Oh the places you’ll go…

As you may already know GeekSide is dedicated to celebrating and embracing Geek Culture.  “It is the Con that never ends.” But we still need the interaction of others. To fully geek out on our respective interests and passions Expos, Conventions. and Conferences are excellent events.  Attendance can often recharge the geek lantern that the real world tends to exhaust with adulting. There are dozens of these events throughout the year and we have compiled a list of various Cons that we will be attending or covering in blogs and videos to come!

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Magfest 

Jan. 5-8

National Harbor, MD

Gaming & Gaming Music

 

Magfest is short for “Music And Gaming Festival,”. It is a is four-day-long event.  “Magfest is  dedicated to the appreciation of video game music, gaming of all types, and the gaming community.”

Orca Con

Holiday Inn Downtown-Everett, WA

Jan. 13-15

TableTop Gaming

“OrcaCon is a tabletop games convention, which includes board and card games, role-playing games, and miniature games. OrcaCon is focused on creating a safe and welcoming space for promoting the tabletop games hobby, supporting diversity in tabletop games, and building a community of both novice and experience game players.”

 

PAX (South)

South: San Antonio, Jan. 27-29  

East: Boston, Mar. 10-12.

West: Seattle, Sept. 2-5

Gaming

“In 2004, the folks at Penny Arcade decided they wanted a show exclusively for gaming. –Doubling in size each year until venue capacities were reached, in 2010 the show expanded into Boston for PAX East, drawing tens of thousands of attendees in the inaugural year. The shows in Seattle and Boston represent the two largest gaming events in North America, and in 2013 for the first time PAX expanded internationally to Australia where it is now a yearly event!”

*There is also Pax Dev for the game developers and development geeks and Pax Aus for the Aussie Gamers

Katsucon

Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center  – National Harbor, MD

Feb. 17-19

Anime & Manga

Katsucon is an annual 3-day fan convention held in the D.C. metro area for multicultural enthusiasts and entertainment. Katsucon is produced by Katsucon Entertainment, Inc. (KEI), an educational organization dedicated to bringing information about Japanese animation, society, and traditional and popular culture to fans everywhere.

 

Gallifrey One 

Marriott Los Angeles Airport- Los Angeles, CA

Feb. 17-19

Dr. Who

Gallifrey One is the world’s largest and longest-running annual fan-run Doctor Who convention.

 

WonderCon

Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, CA

Mar. 31- Apr. 2

Comics, Movies, TV, Animation, & More

WonderCon is literally the sister show to Comic-Con International, embracing all the main aspects of that show, including comics, movies, TV, animation, the Masquerade, and more. The event has grown in all aspects over the years: more attendees, more exhibitors, more programming, and more fun. In its current Anaheim-based incarnation, WonderCon continues to be a must-attend event on the comic book convention schedule.

 

C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo)

Apr. 21-23

Comics, Movies, TV, Toys, Anime, Manga, Video Games.

“The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo – also known as C2E2 – is a convention spanning the latest and greatest from the worlds of comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga and videogames. From a show floor packed with hundreds of exhibitors, to panels and autograph sessions giving fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators, to screening rooms featuring sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either the big or small screen, C2E2 brings the best of popular culture to downtown Chicago!”

MegaCon

May 25-28

Orange County Convention Center – Orlando, FL

Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime, Gaming

“MegaCon Orlando is the South East’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event, attracting over 100,000 fans each year across four big days.”

 

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)

June 13-15

Los Angeles Convention Center – Los Angeles, CA

Gaming Announcements

E3 is the most anticipated expo for gaming. Every year industry professionals gather in LA to discuss what is upcoming for the gaming community. Specifically, Playstation, Microsoft, and Nintendo have featured presentations along with several AAA developers.

 

AwesomeCon

Jun. 16-18

Comics, Movies, TV, & More

Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Washington D.C.

Sponsored by our favorite comic shop, Third Eye Comics, Awesomecon is the DC comic con that showcases comics, tv, movies, games and more. It was a great pleasure to attend the very first Awesomecon in 2013 and we look forward to many more!

BlerDCon

Jun. 30- Jul. 2

Hyatt, Crystal City, Washington D.C.

Anime, Comics, Games, Movies, TV, Black & Minority Communities

“BlerDCon will be the first convention of its kind to host a traditional convention structure of panels, celebrity guests, presentations, workshops, gaming tournaments, cosplay contests music and dance while highlighting and showcasing the rich diversity of the minority community contributing in those genres!”

Anime Expo (AX)

Jul. 1- 4

Los Angeles Convention Center – Los Angeles, CA

Anime, Manga, & Gaming

AX is North AMerica’s largest anime convention.  Anime Expo features many events and activities such as guest panels, table top gaming, competitions, an arcade, and concerts.

 

D23

Ju. 14-16

Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, CA

Disney

“No matter what part of Disney stirs memories or warms your heart, you will discover something magical at D23 Expo—the ultimate Disney fan event.”

 

San Diego Comic-Con

Jul. 20-23

San Diego Convention Center – San Diego, CA

Comics, Pop Culture, & Entertainment

Quite possibly the most well-known convention on this list, San Diego Comic con is the premiere Comic book fan convention.

 

Gen Con

Aug. 17-20

Indianapolis, IN

Gaming

“This is going to be the 50th Gen Con! Gen Con is one of the longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world! Featuring 500+ exhibiting companies from the game industry, award-winning authors and artists, costumed attendees, more than 16,500 events, a Family Fun Pavilion, and the debut of exciting new games.”

 

Flamecon

Aug. 19-20

New York Marriott – Brooklyn, NY

Comics, Arts, Entertainment, & LGBT Community

“Flame Con is a two-day comics, arts, and entertainment expo showcasing creators and celebrities from all corners of LGBTQ geek fandom. It features thoughtful discussions, exclusive performances, screenings, costumes, and more!”

 

Dragon Con

Sept. 1-4

Hyatt Regency – Atlanta, GA

Sci Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Comics, Music, Literature, Art, & Film

Dragon Con was created for the eclectic Geek in a time where each convention was limited to its specific genre.  Now it is huge and many other conventions have followed suit and opened their content up to be more inclusive.

 

GeekGirlCon

Sept. 30- Oct. 1

Washington State Conference Center – Seattle, WA

Geek Girl Empowerment

Geek Girl Con is awesome because it is all about “empowering women and girls to pursue their passions—whether they love science and technology, comics, literature, gaming, or anything else! Everybody is a geek at heart, in one way or another. Our mission is to ensure all these geeks are supported, welcomed, and encouraged to pursue what they love.”

 

GaymerX (East)

Nov. 12-13

Microsoft Technology Center-New York City, New York

Gaming & the LGBT Community

“We focus on creating a fun and safe space for gamers and gaymers of all identities to have fun and hang out with like-minded folks. GaymerX is a “queer space”, but is made for everyone! We stand side-by-side with any communities who have been left out of or discriminated in mainstream gaming culture, and we are dedicated to providing a unique, safe, harassment-free space for all marginalized people. This includes not only queer folk, but women, people of color, and of course the intersections of these identities.”

Which Cons are you most excited for?

Let us know, in the comments below!

 

 

–H00k 0ut