STEP ONE: Read the disclaimer before purchasing your ticket to the WasabiCon 2016. www.WasabiCon.com/Policies/#disclaimer STEP TWO: Review the advance ticket prices and buy your ticket! (Scroll down.)
The earlier you purchase your pass, the less expensive it is. (See prices on our official Eventbrite page.) Waiting to buy tickets at the door?
– A Weekend (2-Day) Pass (at the door) is $40
– A Saturday Only Pass (at the door) is $30
– A Sunday Only Pass (at the door) is $20
Children ages three and under get in for free. Otherwise, ticket prices include all ages. PARENTS: If you are purchasing a ticket for your child under the age of 18, you must be present with him/her at the event to pick up and/or purchase a ticket. You signature is required on the on-site registration form.
Questions? [email protected]
WasabiCon 2017 will again take place at the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center Riverwalk in Jacksonville, Florida. The property boasts over 30,000 square feet of event space – and WasabiCon has reserved it all!
RESERVATIONS
You may now make hotel reservations for the event! Rooms at the Lexington are discounted for WasabiCon attendees to only $99 a night! You can make your reservation online by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/2fp8I7j
OR – you can call the hotel’s reservation line at (800) 536-7070 and ask for the special rate by telling them you are a WasabiCon 2017 attendee.
PARKING
Event parking is $5 per day. Valet parking (with a hotel reservation) is $12 per day, and overnight self parking (with a hotel reservation) is $5 per day.
The Vendor Room at our convention is an important part of the holistic fan experience for our attendees, so THANK YOU for your interest in being a part of that. Your involvement grants eager fans access to merchandise themed appropriately for our event, and that is an invaluable part of the overall value of the convention experience. HOURS
Saturday, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Sunday, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(See the Vendors Agreement for set up times.)
As a part of this year’s event, each Vendor Room space includes: A nine foot by nine foot area (9 x 9) in the Vendor Room One (1) six foot table Two (2) chairs Two (2) weekend passes to the convention labeled “Vendor”
Need additional “Vendor” badges for your staff? No problem! You can purchase one (1) additional “Vendor” badge for each space you order for an additional $25 when you process your payment online.
Power and Internet access are available. Please see Section V of the Vendors Agreement.
All Green Mustard Entertainment events offer pricing based on advance purchases. The sooner you purchase your space, the less expensive it is! BEFORE APRIL 30, 2017 – $250 per space BEFORE OCTOBER 15, 2017 – $300 per space
There is a limit of three (3) spaces per vendor. This is due to floor plan logistics and to be fair to other vendors.
Please read and fill out this entire document and please (PLEASE!) print clearly. You should note that your application is not considered complete until after your space(s) is/are paid in full. No exceptions!
If you have questions about anything on this form, please call us at (407) 536-9272 or email [email protected].
Congrats to our winner: Alex D. Here’s her winning photo:
UPDATE
Due to circumstances outside our control, the concert in Jacksonville has been cancelled. THE CONTEST IS STILL HAPPENING THOUGH! We will be giving away tickets to the Orlando concert on Sunday, April 30th instead. Sorry for any confusion. Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions is becoming the must-see video game concert of the year, giving Pokémon fans of all ages the chance to experience live, beautiful music of the Pokémon franchise, with all-new orchestral arrangements and carefully timed visuals draw from recent and classic Pokémon video games. Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions is produced by Princeton Entertainment.
Sounds, cool right? Want to go?
We’re going to give away one pair (2) FREE TICKETS to see the concert taking place Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida! Sunday, April 30, 2017 at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida! HOW TO ENTER Post your Pokémon! Show us your Pokémon fandom… do you cosplay? Play the card game? Pokémon GO? Watch the anime? WE WANT TO SEE IT.
STEP 1: This contest is limited to FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER. So make sure you’re on one of those social media sites.
STEP 2: Post a photo of YOU and YOUR Pokémon fandom. For example: a pic of you in a Pokémon t-shirt; you with your favorite Pokémon game; you in a Pokémon cosplay; you holding up your phone showing off you playing Pokémon go. Basically YOU ad POKEMON!
Dear Jacksonville Cosplayers, Gamers, & Geeks: Thank you. Seriously. We mean it! You have made WasabiCon an integral part of fan culture in Jacksonville, Florida. In just five years, we’ve grown a one day show about “anime and video games” into a weekend experience celebrating anime, cosplay, comics, fantasy, science fiction, tabletop games, video games, and a multitude of other pop culture genres. In just five years we’ve built a place where a family dressed as Marvel superheroes can take photos with a meet up of Furries while a panel for Homestucks is taking place in a room next to a video game tournament. In short: you helped us create a home for fandom in Jacksonville, Florida.
In October of 2016, over 2,500 fans came to our convention over its two days. Aside from engaging in panels, workshops, games, cosplay, vendors, and the usual fare… our fans also accomplished two pretty amazing things:
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers took over a section of our event and garnered 52 blood donations during the con. According to their metrics – “one blood donation can save up to three lives” – so you can see how impactful this is.
