So what’s UwU Con doing for an encore? According to co-founder Preston Statzer, the event will widen its focus into pop culture while expanding its guest lineup and programming.
“We're evolving slightly this year and growing,” says Statzer, who owns Olympus Games in Mesa. “Last year, UwU Con was primarily an anime event, but we're reclassifying it as an anime/pop culture convention. So we’ll still bring out voice actors from anime, but we’re but this year we're breaking into Western animation.”
To wit: UwU Con 2023, which runs from Friday to Sunday at Legacy Park in Mesa, will feature a slew of voice talents from “Star Wars Rebels” — including Sam Witwer, Taylor Gray, Vanessa Marshall, Tiya Sircar, Steve Blum and Dante Basco — and well as longtime Disney voice actor Jim Cummings. UwU Con's organizers aren't skimping on the event's anime content, though, as voice actors like Kana Ichinose from "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury," Nobutoshi Canna from "Bleach" and Ryō Horikawa (who has voiced Vegeta in "Dragon Ball Z" since the '80s) are scheduled to appear.
Statzer, who co-founded UwU Con with app developer Jared Nichols and Chef Justin Park of local Korean restaurant Drunken Tiger, says the rest of the event will also get an upgrade.
UwU Con’s Food District, which features vendors and restaurants hand-picked by Park, will expand to offer more than just Asian-inspired selections. “Our food festival is growing,” Statzer says. “That was a real highlight for us last year.”
The event’s programming, cosplay activities and vendor hall have also increased, though Statzer says they’re not sacrificing quality for quantity. Hence the fact that nearly everything at UwU Con is curated by its organizers and staff.
“We started (UwU Con) to create a convention that we'd all enjoy going to,” Statzer says. “We got to see how other (local) cons were run and had our own ideas of what we could do. So the number one thing for us is to do things well and provide fun for all of our attendees and our vendors.”
What else do UwU Con’s organizers have planned for this year? Check out the following guide with complete details about the event, including its guests, vendors, programming and food selections.
So what does “UwU” mean?
The term “uwu” basically is an emoticon of a cute (or “kawaii”) face with each “u” as eyes and “w” as a mouth. It's commonly associated with geek subcultures like anime and furry fandom. “We turned it into a genderless slime and put the ‘uwu’ face on it,” Statzer says. “It's kind of our mascot.”When and where is UwU Con 2023?
The three-day event runs from Friday to Sunday at Legacy Park, 6321 S. Ellsworth Road in Mesa. What are the hours of UwU Con 2023?
UwU Con’s official operating hours are 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Early bird access to the vendor hall is available an hour prior to opening for VIP badge holders and late-night events will take place starting at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. How much is UwU Con admission?
General admission is $45 on Friday, $55 on Saturday, $35 on Sunday and $90 for the entire weekend. VIP badges — which include admission to all three days and various perks — are $200 per person.Does UwU Con have an age limit?
The overall event is all ages, but certain panels and activities (like the AZ Anime Rave on Saturday night) are only open to attendees who are 18 and over.How do I get to UwU Con?
Legacy Park is located near Ellsworth and Ray roads in Mesa. Take the Loop 202/SanTan Freeway to the Arizona State Route 24/Gateway and then exit at Ellsworth Road. Head south and then take a left onto Legacy Avenue, which will lead you to the park.
Where can I park?
Legacy Park has five lots available near Fieldhouse A and B, which are hosting UwU Con. The good news is that you won’t have to pay for parking. "There's a lot of places to park and it’s all free,” Statzer says. “It’s something that folks won't have to worry about."What is involved with UwU Con’s entry process and security?
Attendees can pick up their badges at the UwU Con’s check-in and then undergo prop and bag checks by security.What are UwU Con’s prop and costume policies?
According to UwU Con’s website, the event has the following cosplay and prop rules:- Cosplayers are required to abide by all state and local decency laws.
- Males in bodysuits or tight-fitting costumes are required to wear dance belts.
- Shoes will pointed heels or tips (including stilettos and stilts) aren’t allowed.
- Prop weapons will be peace-tied by security and cannot be brandished.
- Prop guns are allowed, but must have orange tips and cannot fire projectiles or be pointed at others. Replica pistols must be kept in a holster while replica rifles must need to be slung.
- Metal weapons aren’t allowed. Swords, axes, spears and pikes must be made from wood, PVC, foam, plastic, cardboard or paper.
- Paddles of any variety (including yaoi paddles) aren’t allowed.
- Exotic weapons will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by security.
