Downen Creative is one of Spa-Con’s notable cosplay guests appearing this year. Photo Courtesy Visit Hot Springs.
While cosplay – the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game – has long been a staple of Hot Springs’ Spa-Con comic and pop culture convention, Season 7 of the gathering will showcase cosplayers who have taken the fun to a new level of artistry and craftsmanship.
Cosplayers with national followings will participate in the convention, which will take place September 22 – 24 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
“Spa-Con is beginning to attract not just cosplayers, but also craftsmen,” Visit Hot Springs Special Events Manager Alexis Hampo said. “All of the cosplay guests this year are also true artists and craftsmen, and I think Spa-Con’s cosplay community will be able to take a lot from all of them.”
Hampo said this year’s notable cosplay guests will include Knightmage, Downen Creative, Andi Serpenti, and Mochi Bunny Studios. “These guests have taken cosplay to new levels,” Hampo said, “and Spa-Con fans will see some truly amazing displays of artistry and craftsmanship. Spa-Con is always happy to have Knightmage join us at the convention. It will be a blast having him back.”
Spa-Con’s Cosplay Contest will take place Saturday, September 23, in the Convention Center’s Horner Hall. Cosplay Contest judging will be from 4 – 6 p.m. The Cosplay Club opens at 7 p.m., and the contest winners will be announced at 8 p.m.
The Season 7 convention begins Friday evening with a concert by Galactic Empire, which calls itself the galaxy’s foremost progressive technical heavy metal Star Wars cosplay John Williams tribute band. Concert tickets are available at www.spa-con.org.
Previously announced features for Spa-Con Season 7 include appearances by the 1972 Winnebago RV featured in the fourth season of “Stranger Things” and the sheriff’s 2000 Ford Crown Victoria from “The Walking Dead.”
Also appearing will be Annabeth Gish, known to “X-Files” fans as Special Agent Monica Reyes, comedian, writer, actor, and producer Orlando Jones, who has been called “the King of Fandom” by MTV, and Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, who starred in the blockbuster movies “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
VIP passes for Spa-Con Season 7 are $150. Weekend passes are $35. VIP pass holders will receive a VIP T-shirt, a Spa-Con tote bag, a Spa-Con laminate, a Spa-Con notebook, and a Spa-Con metal cup, and will also have access to the VIP lounge, celebrity meet-and-greets, and advance access to all panels, workshops and photo ops
In addition, there will be a VIP party each night of the convention, sponsored by Superior Bathhouse Brewery, The Porterhouse Club, and Hotel Hot Springs. For more information visit the Spa-Con website at www.spa-con.org or call Alexis Hampo at 501-321-2027.
