Black-owned Dream Con coming to Austin for the first time. Here's what to expect

Hannah Ortega, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
Dream Con will take place at the Austin Convention Center on 500 E Cesar Chavez St. from July 28-30.
Dream Con will take place at the Austin Convention Center on 500 E Cesar Chavez St. from July 28-30.

As cliché as he admits it may sound, Johnathan Newton said his RDCWorld team wants Dream Con to be a place where people can live out their dreams.

Their nerdy fandom dreams, of course.

As an anime and gaming convention, Dream Con welcomes fans of Demon Slayer, Super Smash Bros, Chainsaw Man, Street Fighter and more. It welcomes casual fans and diehard cosplayers, figure collectors and autograph seekers, and for the first time, it's coming to Austin from July 28-30.

RDCWorld, a group of anime and gaming YouTubers who live together in Austin, founded Dream Con in Waco in 2018 as a way to connect with fans. As a Black-owned business — and perhaps the only Black-owned convention in Texas — Dream Con focuses on making the anime and gaming space inclusive through its activities and special guests.

More: Austin makes top 10 list of geekiest cities in America

"We're trying to bring as many minorities who are into the fandom of anime and gaming (as possible)," said Newton, Dream Con's chief operating officer. "It's going to be for everyone, but I think that's kind of the standout thing."

The event's move to Austin comes after it outgrew Arlington's Esports Stadium, the 2021 and 2022 host site. Last year's Dream Con saw 6,000 attendees, and with this year's tickets selling out in February, Newton and his team are expecting around 20,000 people to pack the Austin Convention Center. Newton said they may even release some single-day badges for locals despite the sellout.

Cosplayers pose at Dream Con 2022. This year is Dream Con's first time in Austin.
Cosplayers pose at Dream Con 2022. This year is Dream Con's first time in Austin.

With such a large number of attendees, many of whom are traveling to Austin just for the convention, Newton said he feels confident that Dream Con will help Austin become a formidable convention hub. As it stands, two of the most well-known nerd cities are Dallas and Houston thanks to conventions like FAN EXPO Dallas and Comicpalooza.

At the same time, RDCWorld wants to take their time with growth and maintain as much intimacy with their community as possible. After all, their fans are the reason Dream Con came to exist in the first place, and they need ample space to bring their dreams to life.

"I would say our attendees of Dream Con, everyone's there to make friends," Newton said. "It's like brothers and sisters."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Black-owned Dream Con coming to Austin for the first time