Anime St. Pete, the first-ever anime convention in St. Petersburg, is making a late guest announcement only two weeks prior to the event, adding public figure Gwen-Stacy to the line-up of guests for the upcoming con on September 17-18 at the Coliseum.
“We normally announce all of our guests when we announce the convention, but when Gwen-Stacy’s schedule recently opened-up we had to jump at getting her,” said Mana Johnson, Con Coordinator for Anime St. Pete.
Gwen-Stacy will be available for photos at the Florida Comic Cons booth. And photos are free because the 18-month-old toy-mini Australian shepherd adores meeting fans! She may be best known for her ‘Gwen-sday’ social media posts every Wednesday where she shares a wide range of lifestyle photos ranging from a baby pic to a snap that demonstrates her ability to win a staring contest.
But Gwen-Stacy also is becoming known for her modeling career, which launched last year and has her posing for talented fan artists. (below by Davey DeForne of The Scaredy Cat).
In addition, Gwen-Stacy is a staff reporter for Florida Comic Cons so she will be taking notes to contribute to the Florida Comic Cons’ blog on Anime St. Pete. As a staff reporter, she has attended many conventions, including Florida Supercon in Miami Beach (she loves the South Beach nightlife), Central Florida Comic Con in Lakeland, and St. Pete Comic Con (to name only a few). “We’re looking forward to having her as a guest who also will be writing a story about Anime St. Pete,” Johnson said.
Anime St. Pete fans may want to know Gwen-Stacy is a huge Pokémon fan. And she loves to chat about the show so hit her up for a convo! If you miss Anime St. Pete, you may see her at another con (she travels with her father, seen below chin-resting on his arm after a long day at Spooky Empire 2021). To see more of her, follow Florida Comic Cons Instagram and Facebook for Gwensday posts.
Anime St. Pete Snapshot
The new convention’s huge lineup of nearly 15 guests was announced months ago, building anticipation for the event that includes big-time anime voice actors as well as a roster of the state’s best cosplayers. In addition, Anime St. Pete features more than 50 hours of programming that will cover a wide range of topics from popular staples like Q&A’s with the voice actors and ‘Anime Jeopardy’ to deeper subject dives such as ‘The Philosophy of Power in Dragon Ball’ and ‘The Anthropology of One Piece.’ Moreover, there are two cosplay contests (Craftsmanship on Saturday, and Runway on Sunday) as well as a Lip Sync Competition, TikTok Film Festival and Kpop/Jpop Dance Showcase. “There will be plenty for anime fans to do and see,” Johnson said.
The entire schedule is available. Tickets are $28 for a single-day pass, and $43 for a weekend pass (with prices increasing on the day of the convention to $33 for a single-day pass, and $48 for a weekend pass)
Anime St. Pete Guests Include Six Big-Time Anime Voice Actors
Anime St. Pete features six notable anime voice actors. The actors include Jill Harris and Dallas Reid of Black Clover, Chris Guerrero of Overlord and Sk8 the Infinity, Ryan Bartley of Re:Zero and Neon Genesis Evangelion, Aaron Dismuke of My Hero Academia and Full Metal Alchemist, and Bryson Baugus of Haikyu! and Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya. The voice actors will be signing autographs and taking photos all weekend. Additionally, they will be participating in Q&A panels as well.
Anime St. Pete features seven of the state’s best cosplayers
Florida’s best cosplayers hailing from Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Fort Myers are among the guests at Anime St. Pete. These cosplay experts will be participating in panels and showing their latest creations.
Learn more about Anime St. Pete
If you want to learn more about the upcoming con, Florida Comic Cons recently gave you “15 Magnificent Reasons to Attend Anime St. Pete.”
Need help finding conventions in Florida?
Florida Comic Cons publishes the Con Calendar, a curated calendar of upcoming conventions. Each convention listing includes in-depth info about the event like guests, artists and cosplay contests. In addition, there are lots of helpful links for things like buying tickets, registering as a vendor, and learning more about characters.
