AggieCon celebrated its 50th anniversary and invited fans of horror, fantasy, tabletop, comic books, anime and more to a three day convention catered for the community.
The student-led convention is hosted by nonprofit student organization Cepheid Variable and lasts three days — this year from March 22 to March 24. AggieCon 50: “The Golden Con” was held at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center. The event hosted 49 vendors and 700 people, with many famous guests and panelists who attended the convention, including Christopher Wehkamp, a voice actor from Tokyo Ghoul and other anime films.
Communication senior and AggieCon director Tessa Thomas said she was excited when Wehkamp reached out to the organizers to be a panelist at the convention.
“Every time I passed him he was always smiling and happy and he treated all of the Con guests like they were family: hugging them, taking pictures with them, giving them autographs,” Thomas said. “I really hope he comes back to AggieCon in the future.”
In the Dealer’s Room — where everyone stops for souvenirs — people dressed in cosplay walked by, artists showcased their work and students visited booths that displayed characters and items from books and movies.
Environmental design junior Camila Grande said this was her second time attending the event and she loved seeing all of the craft in the Dealer’s Room.
“I love talking to the dealers, the people coming in and out and the panels,” Grande said. “And as somebody who is studying arts, I really enjoy seeing other people’s work.”
Many businesses also gathered in the Dealer’s Room to reach out and advertise to the community. Clockwork Games and Events employee Tate Baker said AggieCon has a lot to offer local businesses.
“We wanted to support the local community and we wanted to help get our name out there,” Baker said. “We’ve seen a lot of our regulars here, so it’s really good to see the community active and engaging in a way that gets us out to see some of the other shops and this kind of stuff from out of town, as well as some of the more famous people like the voice actors who have been here.”
AggieCon promotes science-fiction, fantasy and horror novels, books and movies. Political science senior Preston Smith said AggieCon ties together his love for anime, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings into one weekend.
“AggieCon brings together a bunch of people who love all of these things,” Smith said. “Tons of merch to buy, art, fun panels and events — it’s just a crazy time for us nerds to get together and nerd out.”