Awesome Hightlights from Awesome Con 2019

Awesome Con was back at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC last month, so what else could I do but pile the family into the car for a road trip?

Believe it or not, this was Awesome Con’s 7th year, and now that I’ve attended the event, I’m pretty upset that I didn’t know about it from the beginning.  Why?  Because it seriously is awesome.  Whether you’re thing is comic books, movies, TV, video games, board games, or all of the above, there’s plenty to keep you entertained.

Let’s start with the special guests.  There were a lot of them!  Celebrities from movies like The Princess Bride, The Karate Kid, Weird Science, and more were there for Q&As, photographs, and autograph sessions.  We attended as many as we could, and my son even got to ask Anthony Michael Hall a question.

Fan of comic books and TV?  They have plenty of those guests too.  Some of our favorite moments include meeting Weird Al (the man really is a national treasure) and watching John Barrowman sing Copacabana.  Talk about entertainment!  We took a stroll through the Batman exhibit, and who do you think was walking alongside us?  Lou Ferrigno.  It was beyond awesome.

Celebrities are fun, but there’s so much more to see.  Take Future Con, for example, where science fiction merges with serious science.  There, you have the opportunity to meet and learn from guests from agencies like NASA and the CIA.  Join them for discussions or just play with their toys.

What?  Robots that you get to drive?  I told you this place was awesome.

As you can see, the kids had a blast walking around the main floor at Awesome Con, but there’s also programming designed specifically for them.  Awesome Con Jr. offers enough fun and educational entertainment to take up the whole weekend if you want it to.  Maybe you have some little witches or wizards who would want to take Intro to Spells, or perhaps you have some little artists who want to learn to draw their own Pokemon.  In addition to amazing workshops, they’ll be treated to movie screenings, character appearances, custom sketches from real comic artists, a National Wildlife Federation Animal Show, and a costume parade.  If that’s not enough, try some family board games.  My kids loved playing Space Escape, a cooperative board game from Peaceable Kingdom.

If you manage to find yourself with some free time, you might want to visit their video game room.  They’ve got a huge space entirely devoted to video games where you can play classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, rock out with a little Guitar Hero, or demo brand new games.  Put your quarters away; this is all included with the price of your pass.

You’ll also find plenty of vendors, artists, and other exhibitors on the floor.  Take your time and explore; you never know what you’ll find.  While walking down an aisle looking for Doctor Who goodies to buy, I happened across the voice of Jem.  Yes, I do mean the lead singer of Jem and the Holograms—and yes, she is truly outrageous.  The 9-year-old girl inside me just about died.  I didn’t get a chance to snap a photo of her, but she did sign a DVD set of the show for me.   My kids weren’t familiar with Jem before this event, but that’s about to change.

This was our first time attending Awesome Con, but you can bet it won’t be our last.  We hope to see you there next year!