Downtown Mesa is gearing up for its biggest geek-culture weekend of the fall as UwU Con returns to the Mesa Convention Center for a three-day run from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4. Now in its fifth year, the pop-culture event has settled into its second consecutive year at the downtown venue, bringing celebrity appearances, fan panels, cosplay activities and gaming to 263 N. Center St.
According to Phoenix New Times, this year's lineup features a dozen voice actors and multiple comic book artists, including performers from One Piece and Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation. Guests confirmed for the weekend include David Sobolov, Jamie Marchi, Chris Rager, Paul Castro Jr. and Daman Mills. The convention has also reduced its emphasis on trading card games this year while expanding its outdoor activity area, the outlet reports.
UwU Con first debuted in October 2022 at what was then Bell Bank Park in Mesa, drawing an estimated 12,000 attendees during its inaugural three-day run, according to Phoenix New Times. The event was co-founded by Chef Justin Park of Mesa Korean restaurant Drunken Tiger, app developer Jared Nichols, and Preston Statzer, owner of Mesa game store Olympus Games — a trio whose backgrounds explain why food and tabletop gaming remain core pillars of the convention, per the same outlet's reporting.
A Winding Path Across the Valley
Before landing at its current home, UwU Con bounced between venues across metro Phoenix. The event moved from Legacy Park in Mesa during 2022 and 2023 to WestWorld of Scottsdale in November 2024, before settling into downtown Mesa last October, the report notes. This year marks its second straight year at the Mesa Convention Center, suggesting the organizers have found a lasting home after years of relocation.
The city-owned convention center sits on a 22-acre parkland campus offering nearly 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting and exhibit space, 26 breakout rooms, another 40,000 square feet of outdoor function space, and an adjacent 5,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater, according to the City of Mesa. The complex sits adjacent to the 275-room Delta Hotels Phoenix Mesa, and city council members approved a $39 million, 150-room AC Hotel by Marriott nearby on Main Street this past August to help meet growing downtown convention lodging demand, as Hoodline previously reported.
Tickets, Hours and VIP Perks
UwU Con runs noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Badges are sold both in advance and at the event, though onsite admission prices increase by $10 for each option, the New Times reports. Single-day admission for ages 11 and up runs $35.97 to $46.85, weekend full-event admission costs $90.37, VIP admission runs $111.04, and a squad pack covering four people costs $264.47.
Children 10 and under get free admission with a paid adult. VIP badge holders receive vendor-hall early entry one hour before opening, along with express signature lines, an exclusive shirt and a swag bag, according to the same report. The Mesa Convention Center also offers free parking with hundreds of spaces available.
Autograph prices with featured guests range from $20 to $250, while selfie prices range from $20 to $200, per the outlet's reporting. Digital podcast network and production company Mercury: Age of Radio is serving as the title sponsor for this year's event, according to UwU Con.
Food, Vendors and Artist Alley
Food has always been central to UwU Con's identity, a legacy that traces back to co-founder Justin Park, who opened Drunken Tiger in Mesa in 2018 as Arizona's first traditional Korean-style pub, according to PHOENIX Magazine. This year's food and drink lineup includes Let's Toast, Myungrang Hotdogs, Jerk Island AZ, HungryWolf Bakery, Drunken Tiger x Twisted Munchies, Wiki-licious, Hot Bamboo, Taiwan Mama, Kada Vietnamese Coffee & Tea and Wabeebee, per the New Times.
Organizers report more than 200 vendors this year, per Justin Park, with a lineup spanning retailers, artisans and anime-focused merchandise companies. The artist alley features 100 artists from Arizona and beyond, while local costuming groups have booths set up in the vendor hall as well.
Cosplay Rules and Safety Guidelines
Cosplayers attending UwU Con must comply with state and local decency laws and wear shoes at all times, with pointed-heel or pointed-tip shoes — including stilettos and stilts — prohibited. Males wearing bodysuits or tight-fitting costumes must wear dance belts, the convention's guidelines state.
Weapon props come with detailed restrictions: metal weapons are prohibited entirely, while swords, axes, spears and pikes must be made from wood, PVC, foam, plastic, cardboard or paper. Prop guns are permitted only with orange tips and no projectiles, cannot be pointed at others, and replica pistols must be kept in a holster while replica rifles must be slung. All prop weapons are peace-tied by security and cannot be brandished, and exotic weapons are reviewed case by case. Paddles, including yaoi paddles, are also prohibited.
Additional bans cover oversized bags and backpacks, drugs and illegal substances, hoverboards, skateboards, drones, carts, wagons, Segways and non-ADA scooters, laser pointers, fireworks, sparklers, incendiary devices and flammable liquids, coolers, helium and mylar balloons, and confetti and glitter. Other bags are subject to security searches.
Cosplay Contest and the Valley's Crowded Convention Calendar
The cosplay contest and skit showcase runs 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday on the main stage in Building B, with competitors judged on craftsmanship and performance. Winners receive trophies and cash prizes, and the event also offers daily cosplay meetups, workshops and showcases throughout the weekend.
UwU Con enters a Valley convention scene that has grown dramatically since the pandemic — the number of anime conventions in metro Phoenix tripled to nearly a dozen in that span, per the New Times. The boutique, food-forward event is still dwarfed by its larger peers: Saboten Con, founded in 2008 and held annually over Labor Day weekend in downtown Phoenix, remains Arizona's largest anime-dedicated convention, generating more than 23,000 unique visitors and 50,000 turnstile entries, as Hoodline reported. Arizona's largest overall pop-culture gathering, Phoenix Fan Fusion, drew a record attendance of over 130,000 people to the Phoenix Convention Center last year.
