Awesome Con Returns to the D.C. Region!
April 2025 saw our return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for another year of Awesome Con, Washington DC’s biggest celebration of comics, pop culture and all things geek chic. A regular event for more than a decade, this convention has become something of an annual tradition for us; and we couldn’t have been more excited to dive back into the the atmosphere, the exhibitors, the cosplay, and everything else that makes Awesome Con such an unforgettable experience year over year.
Exhibitors
The exhibitor floor is always an exciting expanse of local artists, small business vendors, and major geek culture brands. There is something for everyone to enjoy such as collectible figures and cards, geeky apparel, indie board games and handcrafted jewelry. If with 3 days at the con, there is never enough time to visit them all. Among our favorites at 2025’s event were:
James C. Mulligan, a Disney-licensed artist whose art is featured in the popular collectable card game Lorcana, by Ravensburger. Jimmy’s booth featured art prints, canvases, and even autographed Lorcana cards.
Unified Pieces, a black-owned business that is on a mission to change the puzzle scene and culture. Their puzzles feature original art from mostly black and brown creators with a goal to promote art that is inclusive, accessible, and sustainable.
Camo Bricks, featuring Lego® compatible inter-locking brick sets and mini-figures with characters from anime, video games, comics and more!
Silverwood Wooden Designs, offering handcrafted custom dice-towers and organizers for all your table-top role-playing game needs.
Most vendors take multiple forms of payment, from credit to Cashapp and Venmo. However, it is always a good idea to have some cash on hand, as “cash is king” and allows the vendors to keep more of the money from each sale. The exhibitor floor is mostly underground, and Wi-Fi and cellphone service can be spotty at time. There are ATMs available on site in the exhibitor hall if you find yourself in a pinch.
Cosplay
One of the highlights of any convention is cosplay, and attendees for Awesome Con 2025 certainly delivered; the “Destination Cosplay” area was filled with different cosplay groups and a view cosplay displays. The cosplay catwalk was back, featuring a red carpet and backdrop for any attendee and/or cosplayer to utilize for photo shoots. There were also scheduled cosplay meet ups for certain fandoms and local cosplay social groups. We were lucky to stumble upon the Critical Role meetup on Sunday and got some great group shots of the stellar cosplay on display. Cosplay of all levels is encouraged, and we even took on the final day of the con in our Gravity Falls inspired looks. We tried to capture some of our favorite cosplays in our video, but there were hundreds if not thousands of talented cosplay artists walking around and enjoying the con for themselves.
Celebrity Guests & Panels
Awesome Con typically boasts an impressive guest lineup, and 2025 was no different. This year featured big names from The Lord of the Rings and The Goonies fandoms, as well as fan favorites Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. It was incredibly exciting to know we were right down the hall from legends like John Rhys-Davies and Orlando Bloom, and the energy from fellow fans who braved the long lines was palpable. We made sure to take the opportunity to snap a professional photo with Summer Glau (Firefly, Dollhouse, The Sarah Conner Chronicles) who returned to Awesome Con for the first time in 9 years. We were able to re-create our photo with her from 2016 and shared a nice moment at her autograph table.
It should be obvious, but it’s always worth mentioning that the celebrity guests are people too, and may have certain boundaries while interacting with attendees. We often try to do fun or creative poses with celebrity guests but are always ready to pivot to something simpler for the comfort of the guest. Bear in mind that phones or other personal device photos are not permitted in the celeb photo up line or at the autograph table, unless the attendee has paid for a “selfie” at the autograph table. As one might expect from a stacked guest list, panels were popping this year, and we have on good authority that the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost panel filled up before the con officially opened for the day on Saturday. If panels are important to you, make sure to have a plan to arrive very early, as most are first-come first-seated for general admission attendees.
Above: We had a chance to meet and greet with Summer Glau ("Firefly", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Arrow") for the first time in almost a decade! What a great photo op!
Food & Drinks
Onsite food and snacks at Awesome Con is provided by the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year the exhibitor hall had three small kiosks and quick service window with a variety of meal options including chicken tenders, Asian Rice Bowls, Firehouse Subs, and Boba Tea. There was also a recently-opened food court on the second floor overlooking the show floor and a smaller food court just outside the registration hall. If your admission includes Saturday, we strongly encourage waiting until 2:00pm or later for a lunch break if you want to remain onsite. Food lines in the convention space can get very long and food vendors sometimes run out of some ingredients by the time you get to the front. Don’t expect a Michelin Star meal from any of these establishments - but if all you’re looking for is a quick bite to keep you going, the convention options will definitely meet that need! And if you do have higher standards or specific dietary needs, you can always leave the convention center to check out one of the many nearby restaurants before returning later in the afternoon.
