4/7 - 6/30, 2018:

SaikouCon 2018 Volunteer Applications

SaikouCon Volunteers must be age 18 or older due to insurance liability rules from our insurance provider. Accepted and denied applicants will be notified of their application status beginning as soon as the application has closed on June 30, 2018 at 6 PM ET.

5/1 - 7/13, 2018: 

SaikouCon 2018 Cosplay Contest Sign Up

We will be having the same competition categories as we did in 2017, Single Cosplay with subcategories of Novice and Experienced; Group Cosplays for groups of two or more with no subcategories as group members may not all be of the same experience level. Below are the rules and guidelines for this year's contest:

• There is no additional fee to enter and compete in the contest, but every contestant must be a SaikouCon 2018 Attendance Badge Holder, Teen or Adult Badges, cosplayers 13 and older are welcome to compete
  
• Cosplays must be 70% handmade, this does not count props and accessories (weaponry, "animal companions", costume/armor accents like brooches and hairpins, over-sized sigils), while it is awesome when they are handmade as well as the actual costumes and armor, the guest judges will not deduct points as long as the costume itself meets the 70% handmade requirement
  
• The Novice subcategory is for cosplayers that have been cosplaying for less than two years (cosplaying in general, not competing in competitions) and the Experienced subcategory is for cosplayers that have been cosplaying for two or more years.
  
• There will be no pre-judging for 2018, there is no need to submit progress and reference photos before the contest, but by all means please bring progress and reference photos to the competition as our guest judges may wish to see them as visual aids to their questions about your cosplay
  
• Original Characters, genderbends, and crossplays are welcome and encouraged at SaikouCon's Cosplay Contest; the more creative and intriguing the better! This contest is all about creativity and showcasing your skill as a costumer
  
• All cosplays must adhere to convention dress codes regarding nudity and partial nudity, see general dress code rules on the Convention Info page of SaikouCon.com
  
• Skits will be allowed to be performed by competitors again in 2018, but are not required if you do not wish to perform one. Time limit on competitor skits is three (3) and a half minutes maximum, the competition must be concluded no later than 8 PM on SaikouCon Saturday, July 28. If skits are musical in nature, and instruments will not be played live by competitors, competitors must provide their own music on PC compatible flash drive
  
• Competitors must arrive at Special Events Hall 15 minutes in advance of the Cosplay Contest dressed and ready to compete. SaikouCon staff will help competitors to line up according to their categories and subcategories
  
• Winners of the competition will receive VIP badges to attend SaikouCon 2019, framed award certificates from SaikouCon 2018 signed by our guest judges and con chair to show authenticity, and prize packs provided by Funimation!
  
• Decisions by our guest judges are final. Any one that attempts to verbally berate or bully in any way our guest judges for their decisions, will be escorted from the convention by convention security and have their badges revoked without refund; and depending on severity of actions, may be permanently banned from the convention and possibly subject to criminal charges
  

* = Required Field, entries with required information left blank will not be accepted

+ = Your cosplay alias, not the the character you're cosplaying for the contest, unless you're cosplaying an original character and your OC's name is your cosplay name

++ = If you're putting down the name of everyone in your group,rather than just one main contact, please fill out one sign up form, it's easier for us to create the group category score sheets for our guest judges, that way we know groupings instead of assuming everyone signed up under Group Cosplay are all different groups. That has bogged things down in the past and we want to get you up on stage without any delay to keep the fun rolling. 

6/1 - 6/30, 2018:

Summertime Anime Giveaway

* = Required Information, entries missing required info are void

6/23, 2018 - 10 AM-8 PM:

SaikouCon at Lehigh Valley Pagan Pride Day

Lehigh Valley Pagan Pride Day will be taking place at 150 West Lehigh Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018, for more info visit  http://www.lvnup.org/pagan-pride/where-and-when-is-lvppd.

Lehigh Valley Pagan Pride Day 2018 Information:

Lehigh Valley Pagan Pride Day is a free all day festival in it's 5th year which includes public Pagan rituals, music, workshops, shopping and other various activities. Our goal is to create peaceful unity among the pagan community and raise awareness and acceptance for all pagans and non-traditional religions and spiritual paths across the globe. Support us in this goal by becoming a vendor, teaching a workshop, running a ritual or showing up in solidarity and support for this pagan community.

6/24, 2018; 7 PM:

The Encounter & SaikouCon Present
Anime Night Free Screening
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (Dub)

Please RSVP on our Facebook Event page, https://www.facebook.com/events/362051200971198/, tickets are not needed, but we like to have an expected headcount to optimize seating arrangements if a large crowd is attending.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Synopsis:

In the year 2199, Earth faces its greatest crisis. Due to unrelenting bombings by the alien race known as "Gamilas," the planet can no longer sustain its inhabitants. In exactly one year, humanity is set to become extinct. In desperation, the people of Earth establish the Earth Defense Force, their last defense against the power-hungry Gamilas Empire. However, humanity finds a glimmer of hope after receiving a message from the mysterious planet Iscandar, which offers them a device that would restore Earth to its former glory. With salvation in sight, the Earth Defense Force calls on the prolific Space Battleship Yamato and swiftly assembles a crew to make the 148,000 light-year trek to Iscandar and receive their aid. Among the crew are young officers Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima, along with several other newly promoted leaders, all under the command of the distinguished Captain Juuzou Okita. Forced to learn how to handle the ship's innovative technology while dealing with the onslaught of Gamilas fleets, the inexperienced cast of Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 must summon every inch of their resolve to survive the many hardships aboard the Yamato and complete their mission: to save humanity before it's too late.

