It’s been a little over a week since my second attendance at Thy Geekdom Con with a weekend full of firsts. My first group cosplay, burlesque show, and voice actor meet and greet made this convention a memorable one.
Thy Geekdom Con 2025 was held in its usual location at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Halls A, B, D, & E over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23rd-25th. As an anime and gaming convention, it was a great mix of weeb and geek with a car show, voice actors, panels, tattoo artists, video games, table top gaming, and the artist alley and dealer’s den. This was their ten year anniversary!
For me, the biggest draw of this convention is buying merchandise from small businesses, playing video games, and enjoying time with my friends. I’m going to touch on general and specific convention experiences in my review below.
Hotel
I’ve stayed in a decent amount of hotels throughout my life, and I’d rank this one somewhere in the middle. The location to the con was the biggest positive out of staying here, with only a three to five minute drive down a single lane non-busy road. It was also nestled nicely near food options and Target if we needed to grab anything. The free hot breakfast was great and all of the staff were pleasant.
As for the negatives, with our room selection being on the first floor by the exit door, it was popular for pet parents. When my friend was the first to arrive, she noticed a heavy dog smell in the room and some animal damages to the couch and chairs. Unfortunately, the hotel was booked and we couldn’t switch rooms. Their solution was to spray the room down. While that helped the smell, it also caused me to have an allergic reaction throughout the weekend.
The holiday weekend price point was definitely not worth the room experience we got. I don’t regret it, since we were able to have much needed down time from the con, but if I or my group did return to this hotel, we would request an upper level room.
Location and Layout
A huge perk to attending Thy Geekdom Con is the proximity to where I live, only about an hour’s drive away. With this closeness, it’s feasible to do a day-trip (like my group did last year) or go the whole weekend. Not to mention being over Memorial Day Weekend means my entire friend group was off work the Monday after to recuperate.
I’d also say being familiar with this convention center is a plus for me, since I’ve attended other events and conventions there. It’s a large space to accommodate attendees, events, cars, and more. While it’s not exactly built for comfort, plenty of seating locations and free walls allow for sitting and leaning.
It’s even easy to navigate with or without the maps provided in the Guidebook app. Within the first couple of hours walking around, I could easily bring myself or my group to a specific location. The abundance of available bathrooms is also a great perk. Hotel conventions can often be harder to navigate than a center like this.
Cosplay
One of my favorite parts of going to conventions is cosplaying and seeing others’ creativity in their cosplay. This year, the Beastars cosplay finally got out of the group chat! As Juno, Haru, Legoshi, and Louis, my friends and I strutted around the convention on Saturday in our first ever group cosplay. This was decided before we knew Jonah Scott, English VA for Legoshi, was going to be there, which was a big bonus. Being in a recognizable cosplay always makes me feel good, to the point that I was disappointed to take it off at the end of the day. Our cosplay also made us a new friend with another Legoshi cosplayer. I’ll definitely bring Legoshi back to other conventions, whether with my friends or alone.
I happily saw plenty of cosplay I recognized too, from fandoms like Arcane, Danganronpa, Beastars, and more.
Artist Alley + Dealer’s Den
With spacious aisles and a huge variety of products and merchandise, my group spent a chunk of time browsing all of the stalls in the artist alley and dealer’s den. I gravitated the most towards any stall with 3D printed fidget toys or keychains, art from my fandoms, and cute animal pins for my ITA bags. I was also pulled into a booth selling a graphic novel PROCTOR, as well as an artist who designed a spooky cat tarot deck. Even if I didn’t purchase something at a booth, I was happy to play the game of “information and card collecting” to check out their work later.
Experiences
Manga Library, Tabletop Games, Video Games and Arcade
In a majority of these free locations, my group only stopped in for a moment. For the manga library, we took a quick look around at their inventory and signage. I was glad to see a sign indicating that their collection is new and growing, since I’m used to Zenkaikon’s impressive room of manga.
The tabletop gaming room was popular and well stocked with complex and simple games. My friends and I picked up a game we’d never played before and one of the working team members was excellent in explaining it. Though we had to run early to make it to a panel, I wouldn’t have minded staying longer in the calm space.
