Fellow geeks, collectors, steampunkers, and cosplay fans, get your character costumes ready for the original Pop Culture Convention, AMA-CON, returning on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the Amarillo Civic Center.
According to event coordinators, it’s a fun time to get out of the regular world and into a super fantasy world full of superheroes and villains, with hundreds of vendors, and dive into comics, crafts, collectibles and costumes, to name a few.
More than 100 vendors will set up booths with unique jewelry, rare comic books, collectible action figures, crocheted Pokeman figures, along with unique artwork — about anything you could imagine.
Cosplay contests allow participants to dress as their favorite characters from comics, movies and games, offering them a fun way to escape and express their passion for their favorite fandoms.
This year’s special guests include some well-known artists, including Billy Bolt, Cindy Pham, Mark Crilley, Tiffany Grant, as well as Sara Tomko and Rumble the Rex.
Stacy Clopton, Amarillo Public Library’s coordinator of PR and programming, said, “We like to call AMA-CON a celebration of comics, anime, gaming, sci-fi, steampunk and everything else that’s geeky and awesome.”
This year, the event will feature artists, vendors, cosplay, gaming along with panels and presentations. Also, the AMA-CON will have an art show, kids’ activities, gaming tournaments and cosplay contests lasting until 7 p.m.
At a special Rumble Habitat, you can have your photo taken with Rumble the Rex, who will be roaming the event floor.
Special guests for 2026
Billy Bolt — A New Mexico-based cosplayer, prop maker and entertainer, he decribes himself as a “professional nerd.” Bolt has been debuting eleaborate foam and light-up cosplays at conventions, from Doctor Strange’s magic disks to Escanor’s Rhitta axe. He has also worked on several film and TV productions, including “Coyote vs Acme” and special effects makeup on “American Primeval,” appearing at multiple Marvel red carpet premieres.
Cindy Pham — Pham is a queer Vietnamese-American author of a No. 1 New York Times, USA Today and Indie Bestseller, “The Secret World of Briar Roe,” which earned rare reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Based in New York, she works as a full-time designer while moonlighting as a fiction writer and content creator along with maintaining a YouTube channel, “Reading with Cindy.”
Mark Crilley — Crilley is an author and illustrator of more than 50 books and graphic novels, including the Akiko sries and The Drawing Less, for which he has received 14 Eisner Award nominations. His work has been mentioned in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal and CNN Headline News. He will be offering a cartooning workshop, Q&A and a live drawing demo, and he will participate in the AMA-CON Sketch Off.
Tiffany Grant — A first time attendee at AMA-CON, Grant is thrilled to attend this event in her home state of Texas. Besides voicing Asuka in the “Evangelion” anime franchise, Grant also narrated the audiobooks for the “Neon Genesis Evangelion Anima” light novels.
Sara Tomko — A film, television and theater actor based in Los Angeles and CEO of In The Pocket Productions, Tomko is known as series regular Asta Twelvetrees in the hit show “Resident Alien,” produced by Amblin/NBCU and which can be found on Netflix and Peacock. Along with being an actor, she is a producer, poet, singer, artist, earring maker and thrift store seeker, along with being a mental health advocate.
Rumble the Rex — With a rumble and roar, Rumble the Rex will be visiting the AMA-CON to celebrate the imagination, creativity, literacy and community. Visitors will be able to enjoy photo opps with Rumble.
Admission info and schedule highlights
AMA CON is presented by the Friends of the Amarillo Public Library. A one-day pass will be only $8, with a two-day pass for $10.
The convention is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2.
The highly anticipated Geek Prom will have dancing with music from 7:15 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with admission free with the AMA-CON wristband in the Amarillo Civic Center Regency Room.
Sunday will feature the final tournament rounds, a sketch-off competition and the conclusion of five different cosplay contests.
Proceeds from the event directly benefit the Friends of the Amarillo Public Library.
For more information, including the full schedule and full list of participating vendors for AMA CON, visit the event’s website, https://www.libraryamacon.org/ or go to their pages on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Nell Williams is a staff writer covering trends and other news for the Amarillo Globe-News. Have a story idea? Email her at nwilliams@usatodayco.com .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Enjoy all things geeky and awesome with AMA-CON, here’s when and where
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
