Fan Expo Boston

Last updated
Fan Expo Boston
StatusActive
Genre Fan convention
Venue Hynes Convention Center (2011–2012)
Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center (2013–2016)
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (2017-Present)
Location(s) Boston, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
InauguratedMarch 18, 2007;17 years ago (2007-03-18)
Next eventJune 28, 2024;2 months' time (2024-06-28)
Organized byFan Expo HQ/Informa Connect
Website www.fanexpoboston.com

Fan Expo Boston, formerly Boston Comic Con, is a multigenre convention held annually in Boston, Massachusetts. Primarily focused on comic books, the convention later featured media guests from film and television, cosplayers, an art auction, a tabletop/CCG/RPG gaming room, and an annual costume contest. After its acquisition by Informa as part of their Fan Expo line, the 2017 edition retired the Comic Con name and was therefore renamed Fan Expo Boston.

Contents

History

Founded on March 18, 2007, as a one-day show at the Back Bay Events Center, Boston Comic Con has grown each year and subsequently expanded to two days in 2009 and three days in 2014. The convention moved to the Westin Waterfront Hotel in 2010 and the Hynes Convention Center in 2011. Following a cancellation in April 2013 due to the Boston Marathon bombing, Boston Comic Con relocated to the Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center in South Boston's seaport district. [1] Immediately following the 2016 convention it was announced that the convention had been sold to London-based Informa, producers of the Fan Expo line of conventions, and would be moving in 2017 to the nearby Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. [2] [3] Despite advertising the 2017 convention as BCC's 10th anniversary, the convention opened as "Fan Expo Boston", with the Comic Con name effectively retired from 2018 onward. [4]

Event history

DatesLocationNotes
April 30 - May 1, 2011 Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included J. Scott Campbell, Sanford Greene, Frank Quitely, Stan Sakai, Scott Wegener [5]
April 21–22, 2012 Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Talent Caldwell, Jim Cheung, Amanda Conner, Steve Epting, Phil Jimenez, Ed McGuinness, Phil Noto, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Texeira, Billy Tucci, Skottie Young [6]
August 3–4, 2013Seaport World Trade Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Originally scheduled for April 20–21 at the Hynes Convention Center. Postponed due to Boston bombings [7] [8]
August 8–10, 2014Seaport World Trade Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Neal Adams, Sean Astin, John Barrowman, Amanda Conner, Danielle Corsetto, Adam Kubert, James Marsters, Pop Mhan, Jason Momoa, Eve Myles, Jimmy Palmiotti, Stan Sakai, Alex Saviuk, Jewel Staite, Ben Templesmith, Mark Texeira, Mark Waid, Scott Wegener [9]
July 31-August 2, 2015Seaport World Trade Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Hayley Atwell, Frank Cho, Amanda Conner, Stan Lee, Jimmy Palmiotti, Cassandra Peterson, Billie Piper, Humberto Ramos, Amy Reeder, Ben Templesmith [10]
August 12–14, 2016Seaport World Trade Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Gillian Anderson, John Barrowman, Mark Brooks, John Cassaday, Jenna Coleman, Amanda Conner, Katie Cook, Karen Gillan, Elizabeth Henstridge, Phil Jimenez, Erik Larsen, Jae Lee, David Lloyd (comics), Caity Lotz, Vic Mignogna, Frank Miller (comics), Mike Norton, Jimmy Palmiotti, Dan Parent, Andy Price, Stan Sakai, Tim Seeley, William Shatner, Brian Stelfreeze, Billy Tucci, Karl Urban, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman [11]
August 11–13, 2017 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Neal Adams, Troy Baker, John Barrowman, Nick Bradshaw, Zach Callison, Greg Capullo, Katie Cassidy, Charlet Chung, Jim Cummings, Anthony Daniels, Felicia Day, Eliza Dushku, Kara Eberle, Maile Flanagan, Karen Gillan, Jennifer Hale, Jess Harnell, Phil Jimenez, Stan Lee, Charles Martinet, Jason Mewes, Amanda C. Miller, Trina Nishimura, Nolan North, Bryce Papenbrook, Fernando Ruiz, Kevin Smith, Matt Smith (actor), Ian Somerhalder, Veronica Taylor, Ty Templeton, Alan Tudyk, Karl Urban, Ming-Na Wen, Billy West, Arryn Zech [12]
August 10–12, 2018 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Neal Adams, Soni Aralynn, Justin Briner, Zach Callison, J. Scott Campbell, Greg Capullo, Amanda Conner,Michaela Dietz, Dave Dorman, Emma Dumont, Estelle, Joe Flanigan, Michael J. Fox, Jeff Goldblum, Cecil Grimes, Deedee Mango Hall, Yaya Han, Chad Hardin, David Hayter, Richard Horvitz, Amy Jo Johnson, Josh Keaton, Maurice LaMarche, Greg Land, Ken Lashley, Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Christopher Lloyd, Ed McGuinness, Bob McLeod, Jonboy Meyers, Jason Momoa, Mark Morales, Jessica Nigri, Jimmy Palmiotti, Dan Parent, Rob Paulsen, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Lucie Pohl, Andy Price, Frank Quitely, Humberto Ramos, Fernando Ruiz, Chris Sabat, Chris Sarandon, Sean Schemmel, Jeremy Shada, William Shatner, Mark Sheppard, Brent Spiner, Jewel Staite, Brian Stelfreeze, Tara Strong, Catherine Tate, Lea Thompson, Billy Tucci, Chris Uminga, LeeAnna Vamp, Billy Dee Williams, Tom Wilson [13]
August 16–18, 2019 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Stephen Amell, Sean Astin, Steve Blum, Rodger BumpassPeter CapaldiGreg Capullo, Frank Cho, Roger Clark, Becky Cloonan, Peter Cullen, Grey DeLisle, John DiMaggio, Jason David Frank, Will Friedle, Todd Haberkorn, Laurie Holden, Jody Houser, Zachary Levi, Vanessa MarshallTodd McFarlanePhil NotoPaige O'HaraEdward James OlmosBryce Papenbrook, Dan ParentMarc Silvestri, Gail Simone, Dan Slott, Patricia Summersett, Fred Tatasciore, Ty TempletonMark TexeiraCristina Vee. [14]
August 7–9, 2020 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic [15]
September 3–5, 2021 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Originally scheduled for August 6–8 [16] [17]
August 12–14, 2022 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Guests included Zach Aguilar, Jeff Anderson, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Justin Briner, Gina Carano, C.B. Cebulski, Clifford Chapin, Frank Cho, Anthony Daniels, John de Lancie, Dan DiDio, Steve Downes, Ashley Eckstein, Giancarlo Esposito, Trevor Fehrman, Jonathan Frakes, Will Friedle, Michael Golden, Chloé Hollings, Martin Kove, Kristin Kreuk, Matthew Lewis, Jeph Loeb, Kevin Maguire, David Matranga, Ewan McGregor, Ed McGuinness,Kristen McGuire, Bob McLeod, Steve McNiven, Jason Mewes, Frank Miller, Dominic Monaghan, Nolan North, Brian O'Halloran, Ken Page, Bryce Papenbrook, Dan Parent, Joe Quesada Carolina Ravassa, Tone Rodriguez, Christy Carlson Romano, Michael Rosenbaum, Josef Rubinstein, Chris Sarandon, Alex Saviuk, Kevin Smith, Arthur Suydam, David Tennant, Alexis Tipton, Cristina Vee, Tom Welling, Ming-Na Wen, Keith Williams, Renée Witterstaetter, Elijah Wood, William Zabka [18]
August 4–6, 2023 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Boston, Massachusetts
[19]
June 14–16, 2024 Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Upcoming event

