight, since 2013. For over a decade, I’ve performed at key events there as Alice Cullen alongside the Olympic Coven, the world’s premiere Twilight acting troupe. And in that time, I’ve watched the festival evolve from a scrappy, heartfelt community gathering into a multi-day, multi-dimensional celebration of Twilight that draws thousands of fans from around the world – every single year.

For a long time, Forever Twilight in Forks (FTF) was the best – and sometimes only – place to meet stars from the Twilight films. To my eye, few fan conventions booked them on the strength of their Twilight stardom alone. In fact, in the years after the films left theatres, Twilight seemed on the verge of cultural irrelevance, its impact on young adult fiction largely discredited.

But Twilight has experienced an enormous resurgence in recent years, and as a result, the fan experience has changed, too. Actors from the franchise now appear at conventions worldwide, selling out photo ops and panels at major conventions from San Diego to London. You don’t have to go to Forks to see them anymore.

That’s led some to ask, “why still go to Forks? Why choose FTF over the glossier, more easily accessible fan expos and comic cons where you can meet the same celebrities?”

The answer is simple: Because Forks is different.

Most fan conventions are held in windowless hotels or cavernous expo halls. They’re designed for scale, efficiency, and spectacle. You come in, grab your badge, queue up, buy your merch, and leave with a few selfies and a signature – if you have hundreds of dollars to spend on that experience alone.

FTF isn’t like that. It never has been.

In Forks, you’re not just a fan observing from the outside; you’re part of the world. The festival doesn’t just invite you to admire the Twilight universe. It invites you to step into it.

Here, cosplay is central, not peripheral, to the experience. The Olympic Coven doesn’t just pose for photos – we perform. We immerse. We interact. We walk the streets of Forks like the Cullens belong there – because here, we do. You might bump into Bella during her shift at the Thriftway, arm wrestle with Emmett, or meet Dr. and Mrs. Cullen at Forks Community Hospital. The line between fiction and reality doesn’t just blur – it vanishes.

In recent years, some corners of the broader book fandom have voiced a critique of cosplay at literary events. Some fans say the presence of performers in character makes them feel like side characters at an event where they came to feel like the main character. That the boundary between immersive and intrusive can feel delicate.

We hear that. And we strive for something different.

At FTF, the goal isn’t to centre ourselves; it’s to bring you into the story. While we do have our own Bella in the Olympic Coven, guests are never treated as extras in her story. Instead, FTF invites you to imagine what it would be like to walk in Bella’s shoes and become your own version of her. The new arrival. The mystery everyone notices. The human caught up in something strange and supernatural and wildly, breathlessly beautiful.

We don’t play the leads; we play your family. Your protectors. Your rivals. Your future in-laws. We’re not there to dominate the space – we’re there to make space for you to step into the fantasy.

So, when Alice gives you fashion advice, or Rosalie glares at you, or Victoria stalks you outside the Visitor’s Information Centre, it’s not meant to pull focus. It’s meant to pull you in. Because in Forks, you’re not watching the story unfold. You’re living it.

FTF offers a unique kind of immersive hybrid format you won’t find at any other event. Here, book canon and film canon coexist. You’ll see the film actors mingling with fans dressed as book characters, Bella from the page dancing with Alice from the screen while Victoria stalks by, her fiery red curls strobing green and blue and orange beneath pulsing dance floor lights.

The result is something almost magical: a live-action, alternate universe playing out in real time. We’re not re-enacting the saga exactly as it was; we’re building on it, re-mixing it, living it through shared imagination and love for the story that brought us all together.

Because, most importantly, FTF is deeply rooted in community. Long before celebrities were added to the weekend schedule, locals embraced the story, hosting themed dinners, tours, and costume contests in locations inspired by Stephenie’s words. And the fans? They come year after year. Some have been coming for as long as I have – maybe even longer. We’ve watched each other grow up, change careers, fall in love, come out, get married, and even name children after our favourite vampires.

So, yes: you can meet the actors elsewhere now. And, yes, the Twilight Renaissance has made it easier than ever to buy Twilight-inspired makeup lines, see formerly obscure memes on your feed, and identify “ratties” in the wild. But you can’t replicate the feeling of standing in Forks – of seeing the mist swallow the town whole, of walking the halls of the real Forks High School, of dancing in a room full of vampires – anywhere else.

Forks isn’t just a setting; it’s a gravitational pull. And Forever Twilight in Forks isn’t just another convention; it’s a liminal space where fiction becomes memory. Where the story never ended. And where – for one weekend every year – Bella is still human, the Cullens still walk among us, and Alice is still trying to pick out your outfit.

Why still go to Forks?

Because Twilight still lives there. And so do we – the fans.

xoxo,
Alice