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All the comic book, anime, and geek culture conventions to hit in Minnesota this year
By Dustin Nelson,
6 hours ago
Minnesota has dozens of annual conventions celebrating the culture and people around comic books, zines, cosplay, gaming, anime, and so much more.
Whether you're an artist, a superfan, or simply curious, these conventions offer convivial, welcoming spaces where communities gather to revel in the things they love.
Here are some of the conventions yet to come in 2024 where you can meet artists, catch movies, and find fans cosplaying as their favorite characters.
When/Where: July 19–21 at Gamezenter in Roseville What it is: The LAN party is a family-friendly, weekend-long PC and console gaming event. It's a bring-your-own computer/console situation, though. There are tournaments around Mortal Combat, Golf with your Friends, Mario Kart , and CS2 . Cost: $45–$60
When/Where: July 20 at various stores in South Minneapolis What it is: Deals on comics and other collectibles abound. The crawl features a variety of private collectors setting up shop garage sale-style, as well as stores like Dream Haven Books & Comics, Odd Mart , Hot Comics and Collectibles, Time Bomb Vintage, and more. Cost: Free to attend
When/Where: Aug. 2–5 at DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park What it is: Diversicon, run by SF Minnesota, is a con dedicated to diverse speculative fiction. This year, it coincides with Mythcon 53, run by the Mythopoeic Society. This year's installment of Mythcon is themed around "Fantasies of the Middle Lands." It'll feature Eleanor Arnason and Brian Attebery as guests of honor. Cost : $110 or $70 for students/$25–$45 one-day passes
When/Where: Aug. 10 at Boom Island Brewing in Minnetonka What it is: It's a brewery-based fan-style convention with author signings and talks, a Super Smash Bros. party, karaoke, vendors, live music, and a cosplay contest. Cost : Free to attend
When/Where: Aug. 17 at Gamezenter in Roseville What it is: The Pokémon -themed convention features contests, retro Pokémon games, anime, vendors, and more. Masks are required. Cost: $20 until Aug. 9/$30 at the door
When/Where: Aug. 17 at the Arlington Hills Library in St. Paul What it is: The one-day free event celebrates anime, Asian arts, and pop culture with cosplay, Japanese and K-Pop performances, artist tables, and a manga lounge. Cost: Free
When/Where: Aug. 17 at Coffman Memorial Union and Aug. 18 at the Minneapolis School of Art and Design in Minneapolis What it is: The bi-annual fest is all about DIY print culture with a focus on zines, comics, posters, and other indie-print genres. The first day is a convention with tables and artists around Coffman Memorial Union. The second day features a series of panels and presentations. Cost : Free
When/Where: Aug. 23–25 at the DoubleTree in Bloomington What it is: It bills itself as the state's largest gaming and esports convention. It features a massive arcade of current and classic arcade and pinball machines, gaming tournaments, artists and vendors, panels, a cosplay show, and more. Cost: $60-$65 weekend passes, $25 for kids 7–13
When/Where: Aug. 24–25 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in Duluth What it is: Teeb Con is a pop culture and tabletop gaming convention with a broad focus on sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, anime, and other nostalgic fandoms. It touts vendors, artists, and gaming tournaments (including "Magic the Gathering" and "Warhammer 40K"). Guests this year include former American Gladiator star Lori Fetrick (aka Ice) and actor Martin Klebba ( Pirates of the Caribbean, Blood Shot, Death to Smoochy ). Cost : $40 early-bird weekend pass/$20–$30 early-bird single-day passes
When/Where: Sept. 6–8 at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Minneapolis What it is: It's an annual furry fandom event with parties, dance competitions, art, and other activities. Cost : $60 in advance/$75 at the event
When/Where: Sept. 13–15 at Crowne Plaza West Hotel & Conference Center in Plymouth What it is: The horror-centric festival spans mediums, celebrating horror in film, TV, anime, comics, and anywhere else the macabre is found. It features celebrity guests, film screenings, and vendors with toys, comics, props, art, and more. Cost : $70 weekend pass/$20–$40 single-day passes
When/Where: Sept. 14–15 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. What it is: While it's not in Minnesota, MadEx is one of the big regional conventions. It's got artists tabling, panels, vendors, cosplay, and celebrity guests like Tom Kenney ( SpongeBob SquarePants ), Casper Van Dien ( Starship Troopers ), and Grace Van Dien ( Stranger Things ). Cost: $35 weekend pass/$20–$30 single-day passes
When/Where: Sept. 27–29 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth What it is: The three-day gaming convention focuses on "Pathfinder" and "Starfinder Society." Cost: $30
When/Where: Sept. 28–29 at the Minneapolis Club (redubbed the Xavier Institute for the weekend) in Minneapolis What it is: An immersive two-day convention focused on the X-Men universe. There are cosplay contests, vendors, and guests like legendary X-Men comic book scribe Chris Claremont and influential comics writer Gail Simone. Cost: $70 general admission (kids are free)/$100 "afterparty in the mansion" tickets
When/Where: Oct. 4–6 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Minneapolis What it is: The convention honors the late Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, with a weekend full of board games, role-playing games, and more. Cost: $40–$50 three-day pass/$10–$30 single-day passes
When/Where: Oct. 12–13 at the MN State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights What it is: One of Minnesota's largest comic book conventions, featuring guest creators, vendors, and a broad celebration of comics. Cost: $15 for the weekend/free for kids nine and under
When/Where: Oct. 18–20 at Crowne Plaza West Hotel & Conference Center in Plymouth What it is: A celebration of all things anime with game rooms, cosplay, vendors, and panels. Cost: $50
When/Where: Oct. 18–20 at the Holiday Inn Austin Conference Center in Austin What it is: A tabletop gaming convention with open tables and scheduled gaming events. Cost: $20 in advance/$25 at the door/$10 for a family of up to four on Sunday's Family Fun Day
When/Where: Nov. 8–10 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis What it is: A classic convention for "all things nerdy," featuring an artist alley, vendors, cosplay, and celebrity panels. The massive list of guests this year includes Hayden Christensen (Star Wars), Stephanie Beatriz ( Brooklyn 99 ), professional wrestler Sting, Lou Diamond Phillips ( Stand and Deliver ), Star Wars author Timothy Zahn, and more. Cost: $55–$70 weekend pass/$25–$50 single-day passes
When/Where: Dec. 27–29 at the Sheraton Minneapolis West in Minnetonka What it is: It's a 21+ hotel convention focused on anime and weeb culture with a film room, parties, burlesque, "boozy bingo," and a cosplay pool party. Cost: $65
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