Toys For Tots got a bump from our Charity Auction on Sunday in the amount of $621. The generosity of our attendees just made Christmas a little better for Florida’s children this year. (Click here for a message from the auction’s coordinator.)
None of this would be possible without our amazing 2016 staff. So many thanks to Adam, Amanda, Annie, Becky, Chris, Dani, Danielle, Diane, Francis, Jason, Joe, John, the other John, Kaleb, Kate, Kelly, LeAnna, Lisa, Lyn, Mandy, Myna, Ray, Ron, Russ, Ryan, Savanna, Shannon, TJ, and Tracy. Special shout out to the team from Noise Complaint for their operations support this year, too! Sponsors are an important part of making any event succeed, and ours were invaluable this year to help us with our expansion into a new property. An immense thank you is due to Autobahn Indoor Speedway, Blackfinn Ameripub, Borderlands Comics and Games, Buzz Magazine, Funimation, Jacksonville RollerGirls, Johnny Angel’s Diner, Kessler Creative, Legendary Games, Nintendo, Steve Jackson Games, Sweet Pete’s, The Great Escape Room, Video Game Rescue, and the amazing team at Visit Jacksonville.
We are immensely proud at what WasabiCon has become for Jacksonville, and we plan on expanding even further next year. Watch this website (and our social media) for updates as we begin planning for 2017… and once more, thank you. Tom Croom WasabiCon 2016 Event Director
It’s that time! Jacksonville’s favorite pop culture convention is a GO for year five and we have SO MUCH to share with you. Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned con goer, this post has all the info you need to get the most out of your WasabiCon experience. TICKETS can be be bought at the door. Saturday is $25; Sunday is $20; or you can pay for the whole weekend for only $40. Cash and credit cards are both accepted, and there is an ATM in the hotel between the lobby and the convention center. You can find the registration are are using the map below. LOCATION: WasabiCon 2016 will take place at the Lexington Hotel and Conference Center in Jacksonville, Florida. The address is 1515 Prudential Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32207. PARKING is $5 a day. If the parking lot fills up, overflow parking is available nearby and the hotel staff will direct you. HOURS OF OPERATION for Saturday are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Registration opens at 9:30 AM. Sunday hours are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM with registration opening again that day at 9:30 AM. GUESTS are scheduled to appear both days of the show and celebrity guests will be signing Saturday and Sunday in the Vendors Room. AUTOGRAPHS are an additional fee for this year’s media guests (Sean Schemmel and Tara Sands). Autographs are $20 and photos (with your own camera) are $10. This is no limit on autographs and you may purchase as many as you want. FOOD is available on property from the bar and local restaurants. (The hotel’s restaurant is closed for renovations.) There will, however, be food stations set up with hamburgers, hot dogs, and chili all weekend. WORKSHOPS and the FOAM SWORD ARENA both have additional fees. This is to cover the cost of materials, etc. (See schedule for details.) ALL OTHER EVENTS are included in your admission ticket! This includes events, panels, tabletop gaming, video games, the viewing room, the GAAM room, and more!
The complete SCHEDULE is posted online for you to review. You can read it at www.WasabiCon.com/schedule. For panel and event descriptions, visit www.WasabiCon.com/schedule2016 POLICIES are posted online: www.WasabiCon.com/policies. Please make sure to adhere to our convention guidelines so that everyone has a safe, fun, and enjoyable event experience! Unruly behavior or violation of our rules will result in immediate ejection from the convention and event property.
Did we miss anything? Email us at [email protected]. We’ll also be monitoring the WasabiCon Twitter for questions, too, throughout the weekend.
Thanks… and enjoy WasabiCon 2016!
The WasabiCon 2016 Costume Contest is a chance for cosplayers to show off their hard work and passion for dressing up like pop culture characters. The contest will take place Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 7:00 PM in Events A (Port). You must sign up IN ADVANCE during the Costume Contest Pre-Judging/Sign-Up in Events B (Anchor) from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. No entries will be taken right before the contest itself. THE RULES
You must have purchased an entry into WasabiCon 2016 in order to enter/present on stage for the Costume Contest.
The Costume Contest is a family-oriented event. Please keep all costumes to a “PG-13″ rating (i.e. no nudity or overly revealing attire).
No bought costumes. Costumes must be 50% crafted or more. You may purchase parts of a costume, but said parts must be disclosed during the judging process. If you are not the maker of your costume (and simply modeling), said creator of the costume must be present with you upon entry. If the costume wins an award, the award will go to the creator of the costume.
All weapons and props must conform to WasabiCon rules, hotel and convention center policies, and local laws concerning carrying a weapon. If there is a question of doubt, don’t bring it.
Please provide reference images of the character you are dressed as. We cannot guarantee the judges will know what your character looks like, so having something to compare to will help you as much as them! Please provide this image on a piece of paper to attach to your costume contest registration form. No digital images (i.e. cell phones, iPads, portable computers, tablets, etc.) or books can be submitted for your reference image. Please print the picture out for the judges.
