Good lord, momocon was awful this year. The lacking crowd control, especially throughout coryxkenshins event this weekend. There were vendors selling very obvious stolen art and Ai slop. The only good things were the artist alley and Mr. Haradas appearance. The crowds this year was shockingly rude. The rudeness you'd get in new england. It used to be a safe and cozy place where you were within friends. Now it's cold, corporate and hostile. Never again. read more

What a fantastic place to people watch. People put hundreds of hours into their costumes!! See photos. This is really an Anime convention... there was a small section of Star Wars but truly it was all built around Anime. Really didn't matter though... we had a great time, we walked the whole thing, and we took pics every chance I got. It was a lot of fun worth every min we were there! read more

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Honestly, this year was my first time attending MomoCon. Needless to say, it was fun seeing everyone dressed up and it was very exciting to find people with the same cosplay or cosplaying the same show/anime/fandom/game as you! I've met some pretty awesome people and saw many many talented individuals. Will definitely go again next year!! Tip: the vendors are located at the LOWEST floor, dont make my mistake and spent the first day lost! They also close around 7-8ish so make sure to arrive early!! Parking will be a pain in the ass and street parking will be cheaper than some parking lots. read more

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This year was my first time going to MomoCon with friends, and honestly, it was such a fun and eye-opening experience! Big thanks to the bro who drove us there -- downtown traffic was wild, and finding parking was a pain. We finally made it to the Georgia World Congress Center, went through registration, scanned the QR code, got our badges, and officially entered the con. Since we went on Saturday (the busiest day of the event), the whole place was packed. The Exhibit Hall on the first floor was full of people shopping for anime figures, pins, original art, cosplay costumes -- pretty much everything an anime fan could want. My friends and I wandered around and came across the Robot and Gundam build shop, where we saw some insanely detailed Gundam models made by pros. We also checked out the MomoCon History Wall, which showed how the event has evolved over the years. But the thing that really left an impression on me was the Itasha car culture -- anime-themed cars decked out with characters and artwork. I've always dreamed of owning a car like that and seeing it in real life was surreal. I especially loved the ones with Hatsune Miku and Kirby -- total dream cars! You could even vote for your favorite Itasha, which made it even more fun. We also caught some of the wrestling and weightlifting competitions, and those athletes were seriously impressive! There were also tons of booths selling anime figures, art books, and cute merch. After we finished exploring the exhibit floor, we headed up to the workshops on the second to fourth floors. If you're into hands-on experiences, these are totally worth checking out -- some have a small fee, but it's worth it for the experience. I joined a few that I was personally interested in *The K-Pop Dance (pro tip: get there early, the line fills up fast) *A How to Paint session -- super relaxing and fun *We also stopped by the Board Game Room, where people were deeply focused on all sorts of tabletop games. My friends and I didn't know how to play, so we just watched. There was even a mini manga library where you could sit down and chill with a good book for a bit. One of the highlights toward the end of the day was taking photos with cosplayers -- as long as they were okay with it, of course. I noticed there were a lot of League of Legends cosplayers this year, and they even did a big group photo with Top lane, Mid, ADC, Support -- the whole squad! It felt like a mini in-game meetup. I honestly wish I had dressed up too. Maybe next time I'll go in full cosplay and join the fun. We didn't stay for the night party since we had dinner plans at Chubby Cattle (Niu Wushi), but I heard there was a DJ playing, and everyone was just vibing and dancing to the music. It sounded like such a cool experience -- definitely something I'd love to check out next time. All in all, MomoCon was amazing -- full of energy, creativity, and good vibes. Whether you're into anime, games, cosplay, or just want to explore something new, there's something for everyone. Can't wait for next year! read more

