So while we have entered 2020 I thought it would be a good time to remind you all about an “AWESOME” event that happens every year just up the road from us.

Thousands upon thousands of fans converge dressed as their favorite characters from film, television and pop culture to invade the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. and celebrate as a group our love of whatever fandom we are into.

Yes, the 2020 one is still a couple months away but the announcements have been rolling in as what we can expect this year but before we talk about that I thought it would be fun to talk about 2019 again.

I enjoyed two days of this event and wasn’t 100% sure what I was really getting into as I had never attended a Comic Con or any Con before this. All I can say for anyone who has never been be ready for nothing but a day of fun! That’s what happened last year because on Day 1 of this three day event found myself sitting in the same room as Michael Biehn and his wife Jennifer Biehn. Just feet away from me is the star of films like The Terminator and Aliens. It was fun hearing stories about his work with James Cameron and what him and his wife have been working on recently. From there the Woman of Science Fiction took the stage in the same room and this lead to a fantastic conversation from Mary McDonnel (Battlestar Galactica), Gates McFadden (Star Trek The Next Generation) and Danielle Panabaker (The CW’s The Flash). They hung out with the audience for 45 minutes talking about the science fiction genre, the way women are written on television and how this genre always seems to smash windows for women characters. This discussion was one of the best I attended because it really brought to light how even in this genre while windows and ceilings are being smashed they still don’t get it right but how other genres need to step up with the way they write and portray women.

Next up was hanging out with Lou Ferrigno, the original Hulk! He busted right onto the stage and hulk smashed everyone. Not really but he did burst onto the stage with energy and gave a motivation speech before he discussed growing up as a disabled child, overcoming health issues and how body building helped. He also pretty much took over from the moderator on stage and turned it into his own formate focusing on the fans. How do you top The Hulk? If you answered by visiting the Karate Kid panel you’d win a prize. Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove all arrived on stage to discuss the Karate Kid but really it was more about Cobra Kai as the second season just dropped days before. They kept it spoiler free conversation but it was informative and always fun to see two villains for Daniel Son all truly good friends sharing laughs about the years they worked together. Also Zabka and Macchio gave a great response to a fan question about their cameos on How I Met Your Mother.

It was at this moment on the first day I finally had a chance to check out the Batman 80 celebration. This was going on the Exhibit Hall which requires a lot of your time but is worth it. Not only did they have the Batman celebration with the Batsuits from Keaton, Kilmer, Bale and West but they had the vogues gallery of batman villain outfits out like Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze and more. As I mentioned though in the Exhibit Hall much more was going on as you had vendors all over. This is the spot also on Day 2 that I met WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn and took a couple pictures with him.

Now day one did end for me slightly different as I attended an event only available for Awesome Con guests. Down the street at the National Geographic Museum for a special screening of Stuber along with the stars Dave Bautista and Kaumil Nanjiani. They introduced the movie and talked with the audience. It was an early cut of the film but the audience ate it up and in my opinion was a much better movie than I expected. I even put it on a list for films I hope you all saw this past year because it is a good throwback violent buddy buddy comedy.

Day two of my visit was filled with a ton of Q&A sessions as Jon Berenthal kicked off the day discussing his time on The Punisher  and The Walking Dead. Then I headed down the hall and hung out with Insight Comics as they discussed the upcoming slate of comics and even passed out free comics to the audience. Then the biggest moment of the weekend for many happened in the main hall when The Princess Bride Q&A took place. Also had the best moment of the weekend, I’ll fight anyone over this but at one point Cary Elwes pulled a kid on the stage dressed as Westley and had him “audition” for the sequel. I then visited the Tara Strong Q&A which was so much fun hearing someone from our childhood who voiced many of our favorite characters busting out Harley Quinn, Raven and so many of her fantastic voices.

I didn’t get to attend Day three as I had to get home for the recap and prepare for Monday but the two days I spent at this event with thousands upon thousands of fans all like minded was one of the greatest experiences. It was a true highlight of the past decade and if you’ve never attended then 2020 might be time to make some plans. They have been active on all of their social medias from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with announcements for guests this year. You can see Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley for a Saved by the Bell reunion, Not to mention they’ve announced a couple Goonies will be attending with Sean Astin & Ke Huy Quan, Christopher Eccleston from Doctor Who, Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarcy, Hellboy) and if those aren’t big enough for you then also Zachary Levi will be at the event. You know him from Chuck, Tangled and of course Shazam!.

So even if you missed out on last years event you have time for 2020. It’ll take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center again starting on May 1st and running that weekend up to May 3rd.

Hopefully we can enjoy a couple Q&A sessions, learn some new things from the actors of our favorite creations and of course just enjoy time with like minded folk while invading Washington for a fun weekend.