Parkway Plaza is holding its inaugural FanCon event on Sept. 16 and 17 from noon to 7 p.m., giving its guests the chance to dive into a celebration from heart-pounding gaming tournaments to cosplay contests. The Plaza will transform into a world of tabletop games, trading cards, anime, cosplay, streaming, comics, and more.
Parkway Plaza Marketing and Business Development Manager Petra Rich said FanCon celebrates all things gaming, cosplay, anime, and culture.
“We are really excited to be able to bring this to East County in particular,” she said. “Comic-Con is such a big deal here, but oftentimes it is super difficult to get into and expensive. So, we wanted to create an event that gives everyone that Comic-Con like feel, vibe, and environment, celebrated by many of the same familiar themes.”
Rich said they wanted to ensure that this event was accessible to people in East County, and that it is affordable and accessible for them to enjoy.
“We are thrilled for our first FanCon to be partnering with several stores in our mall including Regal Cinemas, Boxlunch, Hot Topic, as well as all of our local gaming and anime brands, including Stacked Pax, Off the Shelf Games, Smash Haven and video games lounge, and Japantastic, our new Japanese store that just opened up here in the Center this past summer,” she said.
Rich said those who attend can engage in FanCon card quests, tabletop battles, photoshoots, Iron Man DJ Dance Pary, live panels, and exclusive giveaways and VIP activations.
“We are going to be hosting a panel that features all of our local store owners so that they can speak to what it is like owning a business in this market, which we are really excited about,” she said. “It will give people insight, if this is your passion, to what it takes to open a business and grow it successfully.”
Rich said there will be a Meet and Greet with the number one Smash Bros player in the country.
“I won’t give everything away, but we will have VIP swag bags, movie tickets to the first 200 guests that arrive, and tons of giveaways and raffles at the event. It is going to be a great time,” she said.
For tickets to the event, visit https://visitparkwayplaza.com/event/fancon/.