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Super cute fun activity for the family or for the anime/video gamer in you. TRANSPORTATION: You can drive all the way to the GWCC - the new parking system is shared with MB Stadium and State Farm Arena. Parking is $20.00 and you have to walk about 1/4 mile (or less) to get to the building. Some parts of the walkway is not covered, so keep that in mind. You can also get your MARTA on. The station is not far from the building. About 1/4 mile or less as well. FOOD: they have food stands indoors - more like finger foods - pizza, chicken tenders, you get the drift. CNN food court isnt too far as well. If youre in a tight budget, bring your own sandwich/snacks/refreshments. Why not? WALKING: the place/event is huge. So prepare for a lot of walking/travelling. Wear comfy shoes/clothes. Since it is indoors, the heat is not too bad, but its not exactly too cool either. CROWD: definitely a lot bigger than I expected. There are a few thousand people here. So prepare for that as well. There are plenty of restrooms and places to sit/eat/plop down with your crew. There are also a lot of things to do /play with as well as sellers/merch for most of your anime/comics/video gaming needs. They accept cash or card, so make sure to set aside a budget so you can geek out on some of the merch out here. TICKETS: much cheaper if you buy ahead of time. For example, for 2019, advance purchased tickets were 50 bucks for all 4 days (thursday to sunday). I was late, so a Sunday ticket was $35 each. I believe the Saturday only ticket was either $50 or $55. Also, keep in mind that they close exactly at 5pm, so get there early. All in all, super cute, and a cute family friendly event indoors. read more

MomoCon is an anime, gaming, comics, and costuming fan convention held annually in Atlanta. It was founded by the Georgia Tech anime club in 2005. My first MomoCon was in 2009, back when the convention was free and held at Georgia Tech. As attendance and costs grew over the years, the convention moved to hotels downtown and started charging for admittance in 2012. The convention has really grown since the first time I went and it seems to be getting bigger every year. A lot of people ask me how MomoCon compares to Dragon*Con. It's hard to make a comparison because Dragon*Con is so big and epic. It's almost in a league of its own. MomoCon is newer and smaller. Attendance in 2013 was estimated to be over 12,000 and this year (2014), over 13,000. Dragon*Con attendance is nearing 60,000. MomoCon is more comparable to another local convention, Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA), which had over 18,000 attend in 2013. Like AWA, MomoCon has a younger demographic with more emphasis on anime and games. From 2012 to 2014, MomoCon was held at either the downtown Marriott Marquis, the Atlanta Hilton, or both. Next year (2015), the convention is moving to the Georgia World Congress Center. They are adding an additional day of programming (comics), so the event will run from Thursday through Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The convention started off as only a two-day convention, but will span four days beginning next year, its 11th year in existence. I had a lot of fun at this year's MomoCon. The highlight for me was attending the BioShock Infinite panel on Saturday. IGN's Greg Miller moderated and Troy Baker (Booker) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth) were the special guests. The panel was held at one of the Hilton's ballrooms and had great attendance. The panel was well organized, entertaining, and funny. After the panel, I got to meet Courtnee and another actress, Ashley Johnson. Ashley was the voice of Ellie in the video game The Last of Us. She was also in Growing Pains, What Women Want, and The Avengers. She was at MomoCon for The Last of Us panel, another panel Troy (Joel) was a part of. Courtnee and Ashley were really cool. Unlike the special guests and celebrities who show up at Dragon*Con, Courtnee and Ashley did not charge for autographs and photos. Another good panel I attended was "Cosplay! Crafting a Secret Identity." This panel was moderated by Jason Mallory of Scene Missing Magazine. It was a live commentary of director Jack Walsh's documentary of the same name. Jack also put together the Emmy award-winning "Four Days at Dragon*Con" documentary. Jack was part of the panel as were costume makers, cosplayers, and prop builders such as Catherine Jones of God Save The Queen Fashions and Harrison Krix of Volpin Props. In the costuming community, these guys are some of the best. Panels can run the gamut from "professionally" done to one person doing a simple presentation or Q&A. The latter was the case for the Morning Musume panel I attended on Friday. Smaller panels can be fun because they allow for more interaction with the presenter or panelist(s). The lowest floor of the Marriott featured tabletop gaming. The lowest floor of the Hilton featured video gaming. The video game floor was cool, literally. It was an icebox down there, but I guess it had to be because of all the electronics equipment and, well, the con-goers' B.O. The video game floor had everything from PC games to GameCube to Xbox One to classic arcade games. Indie game developers were on hand too to show off their new games (e.g. Default Dan). The awesome thing about the game room was the arcade games were all set to free play. It was brought to MomoCon by the folks at Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo. Games included the original Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. (not Super Mario Bros, but Mario Bros.), Pac-Man, Asteroids, Street Fighter II, Shinobi, NFL Blitz, Mortal Kombat 3, Tempest, and some more obscure games like Mr. Do!, Wizard of Wor, and Gyruss. I haven't even touched on my favorite part of fan conventions which is the cosplay. The main reason I love going to conventions is to people watch and look at (and take pictures of) all the different costumes. Many of the cosplayers put a lot of time and effort into their costumes and it really shows. Some of the craftsmanship and attention to detail is downright impressive. To get an idea, check out some of the photos I've uploaded to this listing. In general, the level of cosplay at MomoCon isn't on the same level as Dragon*Con, but there are still many excellent costumes to be seen. A lot of up-and-coming cosplay stars start at smaller cons like MomoCon. Like other conventions, MomoCon has a Dealers Room and Artist Alley. Be sure to visit them if you go. If you want to attend MomoCon, the sooner you buy your membership, the more money you will save. For example, four-day memberships for next year's con are only $40 through May 31st. At the event next year, they're $65 at the door. read more

