Gamers and ‘geeks’ celebrate 20 years of Port Con with events throughout the weekend

Port Con, a gaming and anime convention that celebrates geek culture and all things fandom, returned for its 20th year. It is the first and longest running gaming convention in Maine. “It’s a place where we can just be ourselves and celebrate and have fun and be happy for the weekend,” said Port Con founder Julie York. The event creates a space for like-minded people to celebrate their shared hobbies, which comes with creative cosplay costumes and inventive booths for convention. Participants say that it is a place where they feel completely safe. Artist and seller Briana Richardson said, “Everyone is just a die-hard fan of something and it’s a really cool community because everyone likes to support and uplift each other.” It is a form of escapism and a chance to take a break from daily life. Cosplayer Betty Fay said, “It’s very important to me to be creative and I think it should be important for anyone who wants to be able to push themselves beyond their everyday things.” The event began on Thursday evening and runs through Sunday with a packed schedule for each day. This is the first time the conference has taken place entirely in person since 2019. Last year was a hybrid. The participants were thrilled to make up for the time lost. Voiceover actor Molly Sarsi said, “People feel the kind of connectedness here that I think has disappeared over the years.” After two years of rough times and separation, the guys were thrilled to get back what they loved. The CW is a proud sponsor of Port Con.

Port Con, a gaming and anime convention that celebrates geek culture and all things fandom, returned for its 20th year. It is the first and longest running gaming convention in Maine.

“It’s a place where we can just be ourselves and celebrate and have fun and be happy for the weekend,” said Port Con founder Julie York.

The event creates a space for like-minded people to celebrate their shared hobbies, brimming with creative cosplay costumes and inventive booths for convention. Participants say that it is a place where they feel completely safe.

Artist and seller Briana Richardson said, “Everyone is just a die-hard fan of something and it’s a really cool community because everyone likes to support and uplift each other.”

It is a form of escapism and a chance to take a break from daily life.

Cosplayer Betty Fey said, “It’s very important to me to be creative and I think it should be important for anyone who wants to be able to push themselves beyond their everyday things.”

The event began on Thursday evening and runs through Sunday with a packed schedule for each day. This is the first time the conference has taken place entirely in person since 2019. Last year was a hybrid. The participants were thrilled to make up for the time lost.

Voiceover actor Molly Sarsi said, “People feel the kind of connectedness here that I think has disappeared over the years.”

After two years of rough times and separation, the guys were thrilled to get back what they love.

The CW is a proud sponsor of Port Con.