San Francisco native Roger Presa walks around dressed as Juggernaut during Bakacon at the Uratis Community Center on Saturday. (Chris Riley/The Reporter)
Solano County residents and “superheroes” rejoiced as they gathered Saturday for this year’s Bakacon to discuss anime, manga and pop culture.
The Uratis Cultural Center hosted the 6th Annual Bakacon 2024, a weekend event attended by comic book sellers and artists from across Solano County.
Attendance increased this year, with an estimated 5,000 fans flocking to this pop culture wonder. To avoid cramping the city, the city needed to create an outdoor area for vendors and artists.
Tiffany Ritchie Western, parks and reaction supervisor and one of the organizers of the third-year event, said all the positive feedback added to the addition of a second day.
“We don’t have any plans for if it gets too big, but I think there’s still a lot of space. In terms of space for people, I don’t think we’ve completely outgrown this area yet, but it does take up the entire campus. ” Western said. “We like the small hometown feel. I think we like that it’s small and not very commercialized.”
This year’s special guests include Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte, social media celebrity Mykal Sleats, actor Corey Feldman, and filmmaker Duwayne Dunham, who directed Halloweentown and Homeward Bound .
Western wants to prioritize vendor participation more and is looking for more high-profile celebrity and family features.
“LeVar Burton is on my top five list of players I really want to get next year. It’s all about money, but he would honestly be exciting to have,” Western said.
There were a few vendors with special guests, but most of the vendors were outside in a large circle in front of the center. One of them is Jenna Gallagher and Emma Mitchell, who sell the art they make.
“We were here last year as well, so this is our second year here, but this is our second year moving Artist Alley outside,” Gallagher said. “And I liked that because there were more people walking around looking at tables, so it wasn’t as stuffy inside.”
Also featured were professional cosplayer Roger Presa, 916 Ghostbusters, and the 501st Legion. The 501st Legion is a fan-based organization that specializes in creating and donning screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, clone troopers, bounty hunters, and more. A villain who appears in the Star Wars universe.
Immediately adjacent to the 501st Legion was the Teren clan of Mandalorian Merkus, a group that creates and wears Mandalorian armor, a clan-based warrior culture featured in Star Wars.
This year’s Vaca-Con has reached capacity for vendors and artists. Registration for next year’s convention is expected to open in approximately three to four months.
The event continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