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Hated it. I drove there and couldn't get in because it's a cashless place. I'm not rich. I only use cash. I'll never go back to a place that excludes poor people. read more

I'm back, another ear and it keeps growing Momocon. New year and new venue being the first time at the Georgia World Congress Center. In addition, this is a first for them going for four days instead of three beginning on Thursday. The Good - The Venue Bigger venue, there was so much space compared to the Hilton especially the dealers and game halls. At the old venue the dealers room just kinda shoved in a dark corner below ground. Then it got better last year being in the Marriott with a bit more room but still crowded. This year there was plenty of room putting the dealers room, gaming area, and artist room in exhibition halls B and C. Walking past the windows overlooking the exhibition hall just showed how vast this con has become flashing back to scenes of Anime Expo without being overwhelmed. Gaming Hall - They truly outdid themselves with the gaming hall. Completely different from last year when the game room, took over the same bottom level where the dealers room was before. On top of that not the whole area but half of floor was for arcade and video games and the tabletop games were in another hotel. Best thing free-play for the arcade games, yep spend have your con experience in the game room. Lucky there was no long waits being a Thursday, forget it if it was during the weekend. The guys from Southern Fried brought the old school game and there were some unique Japanese games. A new addition was the Indie games, giving a first look trying out new games.I played a bit of Super Mario and tried some of the Japanese games: Taiko no Tatsuigin and Music Gun Gun. I was really bad on both games. While playing those games I heard a ruckus from behind me at another game. I'm like what the heck, what are they doing? What they were doing was flipping tables. No, no, no there was no brawl people, they were playing Cho Chabudai Gaeshi - Supper Table Flip arcade game. I didn't play it but it looked fun, great stress reliever. The whole purpose was to beat the little tea table till you build up enough anger/force than you flip the table to knock your opponents down. Too much. Artist Hall - I like going to artist hall to see and buy unique gifts. Since this year's theme was comics there were many local comic artist there. I artist for the comic "Hero Cats" were there and you get a drawing done of your cat (or dog in my case) on a comic book. I had drawings done of my Coco and Clark from both artist, one for myself and one for my mom. Panels - The panels weren't as big and not as many compared to last year. I wasn't much of a panel rat this year and actually spent time in the dealer's room and gaming area. Some panels felt like nothing more than sale pitches. Others were just not interesting. I really enjoyed the panels on creating cosplays and cosplay shortcuts. I was there taking plenty of notes. There were panels of electronics and modifying items like Nerf guns and cars like the Delorean displayed in the artist hall. Outside of cosplay, I went to the One Piece Panel and K-pop panel those were good too. The Bad My biggest problem I had was how the exhibition hall was set-up especially with the artist hall. The hall was set-up where you go down the escalator and either go left to the dealer's room or right to the game hall. No sign of the artist area which was in the back area behind the dealer's area. That stinks for the artist because many people, myself included had spent majority of my money in the dealers area. The artist became a second thought. I hated that because I saw a lot of nice work but then I spent majority of money in the dealer's room. Suggestions... Maybe next year they could push the artist alley and dealers area side by side instead of pushed to the back. Use the back are to set up the autograph area. There's time for improvement since the GWCC will be MomoCon's home for a few years. See you next year. read more

