ST PETERSBURG, FL (April 11, 2022) The Sunshine City is getting its first-ever anime convention, aptly titled “Anime St. Pete.” The two-day celebration – on September 17-18 at the Coliseum – will honor anime and the cosplay it inspires.
“We want to give fans an opportunity to dive into Japanese media and bond with the community,” said organizer Dewey Caruthers.
St. Petersburg is the only major Florida city to not have an anime convention. “St. Pete deserves an anime con,” Caruthers said, noting that Metrocon in Tampa is Florida’s largest anime convention. Jacksonville has numerous anime conventions like WasabiCon and Bold City Con. Orlando also has multiple anime cons, including the popular Holiday Matsuri. And Miami has Otakufest.
Anime St. Pete 2022 first announcements include a big lineup of six popular anime voice actors:
• Aaron Dismuke, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Fruits Basket.
• Bryson Baugus, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like Haikyu!!, Attack on Titan, and Darling in the Franxx.
• Ryan Bartley, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
• Chris Guerrero, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like Overlord, Sk8 the Infinity, and Fairy Tail.
• Jill Harris, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like Black Clover, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.
• Dallas Reid, who voices popular characters in beloved anime shows like Black Clover, Dragon Ball Super, and Angels of Death.
The new con features five contests with $2,000 in cash prizes. There are two cosplay contests (Craftsmanship on Saturday and Runway on Sunday), a lip sync contest, a fan art competition, and a Tiktok film festival. In addition, the anime convention will have larger panel discussions as well as smaller group activities.
Anime St. Pete is brought to you by the organizers of the inaugural St. Pete Comic Con, which drew nearly 3,500 attendees and earned positive fan reviews in January. The event is sponsored by Florida Comic Cons, a news media website that covers conventions and cosplayers; and Florida Cosplay Digital Magazine, which spotlights the state’s best cosplayers from the experts who win competitions to the beginners who show promise.