Port Con, a gaming and anime convention that celebrates geek culture and all things fandom, returned for their 20th year. It’s the first and longest running gaming convention in Maine. “It’s a place where we can just be ourselves and celebrate and have fun and be happy for a weekend about the things we love,” said Port Con founder Julie York. The event creates a space for likeminded people to come together to celebrate their shared hobbies, coming up with creative cosplay costumes and inventive booths for the convention. Participants say it’s a place where they feel totally safe being themselves. “Everyone is just a diehard fan of something and it’s a really cool community because everyone likes to support and uplift each other,” said artist and vendor Brianna Richardson. It’s a form of escapism and a chance to take a break from daily life. “Being creative is very important to me and I think it should be important to anybody who wants to be able to push themselves beyond their humdrum day-to-day thing,” said cosplayer Betty Fey. The event started Thursday evening and runs through Sunday with a packed schedule for each day. It’s the first time the convention has taken place fully in person since 2019. Last year was hybrid. Participants were thrilled to make up for lost time. “People feel that sort of connectedness here that I think they’ve been missing in the last few years,” said voiceover actor Molly Searcy. After two years of tough times and isolation, people were thrilled to get back to doing what they love.CW is a proud sponsor of Port Con.
Port Con, a gaming and anime convention that celebrates geek culture and all things fandom, returned for their 20th year. It’s the first and longest running gaming convention in Maine.
“It’s a place where we can just be ourselves and celebrate and have fun and be happy for a weekend about the things we love,” said Port Con founder Julie York.
The event creates a space for likeminded people to come together to celebrate their shared hobbies, coming up with creative cosplay costumes and inventive booths for the convention. Participants say it’s a place where they feel totally safe being themselves.
“Everyone is just a diehard fan of something and it’s a really cool community because everyone likes to support and uplift each other,” said artist and vendor Brianna Richardson.
It’s a form of escapism and a chance to take a break from daily life.
“Being creative is very important to me and I think it should be important to anybody who wants to be able to push themselves beyond their humdrum day-to-day thing,” said cosplayer Betty Fey.
The event started Thursday evening and runs through Sunday with a packed schedule for each day. It’s the first time the convention has taken place fully in person since 2019. Last year was hybrid. Participants were thrilled to make up for lost time.
“People feel that sort of connectedness here that I think they’ve been missing in the last few years,” said voiceover actor Molly Searcy.
After two years of tough times and isolation, people were thrilled to get back to doing what they love.
CW is a proud sponsor of Port Con.
