In the past, you’d have to wait until October to head to the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY, to experience RetroGameCon, but this year, you can get your retro gaming fix in May with RGC: Spring Edition on May 16th and 17th. There have been smaller spring events from RetroGameCon in prior years, but this event is expanded and features everything that gamers enjoy at the October show. RGC: Spring Edition will have special guests, vendors, free play, panel presentations, tournaments, and more. Check out what you can expect from the show.
Location and Times
RGC Spring Edition is at the same location as the annual October show, The Oncenter in Syracuse, NY, at 800 S. State St. There’s convenient parking right across the street in a parking garage specifically for the convention center, but there are also other parking options throughout the area. The show will be held in Hall B of The Oncenter, and the hours are 10 am to 6 pm EST on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm EST on Sunday. You can get single-day tickets for just Saturday ($20) or Sunday ($12) or get a 2-day ticket for both days ($30). There’s also a special $40 Sunday Family Pass that allows 4 people to attend the show. Kids 7 and under are free. You can get tickets by heading to this link: https://www.retrogamecon.com/event-details/retrogamecon-spring-edition
Exhibitors
RGC: Spring Edition will feature over 60 vendors on the main show floor. There’s a mix of artists and craft vendors who are making homemade nerdy items, to retro game vendors with hundreds of titles to fill the gaps in your game collection. Hopefully, there will be some retro toys, magazines, collectibles, and other hidden treasures to discover on the show floor, too. Whatever sparks your interest and drives your collecting bug, you’re sure to find something at the show.
Special Guests
RetroGameCon always manages to find some fun and exciting guests for their conventions, and RGC: Spring Edition has several guests you can meet to have items signed, get a photo taken, or thank them for all the awesome projects they’ve been involved with over the years. Bowser himself, Kenny James, will be attending, as will Daisuke Tsuji, who has voiced Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima and Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 1. If you’re a Sly Cooper fan, Kevin Miller, the voice of Sly, will be in attendance along with Alesia Glidwell, who voiced Carmelita Fox and has also voiced Crystal in Star Fox Assault, Samus in Smash Brothers Brawl, and dozens of other projects.
Panels and Events
Some special events you can check out over the weekend include a GameCube celebration, which turns 25 this year, featuring tournaments for two of its biggest titles: Super Mario Kart Double Dash and Super Smash Bros. Melee. There will also be high-score challenges for Ikrauga and F-Zero GX, as well as a GameCube trivia contest.
For card game players, there will be Pokémon and Magic events to compete in, along with other tabletop gaming. There will also be two tabletop beginner-friendly RPG sessions on Sunday: “What Hides Below”, a semi-horror dungeon crawl using D&D 5E rules hosted by Daniel “Taco” Sanchez, and “There is a BLANK on Icarus Station,” using the Mothership RPG system, hosted by Jed Locquiao. These RPG sessions are first-come, first-served, so get there early if you want to participate.
Cosplayers will also get a chance to shine in the show’s cosplay contest. Each day will also feature a panel with the special guests, including a Sly Cooper panel on Sunday. The fan favorite Rock Band Karaoke will also be featured both days, so attendees can belt out their favorite songs on stage.
After Party
If you want to keep the fun going on Saturday, there will be an After Party at Elite Gaming on 2 Clinton Square, about a 15-minute walk or 5-minute drive from the convention center. There will be a $5 cover charge to get in, and you must be 21 or older to attend. There will be food and themed drinks available courtesy of the venue’s kitchen, The Underground, and you can check out the gaming PCs and consoles available. There will also be some musical entertainment and door prizes, including potentially free passes to the October RetroGameCon show.
Final Thoughts
We’ve always enjoyed what the RetroGameCon team has done in October, and we’re excited that we don’t have to wait until the fall to get a similar experience. Based on all the years we’ve been attending, this should be a blast with all the vendors, special guests, free-play gaming, and special events. The show is expected to sell out a few days before it begins, so get your tickets as soon as possible if you’re interested in attending. If you want to know what the fall show is like, check out our coverage of last year’s October RetroGameCon.