The video games and arcade location is always a highlight for my friends. We kept our honorary tradition of playing Super Smash Bros together when we had time in between events. They have a great selection of consoles and games, and it always seems like a busy and fun time when you walk in.
Tattoo and Body Modification
Though it wasn’t my first, fellow writer Gabby got her first tattoo at a convention (not her first tattoo, as she has many, but she’s never gotten a tattoo at an anime convention). While she was getting inked, the rest of the group browsed through the other tattoo and body modification stalls. They had a neat selection of artists, some selling merchandise as well as booking tattoo appointments. I even came away with a new tattooer to follow on Instagram and check out in the future. The locality of the con meant most of the artists were locals too.
Jonah Scott
Like I previously mentioned, it was coincidence that my group planned to cosplay Beastars at the same con Jonah Scott was attending as a guest voice actor. I was so ecstatic to meet him cosplaying one of his characters and loved his reaction to our group cosplay. Jonah was friendly, enthusiastic, and overall a great person to meet. He was doing personalized signatures on art you could buy at the table and adding on pictures as well. When I mentioned I was press for the con and asked to take his photo, he was happy to oblige. Gabby cosplayed another of his characters, Joe from Sk8, the next day and she returned for a photo with him, too.
For my first time meeting a VA, the experience was perfect.
Dim Sum Court Oaks
For our Saturday dinner, our group went the recently opened Dim Sum Court Oaks. Essentially, I’d give it five out of five stars for many reasons. The food was great, the staff were helpful and quick, and we all got a free pin at the end to celebrate their opening. They were also doing a deal for con-goers, giving 10% off and a buy one get one free boba tea. I also want to specifically point out how kind they are. Near the end of our meal, I unfortunately got a nosebleed. The quickness of the staff to get me napkins and ice as I rushed to the bathroom warmed my heart. It’s worth it to eat at a place that doesn’t only see customers, but people.
Panels and Performances
Cosplay Burlesque 18+
From 10:30 PM to 12:00 AM, this Cosplay Burlesque show was worth the late night:
“Cosplay Burlesque is the East Coast’s premier burlesque troupe specializing in fandom and convention entertainment! We are excited to bring our brand of nerdy, naughty fun to your convention. Featuring striptease, comedy, dance, acrobatics, sideshow, and drag, we are an all-inclusive troupe of all genders, shapes, sizes, orientations and identities. The members of Cosplay Burlesque have dressed up as your favorite characters and entertained audiences at over 40 conventions and events since 2008 to outstanding success.”
No one in my friend group has been to a burlesque show until Saturday night at Thy Geekdom Con, and let me say, it was well worth it. Their description is true to performance with multiple body types and genders represented. The chosen characters were surprising, sexy, and funny all at once. Some of my favorites included Astarion from Baldur’s Gate, Gelatinous Cube from Dungeons & Dragons, and Winnie the Pooh (as crazy as that one sounds). The event was so popular they didn’t have enough chairs unless people left a little early, even with the addition of several bean bag chairs. We ended up leaning against a wall for a majority of the performances and still had an amazing time.
Ultimate Sports Anime Trivia
Hosted from 2:30-3:30 PM on Sunday, May 25th:
“So you think you know sports anime? Prove it! Join sports anime enthusiast Gemini Bee Cosplay and her lovely assistant Hail Sun to test your knowledge of series ranging from mainstream like Haikyuu!! to obscure like PuraOre! The winner will go home with fabulous prizes – and go down in history as a Sports Anime Connoisseur.”
Gabby and I first hosted her sports trivia panel at Zenkaikon, making this our second run through. I played an even smaller role this time around, with only one microphone available. I was fine with this arrangement since my voice was scratchy from my allergic reaction in the hotel room, plus we both had a great time regardless. I believe we had more attendees at this one than Zenkaikon, too. We even had a returning fan from our last trivia.
Despite being in the panel room next to the video games, I didn’t find it as distracting as I thought I would. It was easier to block out the sounds of the large room (since panels were separated by fabric) than I expected.
With two panels under our belt, I’m excited to see what other topics Gabby and I come up with to host, whether together or separate!