Notable events

Chef Paul Wahlberg filmed a segment of his reality show Wahlburgers (episode six of season three) at Boston Comic Con on Friday, August 1, 2014 which aired on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. [20]

Guests Manu Bennett, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Brian Azzarello and more appeared alongside several cosplayers at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox's inaugural "Boston Comic Con Night" on July 30, 2015. [21]

Mayor Marty Walsh appeared on August 1, 2015, to declare Stan Lee Day in Boston in honor of Stan Lee's appearance at Boston Comic Con. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosplay</span> Type of performance art

Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, rock music performances, video games and in some cases original characters. The term is composed of the two aforementioned counterparts – costume and role play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MegaCon</span> American speculative fiction convention

MegaCon, short for Mega Convention, is a large speculative fiction convention that caters to the comic book, sci-fi, anime, fantasy, RPG, and gaming communities, often occurring in spring at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The convention is the largest fan convention event in the Southern United States and second largest in North America with an attendance of 190,000 recorded in 2024.

Fan Expo Canada is an annual speculative fiction fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995 by Hobby Star Marketing Inc. It includes distinctly branded sections, including GX and SFX, and formerly CNAnime. It is a four-day event typically held the weekend before Labour Day during the summer at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Comic Con</span> Annual New York City fan convention

The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,000 in 2022, it is North America's most attended fan convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawaii Kon</span> Anime convention in Honolulu

Kawaii Kon is an anime convention geared towards Japanese animation and comics held in the Honolulu area.

Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Fan Expo Dallas, previously known as Dallas Comic Con, is a three-day speculative fiction, fan convention held annually in the Dallas, Texas area. Larger in scale than the Dallas Fan Days events under the same management, Fan Expo Dallas focuses on comic book artists, writers, and publishers. These events usually also feature question and answer sessions, a large dealers room, and autograph-signing with a number of famous comic and media guests. The event is produced by Informa doing business as Fan Expo HQ.

