Bidding to Host Worldcon Edmnton in 2030

Edmonton: North of Ordinary

ANIMETHON

Edmonton is home to Animethon, Canada’s longest-running Anime convention. Founded in 1994, the three-day event attracts more than 15,000 attendees every year to the Edmonton Convention Centre in the heart of downtown for a celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, music, and gaming. The event takes place in August every year. If the Edmonton Worldcon bid is successful, we would attempt to schedule it so that fans could easily attend both conventions. The convention offers a wide variety of activities, including anime screenings, voice actor panels, cosplay contests, artist alleys, and vendor markets. Attendees can meet special guests from the anime and gaming industries, participate in workshops, or simply enjoy a gathering of fellow fans. Animethon is a fan-run event that is organized by the Alberta Society for Asian Popular Arts, a not-for-profit group (asapa.ca).

ON SPEC

The Copper Pig Writers’ Society was born from a need to make a viable Canadian market for creators of short speculative fiction, art, and poetry; and On Spec was that market. More than 35 years and 132 issues later, nobody is asking “Why Edmonton?”, because the answer is obvious: it was the right place at the right time with the right people. To quote Marianne O. Nielsen, the original General Editor of On Spec Magazine: “You need a certain number of people with a certain kind of talent and a certain inclination to get involved in things all at the same place at the same time…” They can be found online at OnSpec.ca