Experience Japanese animation 24 hours a day at METROCON 2003 – Tampa Bay, Florida’s first, full-fledged anime convention – from Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20, at the Crowne Plaza - Tampa at Sabal Park, 10221 Princess Palm Ave. The weekend-long event celebrates numerous facets of Japanese popular entertainment – from anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comics), J-pop and J-rock (Japanese pop and rock music, performed by “idols”) to cosplay (costume design and performance) and video games, with:
- An art show and Artists’ Alley; - A cosplay competition and a runway-style costume contest, during which participants are judged on the design and presentation of costumes depicting favorite anime, manga and video game characters; - A dealers’/exhibition room with licensed, domestic and imported merchandise available for purchase from an assortment of retailers; - Three “DDR Extreme” Tournaments where top “Dance Dance Revolution” video game players show off energetic dance moves on an authentic DDR Extreme 8th Mix arcade machine; - Musical competitions, including an Anime Music Video contest and the first-ever “Anime Idol” J-Pop/J-Rock Competition; - Official convention screenings of new North American releases; - Panels with North American anime industry guests; - Live, role-playing games, in conjunction with ConGames; - Special evening events, including the second edition of the Final Fantasy Ball, karaoke and a Saturday night dance with an exclusive J-pop, J-rock and anime music soundtrack; - The METROCADE video game room, stocked with an SNK Neo Geo MVS arcade machine and the DDR Extreme arcade machine, plus domestic and import home console games; and - Last – but certainly not least – 212 continuous hours of Japanese anime and related programming in four rooms!
Tickets are available in advance at the METROCON site, www.metroconventions.com, and may also be purchased “at-the-door.”
- Three-Day Ticket (Friday, Saturday and Sunday): o Adults: $25 advance | $30 at-the-door; o Children, under 10: $10 advance | $15 at-the-door, with paid adult admission; o Children, under 5: Free, with paid adult admission.
- One-Day Ticket:
o Adults: $12 per day, advance | $15 per day, at-the-door; o Children, under 10: $5 per day, advance | $8 per day, at-the-door, with paid adult admission; o Children, under 5: Free, with paid adult admission.
The Crowne Plaza - Tampa at Sabal Park is located at 10221 Princess Palm Avenue in Tampa. (Just west of I-75, off of the SR-60 exit.)
Visit www.metroconventions.com for more information.
METROCON is presented by AnimeMetro.com, AnimeNation and AN Entertainment, Available Sound, Final Fantasy Ball, RisingSun.net, Stone Hill Science Fiction Association/ConGames and Xanatos Enterprises
