VillaCon will take place on Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. at Villa Maria College. The one-day convention brings gaming, cosplay, animation, film, vendors, artists, and more to the College, which is located at 240 Pine Ridge Road in Buffalo.
The general public is invited to attend VillaCon for $15. Villa students will be admitted free of charge. Doors open for entry at 9 a.m., and the first round of events is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. From 10 a.m. on, the schedule is full. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.
VillaCon 2024 Panels include:
- The Buffalo North American Science Fiction Convention
- Hidden Village: Buffalo BLERD Party
- Joypad Jesters (Game Development Team)
- Dramatic FanFic Readings
- D&D 5th Edition Character Creation
- Indie Game League
- Pokemon 5E Character Creation
- Fandom Mad Libs
- Marvelous Muppet Madness II
- The Solution? HeadCanoning!
- Cosplay Photography & Tips
- Skepticism & Paranormal
VillaCon 2024 Games include:
- Legos
- Board Games
- Prototype Room
- Pokemon 5E
- D&D High Noon in the Graveyard
- The Search for the Tidestone
- Shadowdark: Into the Dark
- Rifts for Savage World: Stirring the Hive
- Geek Genius Trivia Challenge
- And more!
Gayle Petri, the current Miss Finger Lakes 2024, will make an appearance at VillaCon. Petri, a former Villa Maria College student, will also participate as a gamemaster, running a round of The Search for the Tidestone. Petri has been gaming for years and has experience as a PC and a DM over 6 different campaigns.
Attendees are invited to participate in a cosplay contest that will be judged by Random Chibi, a multi-fandom cosplayer from Pittsburgh, Jim Fenix aka the Canadian White Wolf, and Bobby Whalen, Jr. Of the local cosplay Western New York cosplay community. Attendees can pre-register to participate online at villa.edu/villacon, or they can register in-person when they check in at VillaCon.
Con goers can also expect a Super Smash Bros Ultimate esports tournament. In addition, 14 local vendors and 22 local artists will set up shop in two of College’s buildings for the duration of the event. Villa Maria’s animation club will host a pop-up shop and animation and filmmaking students will showcase their work throughout the day.
Food will be available for purchase from Metz Dining Service, Cater2YouKitchen, Cheesy Chick, Dirty Bird, Sun Roll, Venus and Sharelle’s Place.
For of the details about VillaCon, including a complete schedule of the day’s events, please visit www.villa.edu/villacon.
