When we said con season was back, we meant it. Thousands of fans of comics, science and technology, cosplay, animation & film, and gaming from across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, will gather together Friday, August 20 through Sunday, August 22 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for Awesome Con 2021, marking the return of the wildly popular three-day pop culture convention hosted by LeftField Media.
The awesome 3-day event is being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl, NW Washington, DC 20001.
Here are the hours for each day of Awesome Con:
Friday, August 20; exhibit hall hours 12 pm – 8 pm, programming until 10 pm
Saturday, August 21; exhibit hall hours 10 am – 7 pm, programming until 10 pm
Sunday, August 22; exhibit hall hours 10 am – 5 pm, programming until 5 pm
Tickets are currently available for purchase on Awesome-Con’s website.
Fans will get to experience the same exciting celebrity meet and greets, panel discussions, and exhibitor floor, complete with enhanced safety protocols ensuring the health and wellness of attendees following the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, the organizers of Awesome Con will continue to evaluate guidelines and precautions for the convention including:
- The required wearing of masks by all individuals within the convention center
- Enhanced sanitization stations and cleaning protocols
- Increased spacing with wider aisles, designated entrances, and directional signage to ensure social distancing
- Ongoing updates on queueing procedures and capacity reduction measures for higher traffic periods
- Expanded badge mailing timeframes and offsite pickup locations to eliminate onsite pick-up queues
This year’s venue has a larger footprint so fans will have more space to browse, take photos, and reconnect with friends. In addition, Awesome Con will showcase celebrities and experts hosting panels, cosplay contests, gaming tournaments, iconic pop culture memorabilia, and as always, a diverse array of activities for the whole family.
New to this year’s pavilions, fans can explore the educational, tech-centric Science Fair and Book Fair powered by Solid State Books. Family-friendly programs take over Awesome Con Jr., which returns with even more playful events planned to educate and entertain kids of all ages and parents alike. The fan-favorite Pride Alley presented in partnership with Flame Con, Geeks OUT, and Metro Weekly is back and bigger than ever, shining a spotlight on LGBTQ creators and fans in an even more robust section of Artist Alley where special programs discuss diversity in pop culture. The Awesome Con Short Film Festival, which debuted six years ago by artist Joe Carabeo, will showcase indie short films from around the world.
Awesome Con’s lineup includes stars from American science fiction films Back to the Future and The Lord of the Rings. In celebration of its second 35th anniversary, Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly) and Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) are headlining along with Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) and Billy Boyd (Peregrin “Pippin” Took). Among guests confirmed to appear, Awesome Con is proud to welcome other celebrity guests and comic creators including Christina Ricci, George Takei, Adam Savage, William Shatner, Jack Quaid, Amy Chu, Sam Maggs, Tracie Ching, and Ron Marz to this year’s lineup, with more still to be announced. To see a list of guests and photo-ops head to Awesome-con’s “features” section of the website.
To stay up to date with Awesome-Con follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also, check out our “The Future of Cons’ series episode featuring Awesome Con!
