i went to blerdcon and it was lit: gaming galore, cosplay extravanganza

By Stephanie Avery, AFROPUNK contributor

This year’s 2018 BlerdCon was super lit. The convention was at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Crystal City Virginia, which was packed with POC cosplayers and it was so refreshing. This was the first time I had attended any convention for the full three-day lifespan and I would DEFINITELY do it again.

My friends and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do first because there was so much you could do. First, we went to the artists’ alley and checked out tons of extremely talented artists, ranging from super Kawaii to dark and moody. There were prints, pins, key chains, zines, homemade soaps, and more. There was a meet and greet where you could meet one of the Dora Milaje warriors from the movie Black Panther. We stopped by the arcade and gaming rooms where you could play against your friends or enter a gaming tournament. Then we watched Kiki’s Delivery Service in one of the hotel showing rooms. We went to a maid café and got to play Jenga with our maid waitress and watched one of them perform Karaoke. There was a BlerdCon Brunch, BBQ, and Murder Mystery and a lot of other things we didn’t have the time to do.

Now usually when I go to conventions, I would go on the last day because that’s just how my schedule works out. I never had time to go to any panels, so I never paid attention to the topics. But the topics they discussed at the BlerdCon panels were just as interesting as they were diverse. They talked about real issues like sexuality and cosplay, Blerd Culture, and relationships that are not socially conventional. There was even a panel about how to create an inclusive Blerd Space. Can you say woke?

With all the different activities, performances, showcases and panels the energy from the event was enough to put you in a Kawaii coma. Tickets for next year are already on sale on their website so definitely check them out.