Everyone always highlights the big conventions every year, such as Comic Con, Megacon, PAX, VidCon and Playlist Live, but there needs to be more emphasis on more local conventions too. One such convention is Tampa Florida's ShadoCon. ShadoCon started in 2010 and grows in size every year. Currently, the convention hosts over three thousand people.

About ShadoCon

Generally, ShadoCon is hype in early November, though I have gone in September before, and is a three-day event starting on a Friday and running through Sunday. There is no one location where ShadoCon is held every year. It varies yearly. This year, it's at a Hilton.

Main Events

There are three main events held at ShadoCon every year: the Breakdance Breakdown, the Shado Tournament, and the Final Fantasy Ball. The Breakdance Breakdown is a breakdance comedy show that stars a whole bunch of characters from anime, video games, and comic books. The Shado Tournament is a tournament-style fight show, using real weaponry and hand-to-hand combat, as well as other weapons seen from your favorite anime, videogame and comic book characters. Actors train for months to put on the most death-defying show they can. The Final Fantasy Ball is a romantic interactive dance that hosts a show centered around the universe of Final Fantasy. Attendees dress in formal wear and dance with the characters in the show, as well as each other, while enjoying a play performed on stage.

Panels

There are three types of panels at ShadoCon: fan-hosted, interactive and guest. The titles are pretty self-explanatory. I have seen some pretty cool guests come to ShadoCon, including Nostalgia Critic, Egoraptor, Natewantstobattle and Dookieshed. All the panels have different themes every year, so you never get the same thing twice. I recommend checking out at least a couple if you attend this year.

Dealers Room

If you haven't been to a convention before, the Dealers Room is where most of the purchases happen. The room is always filled wall to wall with vendors selling geeky and nerdy merchandise to fit all your needs. The Dealers Room is always one of my favorite parts of any convention.

Artist Alley

Artist Alley is where artists of all kinds go to show off and sell their artwork. I kind of think of it as Etsy in real life, but usually more affordable. It's always amazing to go and see the artists' talent and buy some cool new things I probably didn't need but really wanted. The artist alley is usually free admission, unlike the Dealers room, but some conventions are now adding the alley to the Dealers room, making it no longer free.

Video Game Room

ShadoCon always has a huge room dedicated to video games. There are stations set up all over the room where guests can play video games with strangers and friends. There are also gaming tournaments set up through all three days of the convention, where you can test your skills in various games against other players.

Tabletop Gaming

At every ShadoCon, there is a room where there is nothing, but tabletop games. We're talking Dungeons and Dragons, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic, Cards Against Humanity and more. There are so many games to pick from that it's hard to find time to play them all, so just pick your favorites and sit down to play a round or two.

Cosplay Showcase

The Cosplay Showcase is both a cosplay contest and a cosplay skit contest. Attendees enter their cosplay in ahead of time and compete to win cool prizes. There are a variety of categories, such as individual, group, novice,

technical, prop, fan favorite and best in show.

AMV Contest

The AMV (Anime Music Video) contest is a competition where attendees submit homemade music videos based off of anime or video game series. Each year there are always fun, exciting and dramatic AMVs created. I love watching AMVs online, so I might have to try and enter the contest one day.

ShadoCon is one of those conventions I attend every year. I've been going since 2012 and I will be attending again this year on November 19th. I might go as L from Death Note, but I'm not too sure yet. The convention runs from the 18th to the 20th of November, so make sure you stop by if this sounds like something you'd enjoy. I hope to see you there!