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| downtowncrowd.com
Pensacon 2024 A Weekend of Fandom Fun
by Nicole Willis
H
ere in Pensacola, the month of February marks the start of one of the most anticipated events of the year—Pensacon! This annual comic convention has become a fan-favorite, and it’s returning February 23 through 25 for its eleventh year. Pensacon lets everyone unleash their inner geek and take over the downtown streets while decked out in elaborate costumes dedicated to their favorite characters. Nerds and pop culture enthusiasts from across the country will flock to the Pensacola Bay Center to join in on the Pensacon fun. Eleven years ago, Pensacon was simply a dream for Pensacola local Mike Ensley. As a lover of all things nerdy and wacky, Ensley began thinking of different ways that he could share this appreciation with fellow fans throughout the community. Upon analyzing the state of pop culture at the time, he felt as though Pensacolians would likely embrace an official gathering to celebrate all things weird, wacky and wonderful. “Looking around at how pervasive nerd culture—comics, Sci-Fi, etcetera—had become, I just realized the time was right. Marvel was ruling the movies. The Big Bang Theory was the most popular show on TV. There was just an appreciation of nerdiness at that time,” Ensley said. Little did he know he would create one of the largest and most spectacular events in the region. Since then, Pensacon has grown to become one of the most popular comic conventions along the Gulf Coast. More than 30,000 people attend the convention each year. The annual convention offers an abundance of activities hosted as part of the three-day event. Pensacon attendees have the opportunity to enjoy live entertainment, participate in gaming competitions, meet and greet with their favorite celebrities and writers, shop at a variety of vendor booths packed with memorabilia and unique merchandise, attend panel discussions and more. Whether you are a super fan or a casual pop-culture enthusiast, Pensacon offers a little something for every type of fan.
The event is held each February at the Pensacola Bay Center, which is where most of the action takes place. The Bay Center floor is flooded with vendors selling a variety of pop culture-themed merchandise. The second floor of the Bay Center houses various celebrity guests and serves as a space for fans to attend exclusive meet and greets, get autographs and take photos with their favorite celebs. The third-floor ring of the Bay Center is home to the Artist Alley and Writer’s Row portions of the convention, where artists and writers of different genres will showcase their work and meet and greet with attendees. Outside of the Bay Center is Poseidon’s Bay—an outdoor area filled with food trucks, activities, a stage for live performances and more. Poseidon’s Bay opens one hour before the main doors each day. In addition to the Bay Center, numerous Pensacon events will be hosted throughout the downtown area. “The biggest change [this year] is that we will be utilizing more of the venues at the Wright Place and First United Methodist Church to house panels and events,” Ensley explained. In addition to expanding its presence throughout the downtown area, this year’s Pensacon will bring a large number of highly anticipated celebrity guests.
