Every year, the Japanese Anime Club of Tallahassee (JACT) hosts its very own anime, gaming, and comics convention at FSU called FreeCon! This year’s convention is right around the corner, and there are tons of fun events and special guests for attendees.
Dealer’s Hall
Every year, FreeCon features a Dealer’s Hall, located on the second floor of the Student Union in the ballrooms. The hall features an Artist’s Alley and a Vendors’ Hall, so there’s plenty for you to walk around and see at the event. You can find a full list of the vendors and artists online, so you can also browse ahead of time.
Speaking from experience, though, it’s a lot of fun to walk around the Dealers’ Hall and see all of the different artists and vendors in-person. As you browse, you can also see all of the cool cosplays that people wear to the convention. If there’s a booth you particularly like, you can always reference the website later to find its store.
This year’s Artist Alley is also bigger than ever, so there will be even more to see at the convention.
JACT’s President Taylor Torres said, “For this year’s FreeCon, I’m personally most excited for the Artist Alley! Every year, wonderful artists from around Florida and beyond come to FreeCon to sell their fan art of countless anime, manga, games, and other media. This year, we’ve attracted many more talented artists, and we’ve expanded our Artist Alley to include even more artists than last year.”
Events
Besides the Dealers’ Hall, FreeCon also hosts a wide variety of events. The main events will take place in Moore Auditorium, which is located next to the Student Union. On Saturday, April 4, there will be the Opening Ceremony at 11 a.m., a K-Pop Showcase at 12 p.m., an Idolfest with Next Stage at 3 p.m., an Idolfest Meet & Greet directly after at 4:50 p.m., and a Cosplay Contest at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, April 4, there will be a Vocaloid Concert at 11:30 a.m., a Taiban performance with Milk Soda at 11:30 a.m with a meet and greet directly after at 3:30 p.m., and a Video Game Jazz Concert with the Closing Ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
There are also a plethora of panels and other events throughout the convention in the Student Union. For example, there will be a Persona and the Arcana panel, a Yuri Manga Panel, a Cosplay Crochet Panel, Anime Music Jeopardy, a Drawing Contest, and so much more throughout the weekend.
FreeCon is also collaborating with Askew Student Life Center (ASLC) Gaming to host a video game room at the event, and they’ll be partnering with the NeuroUnity Alliance Society (NUAS) to host a quiet room. They’ll also be hosting a collaboration with Psystrike and the Tabletop Gaming Club to bring students a multitude of different games to try out at the convention.
The full schedule is located on the FreeCon website, so make sure to check out all of the events that FreeCon has to offer! There’s an event for everyone, no matter what fandom you’re in.
Special Guests
This year, FreeCon is hosting several special guests at a variety of events. These special guests include voice actors, cosplayers, and even a jazz band, ABXY, which will be playing at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
Among the voice actors is Patrick Pedraza, who is the voice actor of Scaramouche from Genshin Impact. He’s also starred in other TV shows and video games, such as Care Bears, Omega Strikers, Onyx Equinox, and more. Pedraza will be hosting a panel, My Favorite Fan Interactions, in Union Room 2213 at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Other voice actor guests include Jen Brown, Mia Paige, Christina Jopling, Donald Guzzi, and Abby Pasion. Cosplayers PaladinPrintWorks, NerdyNostalgia, and Flappybats will also be at FreeCon, and information about each guest, including their work, can be found on the convention’s website under the events tab.
If you want to attend FreeCon, you can pre-register to attend the convention. FreeCon is April 4-5 in the Student Union, and this year’s theme is “Witches & Magic.” The convention has an event or experience for everyone, and you can even wear the cosplays that might be sitting in the back of your closet.
Also, attending means supporting JACT, whose members work all year long planning FreeCon for its attendees to have the best experience possible at the convention.
“My favorite part of planning FreeCon definitely has to be the time I get to spend with my friends on the staff working towards our common goal of a successful FreeCon,” Torres said. “Through all the difficulties of running a convention, I’m thankful for all the people I got to know along the way. It’s thanks to them that this FreeCon will be the best one yet.”
For updates on FreeCon and events, make sure to follow the Instagram page, especially to stay up-to-date during the convention.
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