Many congoers are familiar with the name GalaxyCon. The convention travels on a circuit, bringing with it several guests from movies, television, comics, cosplay, and more. This past weekend, it was San Jose’s turn for GalaxyCon to come by, bringing its show to the San Jose Convention Center.
So, how was the convention? Let’s take a look…
Guests
GalaxyCon is an industry convention, which means it tends to focus on guests and celebrities. While these types of guest-heavy conventions are often referred to as “celebrity petting zoos,” that’s not necessarily a bad thing – attendees know exactly what to expect when they go and are ready to tackle the lines to meet their favorite actors and creators.
That was certainly the case for this year’s GalaxyCon, as it had no shortage of big names in attendance. The celebrities had booths set up throughout the main hall, where attendees lined up to meet them and purchase autographs, get their photo ops, or just thank the guests for being there.
Some of the biggest celebrities included MCU stars like Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin), and Mike Colter (Luke Cage). At equally high billing were actors including Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and Gus Fring on Breaking Bad), and Danny Trejo (Machete in the Machete series, Romeo in Sons of Anarchy, and much more). However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
GalaxyCon’s guest list included Matthew Lillard of Scream, Scooby-Doo, and Five Nights at Freddy’s fame, and his Scream co-stars Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, and Lee Waddell. From Netflix’s live-action One Piece, they had Jacob Romero (Usopp), Taz Skylar (Sanji), Steven John Ward (Mihawk), and Jeff Ward (Buggy the Clown).
Fans of voice actors weren’t left out either, with a guest list that included names like Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Robbie Daymond, and Adam McArthur. Fans of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel could meet voice actors including Erica Lindbeck (Loona), Christian Borle (Vox), and Blake Roman (Angel Dust), as well as the series’ creator, Vivienne Medrano. The list goes on with even more impressive stars, from Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Dana Snyder to One Punch Man’s Max Mittelman, and simply far too many more to list.
There were even Power Rangers actors in attendance, including Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam, the Mighty Morphin’ Black Ranger, plus several famous anime VA roles), Catherine Sutherland (Kat, the second Mighty Morphin’ Pink Ranger, Pink Zeo Ranger, and first Pink Turbo Ranger), Nakia Burrise (Tanya, the Yellow Zeo Ranger and first Yellow Turbo Ranger), and Jason Faunt (Wes, the Red Time Force Ranger).
What about those who prefer comic books or novels? GalaxyCon guests included Mark Waid (of “Kingdom Come,” “Archie,” and “Champions” fame), Timothy Zahn (creator of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Star Wars expanded universe), “West Coast Avengers” co-creator Bob Hall, and more.
Like pro wrestling? They had Mick Foley, Scott Steiner (perhaps best known for the “Steiner math” promo), and Mark Henry.
Into cosplay? They had plenty of cosplay guests too, including names like Stella Chuu, Tabitha Lyons, and whoachriswhoa. (Plus a few creators who lean more towards the erotic side for their “GalaxyCon After Dark” programming.)
In short, GalaxyCon is a convention that doesn’t hold back on the guests, and as a result, there was someone worth meeting for pretty much every attendee.
Autograph and photo prices varied from guest to guest, ranging anywhere from $30 to well over $100, depending on the guest and item. So budget-conscious attendees (that is to say, most of them) would have to gauge their priorities, but judging by the lines to meet guests like Matthew Lillard and Jeremy Renner, it was well worth it.
Panels and Workshops
Naturally, a convention needs more than just guests in booths to draw a crowd, and GalaxyCon’s schedule had plenty of panels to attend as well.
The biggest panels were Q&A sessions with guests, where attendees could ask the celebrities their burning questions. Yet the convention had far more than that, including panels like “The Controversial End to the Skywalker Saga,” the “Cosplay Dating Game,” and Guy Hutchinson and Dana Snyder’s “Drunk on Disney: Festival of Found Footage.”
The schedule also included workshops, such as “Mini Painting 101” and “Makeup 101,” to provide a more hands-on and educational element to the panels. Other events included game shows like “The Price is Wrong” or D&D-themed events, providing plenty of options for attendees of all different tastes.
Shopping
In case attendees had any money left over after meeting their favorite celebrities, there was still plenty of shopping they could do.
While half the main hall was taken up with celebrity guests, the other half was dedicated to shopping. Stores and vendors had large booths for selling Funko Pops, props, toys, cards, collectibles, artwork, dice, and more, meeting pretty much every nerdy niche. Local artists were also selling their goods, including fan art, keychains, posters, hand-crafted wares, and more. GalaxyCon itself even had a merch booth for selling convention-branded goods.
For those used to attending cons at the San Jose Convention Center, it’s worth noting that GalaxyCon did not split the dealers and artists into different areas. The entire main hall was used to house the guests on one side, and the shopping on the other, without splitting into a “Main Hall,” “Dealer’s Hall,” and “Artist Alley” like some other local cons do. However, that was not to the detriment of the fan artists, as they had some of the most tightly packed halls while attendees browsed their creations.
Gaming
The downstairs area of the convention center was dedicated to gaming, including both video and tabletop games. The video game area featured arcade cabinets and pinball machines, as well as rows of televisions set up for games like “Marvel Rivals” and “Super Smash Bros.” In the attached rooms, attendees could join tabletop RPG sessions or borrow a board game to enjoy with friends.
The convention even had dice donated by Misty Mountain Gaming to give to attendees, complete with a GalaxyCon spaceship inside purple resin.
Those who felt confident in their gaming abilities could compete in tournaments for games like “Mario Party” or “Mario Kart,” or throw down some cards for “Magic: The Gathering” drafts and games of Commander. Attendees could even learn how to play games like Mahjong or sit down for scheduled, hosted games.
Cosplay
What’s a convention without its cosplayers? Rather dull, that’s for certain. Fortunately, that wasn’t a problem for GalaxyCon, as cosplayers broke out their best costumes to celebrate their fandoms, impress the guests, or compete in the cosplay competition.
While series like Hazbin Hotel and Five Nights at Freddy’s were undoubtedly popular, there was a great variety of cosplayers there, representing everything from comics to anime to television to niche web series. Cosplayers could meet up in the Cosplay Lounge for photos and gatherings, or get some quick maintenance done at the cosplay repair booth.
Star Wars fans were also well-represented, with groups like the Rebel Legion, Mando Mercs, and droid builders set up with booths of their own.
And More
Yes, there’s even more than that. GalaxyCon made full use of the weekend and the space they had, providing a multitude of activities throughout the day and night. This included (but was not limited to):
- A tattoo and piercing parlor
- 18+ “After Dark” programming, including Cosplay Cabaret and the After Dark Cosplay Competition
- Karaoke
- Dance parties
- Comedy events
- A Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast
- Networking events like the Film Maker Connection
(The convention also happened to coincide with move-in weekend at San Jose State University, so new college students were often surprised by the presence of Power Rangers or Imperial Stormtroopers walking down the sidewalk on their way to their dorms.)
GalaxyCon was indeed a busy convention, but that meant they could offer something for everyone. While the guests and celebrities were undoubtedly the biggest draw, the con still made sure to provide plenty of panels, games, events, and entertainment to keep attendees busy and happy the entire weekend.