There is no restriction on costume source. This means all genres & “original characters” are permitted in the contest.
Each costume must be entered separately. The costumes may be presented on stage (and prejudged) together, but each costume is judged as a separate entry. Simply put: the “Best of Show” award can only go to one individual and not a group. The “Best Group” award, however, is an example of multiple entries being presented together to win this award.
The contest will be limited to 50 entries total. (NOTE: Costume Contest entry forms are available at the convention ONLY. You may pick them up at Registration when you pick up your badge/wristband for the convention or in Panels Room A at 4:00 on the Saturday of the con.)
WasabiCon reserves the right to modify, update, or amend the rules at any time… just in case.
Have fun!
THE INFO
REGISTRATION takes place Saturday during the Costume Contest Pre-Judging/Sign-Up in Events B from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
SET UP: All contestants MUST report to Events A (Port) at 6:30 PM to be coordinated for contest. If you are late, you will not be in the contest.
THE CONTEST takes place that same Saturday from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Events A (Port). There is a 30-minute break to allow for the judges to discuss winners – during which the audience will watch a presentation from Noise Complaint. The winners will be announced after the performance.
THE AWARDS
Best of Show (aka “THE winner”)
Runner Up (aka “the winner that’s not THE winner”)
Best Junior Costume (aka “the winner that is under the age of 14”)
Honorable Mention (aka “you were good enough for us to notice”)
Best Costume Group (aka “the folks who looked cool together in costume”)
Three (3) Judges Awards (aka “the judges have favorites that didn’t win something else”)
WasabiCon is THIS WEEKEND and we’re thrilled to have talent comic artist Larry Watts as a guest this year! Larry will appear at two panels over the course of the weekend… SAUTRDAY, 3:00 PM, Larry Watts Talks Comics – EVENTS A Join Larry Watts, artist for the Army of Darkness and Evil Dead 2 comics, as he talks about comics, the industry, and more. SUNDAY, 1:00 PM: Comics Q&A with Larry Watts – EVENTS A Join comic book artist Larry Watts for this question and answer session about life, the universe, and working in the comic industry. Larry will have prints of his work to sell and sign in the Vendors Room each day, so stop by and say hi! PLEASE NOTE: Larry will be away from his table from time to time for panels/breaks, so check his table for the latest updates.
WasabiCon is THIS WEEKEND and we’re thrilled to host the voice of Bulbasaur, Tara Sands, in her first ever appearance in Jacksonville, Florida.
Tara will appear at two panels over the course of the weekend… SATURDAY, 12:00 PM: Q&A with Tara Sands – EVENTS A Beyond being the voice of Bulbasaur in Pokemon, Tara has voiced Angel and Tyler in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Anna Kyoyama in “Shaman King,” Mokuba Kaiba in the original English adaptation of “Yu-Gi-Oh!,” and the upcoming film “The Dark Side of Dimensions.” Join her for this Q&A about working in the animation voice industry! SUNDAY, 12:00 PM: Meet Tara Sands: The Voice of Bulbasaur! – EVENTS A Tara played the roles of Bulbasaur, Ritchie, Sammy, Oddish, Tori, Bugsy, Cissy and Jasmine (as well as over 40 other characters) in the original “Pokemon” dub – and she even plays Pokemon GO! Join her for this one our discussion about “catching ‘em all!”
She will also be signing autographs when the Vendors Room opens each day (1:00 PM Saturday after her panel; 11:00 AM Sunday). Autographs are $20. Photos (with your camera) are $10. PLEASE NOTE: Tara will be away from his table from time to time for panels/breaks, so check his table for the latest updates each day.
WasabiCon is THIS WEEKEND and we’re thrilled to host the voice of Goku, Sean Schemmel, in his first ever appearance in Jacksonville, Florida.
Sean will appear at two panels over the course of the weekend… SATURDAY, 2:00 PM: Sean Schemmel 101 – EVENTS A Did you know that Sean’s first U.S. anime convention appearance was in Florida (Orlando) in 2001? Come learn all about one of the most recognizable voices in anime in a fun and (somewhat) fact filled Q&A! SUNDAY, 2:00 PM: Goku Speaks! Sean Schemmel Q&A – EVENTS A This panel is (easily) over 9000! Join the voice of Goku for the question and answer session about Dragon Ball Z, voice acting, and anything else on Sean’s mind!
He will also be signing autographs when the Vendors Room opens each day (12:00 PM Saturday; 11:00 AM Sunday). Autographs are $20. Photos (with your camera) are $10. PLEASE NOTE: Sean will be away from his table from time to time for panels/breaks, so check his table for the latest updates each day.
SAUTRDAY, 3:00 PM, Larry Watts Talks Comics – EVENTS A
SATURDAY, 12:00 PM: Q&A with Tara Sands – EVENTS A
SATURDAY, 2:00 PM: Sean Schemmel 101 – EVENTS A