As far as culinary exhibitors, we also made sure to bring our refillable mug for Wild Bill’s Olde Fashion Soda. This popular exhibitor travels to conventions across the country and features craft sodas of all flavors. A mug purchased at any convention is eligible for discounted refills at the next convention you attend, and we have had our mug for over 5 years. We also couldn’t help but supplement our convention center meal with a sweet treat from Copper Coast Confections, a reliably delicious traveling sweeterie that never fails to put in an appearance at AwesomeCon. Water bottle refill stations were also available by several restrooms, and take this as your reminder to stay hydrated!
Droids, Replicas & Interactive Experiences
Awesome Con offers more than just shopping—there are plenty of interactive exhibits and fan-built replicas to explore. Our personal highlights from the 2025 show included:
DeLorean – Hitch a ride “Back to the Future” in this pristine automobile made famous by the beloved 80s movie franchise, complete with props and other memorabilia.
Free-Roaming, Custom-built Star Wars Droids - Patrolling the convention floor like a mini-parade. You’ll be surprised where they turn up, and how hard they party.
Dart Zone – Take a moment to demo a foam-dart blaster that rivals the popular Nerf® brand. You can try multiple blaster styles and purchase one for yourself to take home.
Taisan – This traveling calligraphy artist and performer hails all the way from Japan. Come watch him turn a giant canvas into art, and he will even take requests!
U.S. Marines Pull-Up Challenge - The nation’s defenders staged a free-to-engage pull-up challenge on the show floor, with prizes for anyone who could do six (6) or more pull-ups on the freestanding bar!
These and other vendors are a huge part of what makes events like Awesome Con worthwhile for us. Of course, there was much, much more than the above-listed as far as events and experiences to participate in…but the hall is infinite and the time is limited, so we could only capture so much!
Awesome Zones
Awesome Con prides itself on having something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a supportive community in Pride Alley, an educational experience in the Science Fair or a literary stronghold in the Book Fair. Vendors and contracted performers alike spoke on the main and side stages and put on shows and demonstrations for attendees, such as a chilling (ha) demonstration of how liquid nitrogen might work in a laboratory over in the Science Fair area. But, let’s not leave the little ones out! Although we weren’t attending with young children ourselves, we had to capture some of the delightful offerings for the younger attendees over in the Awesome Con Jr. area, including but not limited to:
Brio® tracks and other creative toys
Activity/coloring sheets
Drawing workshops
Musical story time
Lightsaber training with Jedi Masters
Character meet and greets with cosplayers
Musical sing-alongs and dance parties
We were able to capture a little of the Bluey dance party that was very popular with the kiddos. Who would have thought that Bluey knew how to “floss”? This year also featured a special Q&A for kids with the current and former hosts of the hit television program, Blues Clues - all three of whom just happened to be celebrity guests at the show! Needless to say, there was plenty to keep both kids and kids at heart engaged and entertained at Awesome Con 2025.
Above: Tim grabs a ride in a tricked out replica of the DeLorean used on screen in "Back to the Future"! Awesome Con has something for everyone!
Final Thoughts
While celebrity guests may vary by year, the consistent highlights are the cosplay, artist alley, exhibitor floor, and fan community. You never know what you might get to see or experience on the con floor, and it is always a joy to find out what draws people together. No matter how hard you plan, you’ll never be able to see and do it all, but if you plan to attend in 2026, here are a few pro tips from regular attendees at the convention:
Buy tickets early - sometimes a three-day pass is cheaper than just a Saturday-Sunday combo!
Arrive early but not too early - rope drop crowds can be overwhelming.
Budget for nerd merch - you will be tempted.
Check out Artist Alley - you’ll find unique pieces you can’t get anywhere else.
Bring your own reusable cup - particularly if you have a Wild Bill’s mug from a past con.
Awesome Con is a fantastic all-around convention, perfect for fans of comics, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and geeks of all ages and persuasions. We were thrilled to visit our “home con” again this year, and we want to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the staff for hosting us during the 2025 event weekend. Awesome Con will return to Washington D.C. in March of 2026, and tickets will be available soon on the official Awesome Con website. In the meantime, take a look at our vlog from 2025’s event to see our firsthand, realtime account of what we experienced over the course of the three days we visited!