"Star Wars Rebels" voice actor Sam Witwer is scheduled to appear at UwU Con 2023.
Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr
Who are UwU Con’s special guests this year?
More than 20 voice actors and actresses are scheduled to appear at this year’s event. There will be seven people involved with “Star Wars” television shows and games, as well as three Japanese voice talents. Three of the biggest names are Sam Witwer (who played Maul in “Star Wars Rebels”), Ryō Horikawa (the voice of Vegeta from “Dragon Ball Z” since 1985) and longtime Disney voice actor Jim Cummings, who has starred as Tigger and dozens of other characters over the past few decades. Here's a complete list of UwU Con’s special guests:
- Sam Witwer
- Jim Cummings
- Ryō Horikawa
- Johnny Yong Bosch
- Ricco Fajardo
- Nobutoshi Canna
- Kana Ichinose
- Steve Blum
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
- Dante Basco
- Jesse Hooker
- Tiya Sircar
- Vanessa Marshall
- Kirk Thornton
- David Lodge
- Taylor Gray
- Robert McCollum
- Brandon Potter
- Jonah Scott
- Keith Silverstein
- David Sobolov
When will autographs and selfies be offered and how much are each?
UwU Con's guests will be available for autographs and selfies from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday and 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Costs will vary per guest. Click here for a complete price list. How many vendors will be at UwU Con?
Fieldhouse B will host a total of 170 artist booths and 172 vendor booths during UwU Con 2023. The selection of vendors will include retailers like Samurai Comics, jewelry creators like Kitten Karnage and anime-focused merch companies like Waifu Wares and The Hiding Ghost. (A full list is available here.)Statzer says UwU Con organizers were selective when curating the list of vendors for the event. “We've actually turned away quite a bit of vendors to make sure we don't have a lot of the same things that [other conventions do],” he says. “One of the biggest gripes people have about conventions is that they see the same things over and over, so we wanted to help prevent that.”
What kind of programming will be at UwU Con 2023?
Panels will run all three days of UwU Con and focus on anime, geek and pop culture topics. Highlights include workshops focusing on anime art and learning Japanese pronunciation, discussions about "Star Wars" aliens and Disney villains,a panel on Wii gaming and tutorials on the basics of "Dungeons & Dragons." Special guests will also participate in Q&A sessions throughout the weekend. A full list of programming is available here.
What sort of cosplay activities will be at UwU Con 2023?
In addition to a slew of attendees showing off their costumes at UwU Con, a portion of Fieldhouse B will be devoted to cosplay. Activities like meetups, workshops and showcases will take place each day. More than 30 different cosplay guests will be featured at UwU Con, ranging from local stars Lindsay Elyse and NaomiMoonZ to out-of-towners like Sourbunbun. Various cosplay groups from the local geek scene will also have booths, including the Arizona Autobots and AZ Team Rocket. More info is available here.What sort of food and drinks will be at UwU Con?
Statzer says UwU Con’s Food District will be located underneath the outdoor canopy adjacent to Fieldhouse B. A selection of almost 20 local food and drink vendors will be featured, each selected by Chef Justin Park. “This year, we've opened it up to not just being an Asian food festival and will have more of a world (focus),” Statzer says. Full bars will also sell alcohol to anyone who is 21 and older. Here’s a rundown of participating food and drink vendors:
- Big Nates Family BBQ
- Famous Chicago Dogs
- Gangnam Sushi & Grill
- Hot Bamboo
- MoshiMoshi
- Neko Mart
- Outta Town Pop
- Psycho Pina
- Spce Coffee
- Taiwan Mama
- Takoyaki Balls
- Tempura Takeover
- Tran’s Concessions
- Wiki-Licious
- Wild Bill’s Soda
- Xing Fu Tang
Will UwU Con feature late-night activities?
Yes. On Friday night, there will be a networking and hangout event starting at 9 p.m. where attendees can chill, have some drinks and engage with others. "We've been promoting it as a chance to stay afterward, talk with the vendors and artists, rub elbows with everyone, develop friendships and discuss the business behind cons,” Statzer says. “We don't just want people to come to the con, take pictures and buy or sell things; we want to help develop entrepreneurship and help everyone grow.”
Saturday night will feature the AZ Anime Rave with music from anime and games being spun by Toronto-based electronic dance music artist Alex Kade and various DJs. The 18-and-over event starts at 9 p.m. and will require the purchase of a $39 ticket to attend. Alcohol will be available for purchase by anyone of legal drinking age.
