Sunday Funday: Two Great Cons

Great news everyone! Con season is here! Now that spring is here, it’s time to come out of hibernation and get together to celebrate your favorite fandom! This month, in California alone, there are two great conventions happening in just the first week! In Southern California, the annual WonderCon is returning to the Anaheim Convention Center. Up north, the My Little Pony convention BABSCon will invade the Bay Area. Both events will run from April 3 – 5 in their respective locations for a weekend fun and excitement. Today, we’re shining the spotlight on these two events to give you some info so you don’t miss out!

First off, let’s talk about WonderCon. This annual event is hosted by the same folks as the world famous ComicCon in San Deigo so you know it will be good! As with all comic book conventions, there will be a merchandise section where you can shop for collectibles, clothing, art, and more. It’s a great place to find unique items that you may not find at your local comic book shop. For those who want to mingle and test their gaming skills, there are several board and card game tournaments happening throughout the event. These include Pokemon, Settlers of Catan (my personal favorite), and Dungeons and Dragons to name a few. There will also be game demos for those who would like to learn new games! For the kids, there’s a children’s film festival which will include live-action films, documentaries, and animation.

Fans will also get a chance to meet some of their favorite comic book artists and writers. For those looking to become a writer or artist themselves, there’s an event called the Comic Creator Connection which in short is like speed dating, but with creators looking to match up for a collaboration. Last thing that I want to highlight is the masquerade contest. This is not just any ordinary cosplay contest. Contestants must go on stage and strut their stuff with a mini performance to really showcase their costume. Aside from an awesome trophy, contestants can win cash prizes, special collectibles, and even a scholarship to the annual costume workshop, Costume College.

Let’s get on to BABSCon. So unlike WonderCon, which brings together fans with all sorts of interest, BABSCon is solely focused on My Little Pony. This event will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, CA and will feature an art show and cosplay contest. In addition, there will be a merchant row where fans can purchase art and collectibles. Special guests at this event will include various voice actors of the MLP series as well as artists, writers, cosplayers and more. There’s also a special children’s program which will include face painting, sing-alongs, and board games. The most exciting thing of all is the Season 5 premiere party! That’s right, you can be among the first to watch the 2-part, commercial-free season premiere and make all your friends jealous! Right after the screening, you can stick around for the special Voice Actor’s panel.

If you’re ready to plan your trip, you can find schedules, ticket info and more on the event website. For WonderCon, visit Comic-Con.org/wca. For BABSCon, visit BABSCon.com. Which of these cons do you plan to attend? Let us know by leaving us a comment below!