The smell of maple syrup, bright colors and the sound of cartoons filled the air at the Student Union on a special Thursday in spring. Comet Con 2025 took place March 27 and allowed Comets to return to the days of their childhood.
Comet Con is a day-long mini fan convention held annually on campus, centering the media many Comets grew up watching and playing. The day is full of activities and panels, such as an artist alley full of local vendors selling anime merchandise, Red Bull samplings, an anime orchestra performance and more. Comets could stop by the SSA Gaming Wall for a free haircut, battle with Beyblades in the SU Artemis Halls or attend a panel hosted by anime industry experts. The artist alley featured all sorts of anime related crafts and artistic creations that Ademorede Adekanye, a healthcare studies senior, found herself fascinated by.
“I genuinely enjoy the artist alleys that are held on campus because I love seeing all of the cute trinkets and amazing artwork that our student population has to offer,” Adekanye said. “I’ve only been to WeebCon and FanExpo but from the little experience I have, I think that the artist alleys on campus are pretty similar to the ones at official conventions.”
Comet Con, although smaller than a more typical fan convention, is still worth attending. Conventions of any size always have something unique to offer, and Comet Con offers some things that bigger conventions are starting to not provide as much compared to the early 2000s and 2010s — a solidified community. Comet Con is also free to attend, unlike the typical $75 price tags for three-day conventions in the Dallas area.
Comet Cosplay and Anim3 were a couple of organizations at the head of Comet Con, hosting the cosplay competition and anime orchestra performance as some of the day’s final events. The cosplay contest had open admittance, inviting everyone to sign up with the added benefit of a chance to win a free Funko pop for competing.
“I’ve heard of the anime orchestra since I was a freshman, but I have never checked it out on my own or had the opportunity to see them perform,” Adekanye said. “I think they did really well, and I was surprised at how many talented people there were in a singular club.”
With fan conventions being a relatively niche hobby, many students are unaware of the excitement of Comet Con events. In an effort to attract attention, the sprawling nature of the event, spread out across the whole campus, drew hundreds of attendees throughout the day and generated a buzz for the activities that ran late into the night. Damani Lumpkin, a VPAS senior, stumbled into Comet Con without knowing what the events were for and ultimately ended up enjoying what they found.
“It was a nice experience to see students come together to embrace a community they’re passionate about,” Lumpkin said. “As well as see them in a creative light and share their stories.”
SUAAB, the main organization running Comet Con this year, hosts free programs for Comets regularly with significant events scattered throughout the year. The next major event will be Springapalooza in from April 23-24, which brings music performers, competitions and more to campus at no charge. As of publication, SUAAB has not released any additional information about the Springapalooza event schedule.