BN'K ON TOUR: THE REVIEWS

 As fandom events continue to grow in the United States, Florida, especially the Central Florida area, has seen an increase in pop-culture events. For years, if you stayed in Orlando or the greater Orlando area, you could expect a few showcases a year. Anime Day Orlando in the spring and fall, MegaCon Orlando in the early summer, now early spring, Mystic Con in the late spring, and the popular Christmas-themed Holiday Matsuri in the winter. However, a new convention has decided to throw its hat in the ring of Central Florida conventions, taking over a portion of the west wing of the Orange County Convention Center from August 8th to the 10th, 2025. That convention was Animate! Orlando . This convention is by no means a humble operation; it’s a part of the larger GalaxyCon conglomerate, which hosts around 16 shows each year in cities all across the US. The Animate show series currently has four cities it tours in, including Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, North Carolina. According ...

As someone who has been attending cons since 2013, I’ve seen the shift in convention culture. Conventions that once filled small hotel meeting rooms or community centers now take over convention centers and multiple hotels, growing to feature larger talent, sponsors, exhibitor halls, and venues. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is very different from the conventions of previous decades, and I’m a sucker for the conventions of that era. Smaller, cozier events where everyone knows each other, and yet each year you discover something new. You get to watch your friends and community grow, and there's something nostalgic and endearing about it all.  I haven’t felt this way about a convention in a long time, but that’s what this year's Anime Festival of Orlando (AFO) felt like. It felt like home. I've been going to AFO for nearly a decade, and I’ve seen the event change and grow over the years, but these last two years feel like a renaissance for the convention, as AFO...

Maid Cafes are one of my favorite anime convention experiences. The puffy maid costumes, the cute theatrics, and the adorable maids and butlers never cease to bring me joy, even though I’ve attended around 30 or so cafe experiences. What keeps me addicted and coming back to maid cafes isn’t just the kawaiiness of it all; it's the personality and joy displayed by the maids and staff, and no other cafe experience does it quite like Sweet Tooth Maid Cafe. I’ve talked about my experience at this cafe before, and for this year at Anime Festival of Orlando, the experience was largely the same, or so I thought. The Sweet Tooth maids were determined to expand their offering this year, providing a new cafe experience in addition to their traditional cafe services, as well as adding new maids. If you love cozy pajama parties with cute aesthetics, Sweet Tooth’s newest experience was their evening PJ party hosted on Saturday night. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this experience myself, ...

As a tenured convention attendee and lifelong nerd, few events catch me off guard or throw me for a loop, that is, until I attended Dream Con. A convention founded by the popular content creator group RDCworld. Normally, when I prep for cons, I do so in a way that has always worked before, using tips and tricks that I have amassed over the last 10 years that I've been attending cons, but Dream Con was a different experience and required some new tips that I picked up and that I want to share with you. If you’re planning on attending Dream Con for the first time or are looking for a way to improve your trip for next year’s showcase, here are some of the tips I have for you. Planning Your Trip If you’re someone unfamiliar with Houston, Texas, and doesn’t live in the area, this section is specifically for you. Assuming you’ve already bought your ticket, trip planning. Tip #1: Airbnb vs Hotel I can’t tell you which room accommodation will serve you better, but I have some helpful tips ...

  Dream Con 2025 came and went like a whirlwind, and the BN’K on Tour team is dealing with post-con sadness about it. From the diversity on full display from the cosplays and creative outfits, to the fun activities available, there was something particularly special about this event that we enjoyed. And while there are a ton of things that we could include about our time at Dream Con, we wanted to highlight our favorite experiences, activations, and activities from Dream Con 2025. Megan Thee Stallion’s Chicas Divertitas Tequila Booth The team adored the Chicas Divertitas Booth with its colorful, bubbly staff, supreme vibes, and tasty drinks. Enjoying the booth was a simple as hopping into line, where you filled out a consent form and completed an age verification check by showing your ID. Once completed, we waited in line and enjoyed the amazing DJ playing all of the hot girl tunes your heart desires. Once we made it to the front of the line, we were greeted by booth attendants who...