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It's been a long time since I had attended Momocon back when it was free and at the GA tech campus. It was congested and humid and all sorts of smelliness inside, but it was a free anime convention, and it was a fun one. Then they announced they would be charging for entry. A lot of people moaned and groaned, but this was the beginning of seeing Momo grow into what we see today and damn have they come far. I got to attend again last year for 2015 for the first time since then and couldn't have been more impressed. Originally, I had intended on exhibiting in the alley, but instead just became an attendee after being waitlisted for the first come first serve rule they have for their alley. It always seemed to be extremely competitive to get into Momo's alley, and last year I was very surprised at a number of tables open or empty at the end of the AA. If you want to show art here, be sure to keep an eye out for the application openings which you can follow through twitter or just periodically checking their site. Best things about this con is the gaming, I think. They have an awesome platform for indie games and gaming in general. They even brought in Tokyo Attack which supplied a number of imported Japanese arcade games ranging from Taiko Drum Master to the infamous flip the table game and a number of rhythm games. Momo also had areas set for Rockband, TCG & tabletop gaming, a massive DDR pad, and a great deal of indie games showing off their latest work. Also, it's all free (minus admission)! Just make sure you're not a jerk and share. As an attendee you certainly won't be bored just people watching. The Atlanta cosplayers seem to ramp up for one of the first big cons of the year and will debut stuff they've been working on. There are also lots of panels related to costuming, creating your own comics, working in animation, working in games, you name your geeky need and there is probably a panel for it. Momo is definitely more of an anime/Japanese culture oriented convention, but this might not be so much in the coming years as more and more of a gaming culture is being melded into its anime make up, and for that, I'm excited to see. read more

First year for me at GWCC for this animation, gaming, comics con. Stopped going for a while when it stopped being free. I wasn't disappointed. The panels were informative especially the one about traveling in Japan on a budget. I love tips about saving money. It's gotten very large and definitely needs all the space it has. Enjoyed people watching the cosplayers. I never recommend buying anything from the dealers, you're not getting a deal. Lots of what is being sold is anime related or steam punk. Not much in the way of comics. Needed to add an important piece: GAMING. The gaming area is so impressive. Tabletop, dance games, computer games, VR, old school arcade games, pinball. I've never played pinball in my life but had a blast playing. And since it's an open area where the gaming occurs, it doesn't stink. If you've ever been to conventions, you understand how important this is. I look forward to the future of this con. read more

