The ultimate display of all things anime is making its highly-anticipated return to St. Pete, and this year’s rendition promises to be the biggest one yet. The 3rd annual Anime St. Pete is taking over the town September 28-29, bringing a full weekend of cosplay, celebrities, gaming and more to the St. Pete Coliseum.
The sprawling celebration of anime has become one of the most popular anime conventions in the state of Florida. The full weekend of events includes Big-name voice actors, free gaming, main stage entertainment, and fan panels, as well as shopping, food trucks, and dessert vendors. Tickets are available now, starting as low as $20. Parking is free at The Coliseum, and children 9 years and under receive free admission.
First-timers welcomed at Anime St. Pete
New this year, and exciting for the convention-curious among us, is the “Newbie Welcome Experience,” a specially curated program aimed at showing the ropes to newcomers of anime cons. The experience starts at 11 am each day and offers a panel, guided tour, and photo opportunity, all led by Anime St. Pete’s guest cosplayers.
Twilight Cosplay, an up-and-coming cosplay star from Clearwater, will be leading the Newbie Welcome Experience. In addition, the social media sensation will host and judge contests – all the while being mentored by Advanced Guest Cosplayers who provide direction on how to be a guest at a convention.
The inspiration for the newbie experience came from convention founder Dewey Caruthers, who has seen a particularly high number of first-timers coming to Anime St. Pete. He decided to take the extra step to truly introduce burgeoning fans to the world of anime conventions.
“Being the first anime convention in the fifth largest city in the state has given local geeks and nerds access to events, making it easier to try for the first time,” he said.
Meet anime stars in St. Pete
Meanwhile, the guest list of voice actors and cosplayers is absolutely star-studded. Mara Junot, Kieran Regan, Brook Chalmers and Josey Montana McCoy headline the voice actors coming to St. Pete, between them having played some of the most iconic voices in anime and video games. The award-winning lineup of professional cosplayers includes The Star Cos, Dark Lady Cosplay, Fey Crafts, I Am Kitty Cosplay, and Anime Rave Disco.
In addition to workshops, performances and the market, Anime St. Pete has a wild list of events planned for the two-day convention. Be prepared for a disco rave, a tik tok film festival, cosplay contests, lip syncing, a video game tournament, and much more.
Learn more about Anime St. Pete and get tickets for the 2024 convention at animestpete.floridacomiccons.com.
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