Momocon continues to bring impressive guests both old and new while catering to fans of anime, gaming, music, and western media. It’s a space made with fans of all ages in mind from their dress code, activities, and accessibility of guests. The Walk of Fame is a place for guests to sign autographs as their times allow so more people can get the chance to meet and get photos with people they love or admire. An amazing number of games available at all hours of the day can be accessed by both the early risers and the night owls. 2019 was another good year for Momocon fans!
Basic Info
| Website | www.momocon.com |
|---|---|
| When it Established | 2005 |
| LENGTH OF EVENT | Four days, Thursday-Sunday |
| Length of Event | 4 Days - Usually held at the end of May, this year Momocon was held May 23, 2019 – May 26, 2019 |
| Place/Location | Georgia World Congress Center and Omni Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| COST | Thursday: $30 Friday: $45 Saturday: $50 Sunday: $30 All four days: $75 Pre-reg can be as little as $50 for the whole weekend so if you can, buy your tickets early! |
| HOTELS | The Omni Hotel at CNN Center is the host hotel where a number of panels are held. Rooms are about $150-$190 and parking costs $45 a day. It’s definitely an expensive option but you are literally just floors away from the convention. The Embassy Suites Centennial Olympic Park across the street is also about $150-$190 a day, but it offers free breakfast and has a lovely lobby area with trees and nice lighting which would be great for taking cosplay pictures. There are several other not quite as close options such as the Westin Atlanta, Holiday Inn Downtown, and Glenn Hotel. |
| Company/Event Message for Fans/Attendees |  “MomoCon LLC was born from the hard work and dedication of a small group of committed people. Split between anime/manga, gaming, comics and costuming, we strive to bring the very best aspects of these fandoms to our fellow fans. From parents bringing their curious “young’uns” to the most dedicated old-schoolers, everyone is welcome. Based out of Atlanta, extending Southern Hospitality is important to us. We would like everyone to enjoy what we do best: having fun!” |
What to Expect
Momocon has grown both in attendees and in its ability to bring in big-name guests. There’s a huge mix of media from Disney, Western games, Japanese games, anime, American cartoons, and EDM. They even had the voice of Donald Duck, Tony Anselmo! Their family-friendly convention appeals to people of differing ages and interests (unless they’re of the more adult nature!) even into the wee hours of the morning. The dealers’ room and artist ally are huge and have all kinds of vendors and this year, they had three unique backdrops for attendees to take pictures in front of! Most everything aside from photo shoots is in a relatively small area for a large convention so walking won’t be too terrible even with the heat. If you’re staying in the Omni, waiting on elevators can be quite the time-waster so if it’s an option for you, taking the stairs will help you get from your room to the con faster.
What to Bring in Order to Enjoy the Event
- Comfortable/cool clothing and cosplays – It’s gonna be HOT during the Georgia summer and there are a lot of people who attend this con. It might be best to leave multiple layers and stuffy costumes at home.
- Snacks – the food court has limited seating and terrible lines especially around meal times, and since it closes at night, it’s a good idea to have your own food sources!
- Smartphone – the Momocon app makes it easy to check the schedule and save certain events you want to make sure you don’t miss.
- Camera – There will be a lot of different costumes to find here! Like it is with Dragon Con, there are many different crowds Momocon caters to that will cosplay from things you might not see at more anime-focused conventions.
- Glowsticks – The Momocon Rave features several DJs late into the night
- Your Smash skills – With free entry and a $1,100 prize, there’s nothing to lose for signing up for the singles or doubles tournament. While the Smash tournament was one of the biggest competitions this year, there are always other gaming tournaments going on over the weekend.
- Cash – Not everyone has a card reader and you don’t want to be thwarted in your quest for goods because you didn’t have cash on you!
What to Do While There/What is Available
You can find both concerts and orchestras at Momocon! This year, Bytes&Beats brought hip hop the Friday night festivities and A New World: intimate music from FINAL FANTASY brought some excitement to Sunday. Bytes&Beats had a number of great hip hop artists like Shing02, Edo Bushido, and Asheru for fans of both anime and hip hop. A New World entertained the audience with new arrangements of various Final Fantasy songs for a moving yet fun experience. It was an extra ticket separate from the 4-day Momocon pass, but for such beautiful arrangements mingling with nostalgia and new emotions, it’s a good deal for fans of the franchise.
As if the dealers’ room wasn’t already cool enough, the Bakugan setup inside was really impressive. You could even go in and battle your friends in the arena! Along with the sakura and magic castle backgrounds from last year, there was a How to Train Your Dragon photo area where you could actually sit on a dragon.
Nicknamed Steven-Universe-Con in the recent years by some attendees, Momocon had many of the voice actors back to talk about their ongoing affiliation with Steven Universe, what the show means for them and others, and what new projects are in store for the voice actors.
Momocon’s AMV (anime music video) screening are famous for being funny, strange, beautiful, and just a LOT. There are so many submissions and so many categories so if you have time to kill and want to be entertained, there are panels all weekend.
Card games, board games, arcade games, videogames, you name it, Momocon most likely has it. Lines can build up for more popular or hard-to-access games but coming in the very early mornings is a good way to get your gaming in while not having to waste time in lines during peak panel hours. Those looking for glory and acclaim needed to look no further than Momocon’s various tournaments. Attendees could battle it out in popular games like Tekken and League of Legends as well as less well-known games like Rivals of Aether.
For those tired of sitting, the bachata lesson and Kpop dance panels provided a fun way to get people moving even on a Thursday! Momocon seems to be adding more physical panels that everyone can join to keep people active and happy. Peachy Parade Pajama Dreamland Live was one of several idol events where performers showed off their singing and dancing to anime and Japanese songs.
The Shinji Aramaki Focus Panel allowed for fans of anime to see and learn about incredible CG animation director Shinji Aramaki (GHOST IN THE SHELL, Mobile Suit Gundam) and “…the driving force of spreading [anime] in the USA”, Maki Terashima-Furata. Even if their names are not familiar, there’s no doubt you’ve seen or benefitted from their work!
The Saturday night rave is something some attendees wait the whole weekend for. On the lineup this year were DJ –Jo, Pegboard Nerds, and RIOT. It was a night of EDM and clean fun that lasted until about 3:30 am. Lots of people had special outfits and to dance in and colorful glowing sticks, hoops, and necklaces.
The Steven Universe Charity Sing-Along brought in a number of fans eager to sing their favorite songs from a beloved show while Gem and Steven cosplayers took to the stage to act out the songs. Generous attendees ended up raising $337 to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
One special accommodation Momocon has is the Take This AFK Room. It’s a place for attendees who find themselves overwhelmed with the crowds or overstimulation of a huge, loud place. More than just a quiet area to unplug, the AFK Room has professional clinicians trained to talk people through panic attacks or simply be a listening ear for worries or stressors.
Final Thoughts
Momocon is definitely not just a con for die-hard fans as casual fans and even curious relatives can find something to entertain themselves with. Registration is a little far from the rest of the con but it is also near a great area with natural lighting perfect for photo shoots. Despite the heat, you can find lots of people hanging out in the courtyard and things definitely liven up at night. As Atlanta is heralded as one of the nerdiest cities in America, Momocon hopes to keep their con as a place for all nerds to come together to indulge in their own interests and be exposed to new fandoms.
Author: Jessica