MomoCon - Car exhibit - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Last time I went to Momo was back in 2012 when it was still held on the holy grounds that house DragonCon. The move to the GWCC was a great move, and has made Momo one of the better cons I've been to. My review is going to assume you know a thing or two about conventions, but as a basic primer: it's a convention with a heavy focus on anime, gaming, and costuming. It's not quite multi-genre, and there is not as big a focus on comics/media guests either. So what can you do at MomoCon? People watch/costume watch: Often this is my favorite thing to do at comic cons. I like to see the top level cosplayers bring their latest creation. I want to see what creative or funny takes people can come up with. Overall I was impressed with the quality that I saw. I will add that anime costumes overshadowed all other fandoms. The convention also tries to be family friendly, so you're not going to get away with some adult-themed costumes or near nudity. The main demographic is probably late teens to early 20's. Wikipedia tells me this con draws around 15,000 attendees. Panels: There was a good bit of programming, usually multiple panels running at once. I attended a few costume-related panels, such as how to weather props and how to add electronic LEDs to your costume. Very useful info! There was also some with voice actors and gaming industry guests. Kudos for having programming that went well into the night! A lot of cons tend to shut down after 7pm, but Momo is a rare exception. Arist Alley/Dealer Hall: Whether you want to support an independent artist, or dig through some collectibles, there's a huge hall to browse. The merchandise looked pretty standard for a convention, I didn't see anything that stuck out. Free to Play Gaming: This was the most impressive part! In a hall just as big as the one above, you have a wide variety of games, most of which are free to play. We're talking major consoles, PC, old school arcades, DDR, Rock Band, and then a whole section devoted to tabletop/card/board games. I think it's the best gaming section I've seen at any convention! Their volunteer staff was friendly, helpful, and energetic. The layout and usage of the GWCC was well planned. The basement level served as the dealer hall, the middle floor mostly housed panels, and the top floor was for costume watching/hanging out. Of course, it's also a walk away from the CNN Center food court. You're better off going there than the food vendors in the con. Way overpriced! Bonus points for their well designed program booklet, as well as the smart phone app. Great way to organize your schedule and the events to check out. For those wanting to go in the future, keep tabs on their website for updates. You can buy a full weekend pass in advance, usually for cheaper than at the door. You can also buy single day passes too at the door. If you want to dip your feet into the anime convention world, Momo is a great way. It's big, and there's a lot to do, but it's not overwhelming. Seriously impressed by it in 2015, and I plan to return in the years to come. read more

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*old lady voice* Back in my day.....kidding but seriously, I remember when this was a teensy little free anime con held on a college campus that many didn't know about except by word of mouth. It's been quite an experience seeing it grow into the massive event it is today. From moving to different locations to adding extra days and many other events to attend throughout the year, Momocon is definitely a con I really look forward to. I've been going since the first year, and I'll be there for years to come. Momocon has now settled itself nicely into the Georgia World Congress Center downtown and has been there for a few years now. The surrounding area includes Centennial Park, the World of Coca Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, and many other convenient Atlanta attractions. One of my favorite events is the Momocon Night at the Aquarium where you get a discounted ticket to attend all aquarium attractions, and you can and are encouraged to cosplay!! Photos with whale sharks and manta rays? Yes please! The GWCC is also across the street from the CNN center which houses a food court full of cheap and convenient restaurant options, many of them being fast food chains. While it is easy to get to, we have to remember that it's downtown, so parking can be a bit of a menace. I drove into a parking garage that charged me $14 on Thursday. There was a sign at the entrance that said "early bird parking $5 before 8:30 am" which I didn't get there before then, but the jump in price did shock me, so just make sure you read the signs. Or carpool. The next option is Marta which I rode for the rest of the weekend which was convenient, but with that you do have to be careful if you ride especially in the later hours (I have to go southbound which can be particularly shady), so either implement the buddy system or leave while it's still light out(I had to do the latter)! The convention naturally has a large dealers room and an artist alley, but I think the gaming area might be one of its biggest attractions as it's definitely the largest gaming area I've seen in a con. All the games are free to play which is a plus. Panels can be hit or miss, but they are entertaining and informative for the most part. I especially enjoy panels pertaining to cosplay and voice-acting, two of my biggest interests. People-watching is another great thing to do at the con, it's so much fun spotting cosplayers from your favorite series or costumes you think are cool and unique. The cosplayers seem to get better and better by the year! Momocon definitely has something for everyone, especially since they consider it a con for anime/games/animation/comics, with probably a little more emphasis on the anime part. I've recently starting branching out to attending more cons across the country, but Momocon's still one of my favorite cons to go to. read more

