8Bit/Digi

After months of reporting its progress, the SacAnime Summer 2017 weekend was finally here. The Labor Day weekend offered fans the chance to meet industry figures, learn about the culture they love, make new friends and have a good time.

Fans who had a good time at Crunchyroll Expo, FanamieCon or Sillicon Valley Comic Con would also enjoy a weekend at SacAnime Summer 2017. Despite a massive heatwave making life miserable all over Northern California, this was the perfect escape for gamers and anime fans who just wanted to have a fun weekend.

Vendors

SacAnime had over 100 merchants, artists and industry vendors along with several local Con’s promoting their upcoming event. Here anyone could find old video games and collectible merchandise or one could pick up some amazing designs from respected artists. Even if you had no shopping agenda, it’s still fun to look through all the cool stuff and meet the many artists.

Even though there were many vendors, these are among the few that stood out or we just spent a lot of time chatting with:

Wasteland Exports is dedicated to recreating the many memorable items from the Fallout series. The staff has been dedicated to recreating iconic items like Nuka-Cola bottles to boxes of RadAway. This is the ultimate shop for the hardcore Fallout fan.

Kraken Con team was present to promote their upcoming event, Cosplay Day on the USS Hornet. Fans could pick up a few memorabilia or learn about other upcoming Cons in the Bay Area.

BitReplay has always been the go to vendor for used games and consoles at any fan convention. From old PlayStation and N64 titles to games from the Seventh Generation era, their collection is a treasure chest for gamers.

Panels

Cons are not just about meeting celebrates and making new friends, it’s also a chance to gain some insight into the culture or industry. SacAnime organized a series of panels that discussed a verity of topics given by special guests, industry insider.

These are some of the panels I got to checkout during the weekend:

John Ratzenberger was a Q&A session with the acclaimed actor regarding his work with Pixar and on Cheers. Ratzenberger was greeted to a pack room with the audience singing “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” along with a massive line of eager fans. During the panel – he shared how Pixar transformed Emeryville, how he created the character Cliff Clavin and some of his favorite roles.

Game Of Thrones was a Q&A session with Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand). Fans got the chance to ask questions regarding how it felt when they got the role along with how they handled the death of their character. Daniel Portman was also suppose to be at SacAnime but had to cancel at the last minute.

The Legend Of Zelda Reunion was a session that featured Patricia Summersett, Elizabeth Maxwell, and Bill Rogers discussing their work on Breath of the Wild. Fans also got to ask about their previous works, most notably Rogers work with the Pokemon series.

Steven Universe was a session that featured Zach Callison, Susan Egan, and Grace Rolek discussing the hit TV show. Fans got the chance to ask questions about the show has changed their lives along with some of their favorite moments.

Musical Performances

SacAnime had several musical performances during the weekend, all held in the Special Events room. Late Night Electronic Dance was held on both Friday and Saturday night with performances by DJ Shawty along with Liquid86. Saturday afternoon was all about the K-Pop and J-Pop Battles as performance competed to demonstrate their fandom.

Cosplay Wrestling Federation: BLKOUT

It’s never an anime convention without an unforgettable show from the Cosplay Wrestling Federation. A verity of iconic characters from video games, comics and anime all lay the smack down in an attempt to claim championship belt. This was also the first time that actual wrestling was incorporated into the show, so fans got to see Bill Nye go up against Pika Libre.

Cafe Hoshi

Cafe Hoshi was the maid cafe of the convention and was located in Ballroom 308 on the third floor. Guest got to enjoy some tasty treats while playing fun games or watching a live performance by the staff.

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Cosplay

No SacAnime story is ever complete without mentioning all the amazing cosplayers that were present. Some worked for authenticity while other added their own personal style. It was not just a photo op with your favorite character but also a chance to learn some tips for anyone who is trying to make their own costume.

Food Trucks

There are plenty of restaurants around the Sacramento Convention Center, but there were a few food trucks for those who didn’t want to go far. Guests had a diverse option from trucks that served traditional Mexican food to ones that serve fusion dishes.

Final Thoughts

It may have been one of the hottest days of the year but SacAnime was the best way for many to end the Summer season. It was another great opportunity to meet new people while also hanging out with friends.

If you had a chance to check out SacAnime Summer 2017, share your story in the comment section below.

Disclaimer: SacAnime provided us with passes for the weekend.

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