Gaming, cosplay convention moves to Hoover

The Magic City Con has moved from the Cahaba Grand Conference Center to the Hyatt Regency in Hoover this month for its second year of games, costumes, comics, panels and more.

Organizers Rita Houston and Jamie Phelps said about 3,000 people attended the inaugural Magic City Con at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center last year. With tickets already sold in around 40 states and a few other countries, they said this year is going to be bigger and better.

The June 10-12 event will include about 90 different vendors, a variety of panels, KidCon activities, gaming, a cosplay contest and more. A few new activities this year include voice acting classes from Jennifer Hale, a Star Wars academy at KidCon and a cosplay “date” auction benefiting Extra Life children’s charity, with “Fallout 4” voice actor Danny Shorago as the headlining cosplayer to be auctioned.

There will also be an evening masquerade ball and drinks at a replica of the Mos Eisley Cantina from “Star Wars.” Blanket Fort Hope, an Alabama non-profit for child victims of human trafficking, will sponsor a “side quest” for attendees to donate and complete a quest throughout the convention.

 “Basically we brought back everything that everybody thought was popular, except we tried to make it a little bit different and interesting,” Houston said.

A full schedule and information about Magic City Con can be found at magiccitycon.com.