CONvergence
| CONvergence | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Status | Active |
| Genre |
Science fiction convention Fantasy convention Speculative fiction Fan convention |
| Venue | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington – Minneapolis South |
| Location(s) | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 44°51′42″N 93°21′11″W / 44.86167°N 93.35306°WCoordinates: 44°51′42″N 93°21′11″W / 44.86167°N 93.35306°W |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1999 |
| Most recent | 2016 |
| Attendance | 6369 |
| Organized by | CONvergence Events, Inc. |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Website | |
| convergence-con.org | |
CONvergence is an annual convention for fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy in all media: a 4-day event with more than 6,000 members. This fan-run SciFi convention is held annually at the Doubletree by Hilton Bloomington on the first full weekend in July in Minnesota, United States.
CONvergence runs many parallel programming tracks, filling several convention rooms simultaneously with panels, speeches, demonstrations, recognitions, and screenings. It is one of the most-attended fan-run conventions in North America, with paid attendance just under 6,000.
The convention is known for several unique attractions including Cinema Rex, a couch-and-recliner-filled movie room; Theater Nippon, featuring anime; Connie's Space Lounge, a music and entertainment venue; COF2E2, a free coffee bar; CONsuite, hospitality and food; Harmonic CONvergence, which features musical acts; and the Dorian Gray Memorial Literary Lounge, a reading-and-writing setting.
There is also gaming (board, card, and roleplaying), an art show, an art auction, a dealer's room, all-night bardic music circles, and dozens of room parties of various themes. The walls of the convention are usually plastered with advertisements for different parties.
Multiple tracks of panel programming are provided in the plaza and atrium meeting rooms.
Cinema Rex hosts movies, while the Anime room shows anime throughout the weekend. Both rooms provide free drinks, popcorn and candy. Cinema Rex has sofa seating. In the past, Cinema Rex provided free pizza with one of its movies, usually one starring Kurt Russell.
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are held on the Main Stage.
The highly regarded Masquerade is held Saturday night, displaying the best in costuming and cosplay creations, usually with short skits.
Music events are also held on the main stage.
Various events are held in the huge indoor Garden Court, which also serves as a mingling area. The east side of the Garden Court & pool area contains the Consuite rooms on the upper level, and other hospitality rooms on the lower level, such as the COF2E2 bar and book swap library. The Garden Court is surrounded by two levels of Cabana rooms, north and south which serve as party rooms during the convention.
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Wikipedia