Blerdcon
{{Short description|Multi-genre fan convention in the United States}}
{{Infobox Convention
| name = Blerdcon
| image =
| caption =
| status = Active
| venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
| location = Arlington, Virginia
| country = United States
| first = 2017
| website = https://blerdcon.org/
}}
Blerdcon is an annual three-day multi-genre convention held during July at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The convention's name comes from the word "blerds", a term for black nerds. It was co-founded by Hassan Parrish and Hilton George. Blerdcon aims to be diverse and inclusive.
Programming
History
Blerdcon's idea came out of the experience of attending another convention, MomoCon. First year attendance was higher than expected, with 1,800 people. Blerdcon 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Blerdcon 2021 required attendees to wear masks and provide their COVID-19 vaccination card. The cosplay contest caused controversy in 2021 due to it being won by a Caucasian woman. Blerdcon in 2022 continued to have mask and vaccination requirements. The convention had programming on Thursday in 2023. For safety during the 2025 event, S. Clark Street was closed.
=Event history=
| class="wikitable" width="100%" | |||
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests
{{Convention list | date = June 30 - July 2, 2017 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | guests = Bec's Cosplay Wonderland and Eric "The Smoke" Moran. }} {{Convention list | date = July 27–29, 2018 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = Karan Ashley, Mega Ran, Michael "Knightmage" Wilson, Douriean Fletcher, Kevin Grevioux, and Keisha Tucker. }} {{Convention list | date = July 12–14, 2019 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = Beau Billingslea, Estelle, Shaina “Samuraider” West, and Rachel True. }} {{Convention list | date = July 16-18, 2021 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = Karan Ashley, Dax ExclamationPoint, Barr Foxx, Roxxy Haze, Wreck it Ronnie, Scotty Swan, Violette Verse, and Yeliz. }} {{Convention list | date = July 8-10, 2022 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = J'adore Cosplay and Orlando Jones. }} {{Convention list | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = Karan Ashley, Ade M'Cormack, Cree Summer, and Rachel True. }} {{Convention list | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | attendance = | guests = Ahmed Best, Atandwa Kani, Walter Jones, and Phil LaMarr. }} {{Convention list | date = March 7-9, 2025 | venue = Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport | location = Arlington, Virginia | guests = Reed Shannon, Chuck Lightning, Janelle Monae, and Chad Weatherford. }} |
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References
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External links
- [https://blerdcon.org/ Blerdcon Website]
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{{Multigenre conventions in North America}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blerdcon}}
Category:Multigenre conventions
Category:Recurring events established in 2017
Category:2017 establishments in Virginia
Category:Annual events in Virginia
Category:Festivals in Virginia
Category:Tourist attractions in Arlington County, Virginia