• Genres: Action, Military, Sci-Fi, Space, Drama
  
• Duration: 25 minutes per episode
  
• Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
  
• Screening Episodes 9 - 14

7/1 - 7/31, 2018:

Summertime Manga Giveaway

7/27 - 7/29, 2018:

SaikouCon 2018

SaikouCon is a three day, anime and cosplay convention located in the heart of Allentown, Pennsylvania. SaikouCon, which means "best convention", is the annual anime convention of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, boasting a dedicated staff of longtime Japanese anime and manga fans. SaikouCon builds programming made to make memories every year, always striving for panel diversity and a balance between Japanese Pop Culture, Classical Japanese Culture, Cosplay, fun and games, original music, original music, and more original music!

SaikouCon 2018 Guests

SaikouCon 2018 Full Programming Schedule

Please note, there will be no scheduled general autograph sessions at SaikouCon 2018, all signing Guests of Honor will have booths in our Merchant Hall where they will be making their own hours each day of the convention, within the normal Merchant Hall hours of 12-7 PM on SaikouCon Friday, 10 AM - 7 PM on SaikouCon Saturday, and 10 AM - 5 PM on SaikouCon Sunday*.

* - Not all Guests of Honor will be available for autographs or will only have limited time at their booths on Sunday, July 29 due to their airline departure times from the convention

9/9, 2018:

SaikouCon at The Pickledelphia™ Pickle Festival

The Pickle Festival will take place at The Piazza at Schmidt's Commons located at 1050 N Hancock St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123, for more information visit https://www.facebook.com/events/250491735689373/.

Official Pickledelphia™ Pickle Festival Information:

Pickledelphia is Philadelphia’s first large-scale pickle festival. Pickledelphia is for everyone – from pickle fanatics to just pickle curious. Of course, there will be everything pickle products from fried pickles, pickles on a stick, pickle chips, pickle ice cream and many more pickled delights. But it’s not just about pickled foods. No celebration would be complete without LIVE music, cocktails plus interactive pickle events throughout the festival. Local cover bands will be rocking the stage playing everyone's favorite top 40 singalongs in addition to modern country music hits. There will be a large-scale pickle eating contest with America’s top competitive eaters. 21 plus festival attendees will be able to enjoy a Craft Beer Garden with a top selection of craft beers and specialty cocktails on tap. In addition, there will exclusive custom pickle memorabilia on hand to satisfy the curiosity of any pickle lover. Pickledelphia is the quintessential Philadelphia "fun" festival built for pickle enthusiasts of all walks of life.

10/13/2018:

SaikouCon Party Table at Yushi-Con 2018

Stop by the Party Table, we'll have some giveaways happening, music playing as always, and SaikouCon staff will be ready and willing to hang out and chat. If you're attending Yushi-Con, come and have some fun with the SaikouCon Crew!

Yushi-Con 2018 Info:

Yushi-Con 2018 is taking place in the East Stroudsburg University Science and Technology Building from 10 AM until 1 AM! While Yushi-Con's return is only a one-day event, please stay tuned for other events Yushi-Con may sponsor for post-con on Sunday, and pre-con on Friday. Stay tuned to www.yushi-con.com for updated information throughout the year.

10/27 - 10/28, 2018:

SaikouCon Party Table at Shikkaricon 2018

Shikkaricon 2018 Info:

Shikkaricon is back after a long hiatus! We are an anime and video gaming convention that was started back in 2006 at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA. We are back and better than ever, but now we are being held in Philadelphia! We hope you'll join us for the return of Shikkaricon, and we're excited to be back!

11/9 - 11/11, 2018:

SaikouCon Party Table at DerpyCon 2018

DerpyCon 2018 Official Info:

DerpyCon 2018, taking place November 9-11, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Morristown in Morristown, NJ! DerpyCon is a small, fun multi genre sci fi convention, celebrating the culture of science fiction, fantasy, animation, and beyond. For more infomation visit www.derpycon.com.

12/21, 2018:

Saikou Movie Meet Up - Alita: Battle Angel

Time is subject to change once screening times of Alita: Battle Angel are released for the AMC Allentown 16. Theater is located at 1700 Catasaqua Road, Allentown, PA 18109; visit www.amctheatres.com for more information on the AMC Allentown 16.

Update: the release of Alita: Battle Angel has been pushed back to December 21, 2018 from its original release date of July 21, 2018. RSVP on our Facebook event page, so we have an expected head count for people attending the Movie Meet Up, at https://www.facebook.com/events/360402291036774/. If there are any further changes to the release of this film or if the Movie Meet Up is cancelled due to bad weather, now that it is in winter instead of summer, it will be announced on the Facebook Event page as well as here on SaikouCon.com.

Alita: Battle Angel Official Details:

Based on the Manga Series Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita in the US) By Yukito Kishiro, visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) create a groundbreaking new heroine in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an action-packed story of hope, love and empowerment. Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. Everything is new to Alita, every experience a first. As she learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield Alita from her mysterious past while her street-smart new friend, Hugo (Keean Johnson), offers instead to help trigger her memories. A growing affection develops between the two until deadly forces come after Alita and threaten her newfound relationships. It is then that Alita discovers she has extraordinary fighting abilities that could be used to save the friends and family she’s grown to love. Determined to uncover the truth behind her origin, Alita sets out on a journey that will lead her to take on the injustices of this dark, corrupt world, and discover that one young woman can change the world in which she lives.

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