TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – St. Petersburg’s first ever anime convention will take place in September.
“Anime St. Pete” will be held at the Coliseum, located at 535 4th Ave N, on Sept. 17-18.
According to the convention’s website, there will be six popular anime voice actors, in addition to a “roster” of Florida’s top cosplayers. There will also be panels and contests for fans both days.
Voice actors include Aaron Dismuke, Jill Harris, Chris Guerrero, Ryan Bartley, Bryson Baugus and Dallas Reid.
There will be two cosplay contests at Anime St. Pete. “Craftsmanship” will take place on Sept. 17 and “Runway” will be held the following day, each with $500 in cash prizes and medals.
There will also be a lip sync contest, a fan art contest and a TikTok Film Festival. A list of artists and exhibitors is currently available online.
Anime St. Pete is heading to St. Petersburg thanks to the organizers of the first St. Pete Comic Con, held earlier this year. The convention drew 3,500 attendees to the Coliseum.
“Anime St. Pete is the obvious follow-up event to St. Pete Comic Con,” said Dewey Caruthers, who organizes both conventions, in a statement on the anime convention’s website. “The community warmly welcomed St. Pete Comic Con, and we think they will do the same for Anime St. Pete.”
Tickets are currently $25 for one day, $40 for a weekend pass and $125 for a VIP pass, which includes early entry, a gift bag and entry to a VIP party with convention guests on Saturday night. Kids 9 and under get in for free, but are still required to hold a ticket, which can be registered for online.
The convention is sponsored by Florida Comic Cons and Florida Cosplay Digital Magazine.