I know, this is very late! I've been going to Momocon since about 2010/2011 when it was free (missed 2012/2013s con because I was broke) and been going consecutively since 2014. This years con was fun and I still loved it. Things seemed to be more organized than previous years and they used the space they were given very well. The space given was huge and the flow of things were better this year than the last years cons. The staff seemed to be nicer this year even though some were rude, but that's expected at these things. The dealers room was massive! But some of the items were unreasonably marked up, so you may want to be careful or try to bargain. The panels were okay, but it was quite a bore though at some panels. I feel like they could have been more interesting. This year it seemed like they focused a lot on overwatch and steven universe considering they had most of the cast there. I met Matthew Mercer, which was the only guest that I was truly interested in seeing. I wish they would have bigger special guests in each department. The gamers hall had a few arcade games, but could have added to their collection. On Friday and Saturday it was hard to get on a game since a lot of people hogged them, so adding a few more could help with that issue. Maybe having some prize/claw machines around? Sadly I didn't stay in the hotels this year so I have nothing to say on that part, but I do have to recommend it. I recommend it because whenever you have some down time, you don't have to just sit and do nothing or have to struggle to find plugs to charge your phone or even take a mid day shower or nap. Plus you don't have to worry about commuting back and forth every day and worry about parking (uber to and back from home if possible or park in the red deck) Food wise, there are a few options at the CNN center which is across the street or you can uber eats your food to you. When it came to commuting it's better to either park at the nearest marta station and take the train if you don't live near by or uber because I know that prices to park could be crazy expensive. read more

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A sad fact: I just started getting into cons a little over 4 years ago. As a fan of anime, comics and video games, you'd think that I'd be a seasoned veteran by now or at the very least a really cool Cosplayer. Unfortunately, that isn't the case for either (maybe one day) but hey, better late than never, right? Having had the pleasure of attending both Dragon Con and AWA every year since 2012, it was only a matter of time that I'd start incorporating MomoCon to the mix. And no, I'm still working on my costume. lol I guess I'll have to put more effort into the costume I have in mind since the sequel to Pacific Rim has been confirmed! As for the convention, it is to my understanding that it's been around for quite a while, but I only really heard of it last year. I've been told that attendance and popularity has picked up some serious traction over the years. And as a result, the convention moved over to the Georgia World Congress Center this year. Although I had never been to GWCC before, it seemed like the facilities managed to accommodated all the attendees with ease and then some. It was very spacious and not once did I encounter shoulder to shoulder contact as I walked. The atmosphere is definitely in line with AWA but lacked the energy of DragonCon, but then again, I've never encountered anything like DC. The atmosphere here was chill during the times that I was there with the demographic varying age wise throughout the day and into the night. To me, what separates this convention from AWA is the game room. There was some serious competition in there! I was also pleasantly surprised with how many arcade games were in there, with some nostalgic games like Mortal Kombat 3 and Street Fighter 2, my favorites growing up. There were some new ones as well, but none seem to gather the audience more than Dance Evolution. A lot of people were participating with that one and having a blast. Aside from the arcade games, I did see a lot of tables set up with PC and console games but didn't have a chance to watch any of them. Not too far from the game room was "artist alley," a place where artists/vendors have tables set up selling various things such as fan art, memorabilia, clothes, toys and such. Definitely a good place to check out, as I ended up buying some cool art as well as having the opportunity of meeting one of the creators of Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers (one of my favorite childhood cartoons), Tad Stones. He's a true gentleman and yes, I have some sketches of Chip and Dale that I'll be hanging up in the man cave. lol As for food accessibility, there were several vendors set up in artist alley, with Papa John's Pizza and Jim N Nick's barbecue to name a few. Although items were a little more expensive here, you could easily opt for the less expensive stuff over at the CNN Center which was only a short walk away. Over there, they have Subway, Great Wraps, Taco Bell, Starbucks (stayed busy) and Arby's. As for other activities, there were a lot of panels with notable guest appearances. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make any of them but maybe next year I'll manage to make my way to some. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at MomoCon and can see myself returning next year. If you are a fan of comics, video games or anime, it's definitely worth checking out, even if it's for a day or two. read more