Gainesville residents in the fall flock to familiar events like The Fest, Tom Petty Weekend, the Downtown Festival & Art Show, and Gator football games. But another new tradition is carving out its own space for fans of comics, gaming and pop culture: Infinity Con.
Held Nov. 15–16 at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, the convention offered guests a chance to browse vendor booths, join or watch costume contests, play video and board games, and much more.
David Heringer, owner and director of immersive events for Infinity Con, said this year’s event marks the convention’s first “real” year in Gainesville after hurricane-related setbacks last year. Founded in Lake City in 2014, Infinity Con later expanded to Tallahassee in 2019 before finding a home in Gainesville.
“So, I was glad to be able to get back in here and really get it set up and bring more of the event that I really wanted to do for Gainesville,” Heringer said.
Infinity Con attendees encountered numerous characters roaming the main floor, including Batman, manga and anime character Chainsaw Man, and several heroes and villains from “Star Wars.”
Dressed as rebel alliance X-Wing pilot Wedge Antilles, David Sollberger said he is a part of the Rebel Legion, one of several different “Star Wars” costuming organizations who joined “forces” to bring several volunteers and props to Infinity Con.
Sollberger, who was attending his first Infinity Con, said he joined Rebel Legion in 2019 and has been a fan of “Star Wars” since first seeing the original film in theaters in 1977.
“Most of the time, I do children’s hospitals, autistic events, non-profit things, cancer research funding events. That’s really what we do is do charity work to raise money or awareness,” Sollberger said.
Another highlight was The Fallout Xperience, an attraction inspired by the popular video game series. Guests toured a post-apocalyptic vault filled with props like Nuka-Cola bottles, a Mr. Handy robot, and a 3D-printed Deathclaw or “genetically engineered reptilian creature.”
Infinity Con also featured artist Christopher Burdett, known for his work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” and “Firefly.” Burdett now creates monsters for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: From ‘Star Wars’ to anime, Infinity Con celebrates all things pop culture
Reporting by Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