Fan Expo is a group of fan conventions operated by Fan Expo HQ, a unit of the Informa Connect division of Informa plc. Most of its events are run under the Fan Expo brand, which stems from its namesake, the Toronto-based Fan Expo Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo</span> Multi-genre fan convention in the United States

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is a Chicago fan convention dedicated to comics, pop culture, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The inaugural event was held April 16–18, 2010 at the McCormick Place in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCM Comic Con London</span> Multi-genre fan convention held in the London Borough of Newham twice yearly

The MCM Comic Con London is a speculative fiction fan convention held at the ExCel London twice yearly since 2002, usually on the last weekend in May and October. The convention primarily focuses on comic books, video games, sci-fi, cosplay, anime and popular media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AnimeNEXT</span> Anime convention in Edison, New Jersey

AnimeNEXT (AN) is an annual three-day anime convention held at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, New Jersey. The convention was previously held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey, and the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Expo Chicago</span>

Fan Expo Chicago, is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was traditionally a three-day event, but in 2006, it expanded to four days. It was founded in 1972 as Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con and later as the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention by a local dealer named Nancy Warner.

Tokyo, OK is an annual three-day anime convention held during July at Marriott Tulsa Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The convention is family friendly, and along with being an anime convention is Oklahoma's largest game event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L.A. Comic Con</span> Annual Los Angeles multi-genre convention

L.A. Comic Con is a three-day multi-genre convention held annually in downtown Los Angeles, California. L.A. Comic Con is one of the largest independent conventions in the United States and encompasses several categories, including comic, horror, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and pop culture, with a particular focus on the local Los Angeles community.

Bak-Anime is an annual two-day anime convention held at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, California by the staff of SacAnime. The convention is the sister conventions to the Bakersfield Comic Con, Sacramento Comic, Toy and Anime Show (Sac-Con), and SacAnime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Comicon</span>

The Pittsburgh Comicon, later known as Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh and since succeeded by Steel-City Con, was a comic book convention held in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1994 by Michael and Renee George. It was traditionally a three-day event and featured a fan-friendly experience that allowed the fans to interact with comic professionals at all levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle East Film and Comic Con</span> Multigenre conventions in Dubai

The Middle East Film & Comic Con is a speculative fiction convention held annually in the United Arab Emirates.

Fan Expo Denver is a speculative fiction fan convention held annually in Denver, Colorado, in the United States. The event is a celebration of comics, books, movies, TV, gaming, and other pop culture.

Setsucon is an annual three day anime convention held during January/February at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The convention's name comes from the Japanese word setsu, meaning "snow". It is organized by the Penn State Anime Organization (PSAO). The convention is family-friendly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thy Geekdom Con</span>

Thy Geekdom Con is a multi-genre convention held annually at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, PA. The convention has a wide array of activities that feature panels, live performances, video game tournaments, artist alley, dealers room, and celebrity guests.

References

  1. Taggart, Olivia. (August 1, 2013) "Framingham native expects crowd of 15,000 at Boston Comic Con." MetroWestDailyNews.com. Retrieved on December 6, 2015.
  2. "Boston Comic Con, Officially Sold To Informa As Part Of FanExpo". Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News. 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  3. "Boston Comic Con | August 11–13, 2017". Boston Comic Con. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  4. "BOSTON COMIC CON NOW FAN EXPO BOSTON? |". www.starwarsautographcollection.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  5. "Boston Comic Con 2011 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  6. "Boston Comic Con 2012 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  7. "Boston Comic Con 2013 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  8. "Boston Comic Con 2013 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  9. "Boston Comic Con 2014 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  10. "Boston Comic Con 2015 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  11. "Boston Comic Con 2016 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  12. "Boston Comic Con 2017 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  13. "Fan Expo Boston 2018 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  14. "Fan Expo Boston 2019 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  15. Liptak, Andrew. "Coronavirus: The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Conventions Canceled So Far," Tor.com (March 15, 2020).
  16. "Fan Expo Boston 2021 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  17. "Fan Expo Boston 2021 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  18. "Fan Expo Boston 2022 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  19. "Fan Expo Boston 2023 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  20. A&E. "Wahlburgers: Paul Geeks Out at Comic Con (S3, E6)". YouTube.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  21. Abreu, Mallory. (July 31, 2015) "Boston Comic Con kicks off with a night at Fenway. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on December 6, 2015.
  22. Shanahan, Mark. (August 2, 2015) "Stan Lee honored in Boston with day of his own. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on December 6, 2015.

42°20′44.84″N71°02′45.28″W / 42.3457889°N 71.0459111°W / 42.3457889; -71.0459111