GalaxyCon
American conventions company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GalaxyCon, LLC, formerly known as Super Conventions or Supercon,[1] is a privately owned company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that organizes comic book and anime conventions in the United States.[2][3] Events currently include: GalaxyCon Raleigh in Raleigh, North Carolina; Animate! Raleigh; GalaxyCon Richmond in Richmond, Virginia; GalaxyCon Columbus in Columbus, Ohio; GalaxyCon Austin in Austin, Texas; and GalaxyCon San Jose in San Jose, California.[2][4][5][6][7][8]
 | |
Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Mike S. Broder |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | United States |
| Website | galaxycon |
In early 2019, the original Supercon trademark, along with the original Florida Supercon events, were sold to ReedPop,[9] at which time all other "Supercon" events were renamed GalaxyCon.[5][10]
History
In late 2006, Mike Broder sought to bring a large convention to south Florida. He mounted Florida Supercon at the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida.[11][12][13] He organized Anime Supercon in Fort Lauderdale five months later.[14] Both drew an estimated 2,000 people.[11][12][14] Other conventions were organized in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami metro areas. A November 2008 Supercon in Atlanta, Georgia, was not as prosperous as the Florida events.[15]
After the unrelated Wizard World Raleigh Comic Con moved from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Winston-Salem in 2016, the company mounted Raleigh Supercon in July 2017.[16] It drew an estimated 30,000 people for the weekend.[2][4][17]
Super Conventions later acquired the former Derby City Comic Con in Louisville, Kentucky, which was re-branded as Louisville Supercon for the November 2018 event.[18][19]
Two conventions, Animate! Florida (formerly known as Animate! Miami) and Paradise City Comic Con (formerly known as Magic City Comic Con[20]), were discontinued in 2018 so Super Conventions could concentrate on their three Supercon events.[2][3] Both of those had taken place in Miami.
In 2025, the organizers of the Columbus convention were criticized for overcrowding, poor treatment of disabled people, and poor handling of medical and accessibility devices. The organizers blamed the security company, Allied Universal that was hired through the convention center.[21]
Sale of Florida Supercon and convention name changes
On March 11, 2019, it was announced that Broder sold Florida Supercon and the "Supercon" trademark to ReedPop of Norwalk, Connecticut.[9] The company owns a number of conventions around the world, including New York Comic Con and MCM London Comic Con.[9] Management for the events in Raleigh and Louisville will remain the same under Broder, but are renamed as GalaxyCon.[10][22] Also added are GalaxyCon events in Richmond, Virginia, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.[10] Florida Supercon, now managed by ReedPop, will continue to have its annual event in early July.[5]
List of current GalaxyCon events
| Name | Location | Venue | Most recent event | Next event | Year first started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animate! Columbus | Columbus, Ohio | Greater Columbus Convention Center | June 13–15, 2025[23] | June 12–14, 2026[24] | 2023[25] |
| Animate! Orlando | Orlando, Florida | Orange County Convention Center | August 8–10, 2025 | August 14–16, 2026[26] | 2025 |
| Animate! Philadelphia | Oaks, Pennsylvania | Greater Philadelphia Expo Center | October 3–5, 2025 | May 1–3, 2026[27] | 2025 |
| Animate! Raleigh | Raleigh, North Carolina | Raleigh Convention Center | January 3–5, 2025[28] | January 9–11, 2026[29] | 2024[30] |
| GalaxyCon Columbus | Columbus, Ohio | Greater Columbus Convention Center | December 5–7, 2025[31] | December 4–6, 2026[32] | 2022 |
| GalaxyCon Des Moines | Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa Events Center | September 12–14, 2025[33] | September 11–13, 2026[34] | 2023[35] |
| GalaxyCon Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Baird Center | N/a | October 30–November 1, 2026[36] | 2026 |
| GalaxyCon New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | July 11–13, 2025 | July 10–12, 2026[37] | 2025 |
| GalaxyCon Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Convention Center | May 23–25, 2025[38] | May 22–24, 2026[39] | 2024 |
| GalaxyCon Raleigh | Raleigh, North Carolina | Raleigh Convention Center | July 24–27, 2025[40] | July 23–26, 2026[41] | 2017[42] |
| GalaxyCon Richmond | Richmond, Virginia | Greater Richmond Convention Center | March 27–30, 2025[43] | March 19–22, 2026[44] | 2019[6] |
| GalaxyCon San Jose | San Jose, California | San Jose McEnery Convention Center | August 15–17, 2025[45] | August 21–23, 2026[46] | 2024 |
| GalaxyCon St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri | America's Center | October 10–12, 2025 | October 23–25, 2026[47] | 2025 |
| Superstar Comic Con Savannah | Savannah, Georgia | Savannah Convention Center | November 14–16, 2025 | November 20–22, 2026[48] | 2025 |
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, GalaxyCon Raleigh was rescheduled for July 29 – August 1, 2021.[49] In April 2020, the convention announced that, due to economic conditions and issues with the venue, GalaxyCon would not be returning to Louisville for 2020.[50]
Former GalaxyCon events
| Name | Location | Venue | Last event | Year first started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animate! Miami | Miami, Florida | Miami Airport Convention Center | February 14–16, 2025 | 2013 |
| GalaxyCon Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky | Kentucky International Convention Center | November 22–24, 2019 | 2018 |
| GalaxyCon Minneapolis | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Convention Center | November 8–10, 2019 | 2019 |
| Nightmare Weekend Chicago | Rosemont, Illinois | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center | May 2–4, 2025 | 2025 |
| Nightmare Weekend Des Moines | Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa Events Center | September 27–29, 2024 | 2024[51] |
| Nightmare Weekend Miami | Miami, Florida | Miami Airport Convention Center | October 18–20, 2024 | 2024 |
| Nightmare Weekend Richmond | Richmond, Virginia | Greater Richmond Convention Center | October 17–19, 2025[52] | 2023 |
Upcoming GalaxyCon events
| Name | Location | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GalaxyCon Nashville | Nashville, Tennessee | Nashville Fairgrounds | May 29-31, 2026 |