HawaiiCon Celebrates Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture

The “Walk of Fame” featuring sci-fi and fantasy TV and film celebrities. PC: Big Island Now.

PC: Big Island Now.

PC: Big Island Now.

Featured HawaiiCon artwalk by artist Shane Molinas. PC: Big Island Now.

PC: Big Island Now.

Cosplay fight choreography workshop. PC: Big Island Now

Wig making workshop. PC: Big Island Now.

An artist autographs posts for visitors during HawaiiCon. PC: Big Island Now.

Game of Thrones artwork. PC: Big Island Now.

PC: Big Island Now.

An artist shares his work with visitors at HawaiiCon. PC: Big Island Now.

The fifth-annual HawaiiCon Science Fiction Convention kicked off Thursday, Sept. 13, with a gamut of workshops and activities offering something for sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts of all ages. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the event which continues this weekend through Sunday, Sept. 16.

Held at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows resort in Waikoloa, the popular event is a charity effort by the nonprofit HawaiiCon to support STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) education on Hawai‘i Island through gaming, cosplay contests, film, fantasy art, educational presentations, celebrity appearances and more.

On Sunday, Sept. 16, the event will cater to kids and families featuring a costume contest, power rangers, films, a Studio Ghibli scavenger hunt, crafts, a mermaid pool party, keiki cosplay parade and field games.

Attendees of the conference so far have included students from 15 Hawai‘i high schools, science fiction and comic book artists and fans, cosplayers, gamers and other enthusiasts. The event’s schedule includes a host of TV and film celebrities including actors from Star Trek Voyager, Gallactica, Power Rangers and Stars Wars, in addition to cultural practitioners, authors, Hollywood Science Fiction producers and voice actors.

HawaiiCon concurrently hosts the Pacific-Basin STEAM Teaching Conference and the Science Fiction Popular Cultures Academic Conference, bringing educators and prominent science fiction and fantasy scholars together with artists and scientists.

The convention also incorporates the unique contributions of traditional Hawaiian culture in science fiction and fantasy, including Polynesian Navigation and Hawaiian language.