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AVCon 2025: Confirmed Guests, Cosplayers, Date + What You Need to Know
- The Curator
- Jun 28
- 10 min read
AVCon 2025: Adelaide’s Anime & Gaming Freakshow Goes Full Throttle
Gather your squad, charge your handhelds, and duct tape those cat ears to your skull — because AVCon is back, and it’s not just here to play. It’s here to dominate. From July 5–6, 2025, at the Adelaide Showground, this fan-fuelled juggernaut returns with its biggest, loudest, nerdiest blowout to date. Forget chill. AVCon 2025 is going full chaos mode — and you’re invited to the party.
Power-Up: What’s New for 2025?
AVCon 2025 has mutated into a two-pavilion beast, now roaring across the Jubilee and Wayville Pavilions. That means more cosplay, more chaos, and enough content to give your inner geek a serotonin overload.
Console Freeplay Arena – Sink your teeth into the latest from PS5, Xbox Series X, and the fabled Nintendo Switch 2. Whether you're here for couch carnage or just wanna mash buttons until your soul leaves your body, this is your digital dojo.
Indie Games Room – The breeding ground of tomorrow’s obsessions. Discover fresh devs and offbeat gems before they become Steam darlings. Test games still dripping with experimental ideas, glitchy charm, and just enough soul to win you over.
Retro Gaming Museum – Relive the pixelated pain and glory of your childhood. CRTs. Cartridges. Blisters from button mashing. This shrine to nostalgia is here to remind you how real gamers suffered.
Expect floor-to-ceiling action with tournaments, speedruns, and mini-events happening all weekend. Whether you're here to conquer or spectate, AVCon's gaming spaces are a battleground and a sanctuary rolled into one.
Confirmed Guests for AVCon 2025
Whether you’re attending for the pop culture panels, cosplaying, or to find a new favourite character - AVCon 2025 promises an unforgettable experience.
I've prepared a list below of the confirmed guests including their works and associated links.
Henry Furlow
Animator and Designer
The first American ever to direct an episode of One Piece for Toei Animation (Episode 1066, baby!), Henry Thurlow’s resume reads like a Shonen Jump fever dream — Attack on Titan, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Overlord, Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto Shippuden, and yes, the Straw Hat crew. This Tokyo-based trailblazer isn’t just showing up to flex; he’s bringing live demos, insider secrets on the Japanese animation grind, and creative fuel for every aspiring animator ready to draw blood and pixels. Want a taste? Hit up his appearance on Cat with Beard from Japan — then catch him live at AVCon before he warps back to his sakuga dimension.
CC Viper
Cosplayer
Hold onto your wigs and fan yourselves dramatically — CC Viper is slinking into AVCon 2025 and she’s bringing the full force of cosplay and chaos with her. Melbourne’s resident queen of statuesque stunners, Viper isn’t just a cosplayer — she’s a walking power fantasy who’s burned up stages from PAX to Nerdlesque with her signature blend of glamour, geek, and burlesque heat. Whether she’s commanding crowds at panels or igniting pulses at Yokai Beats, Viper lives the message she preaches: cosplay as transformation, revelation, and pure radiant power.
At AVCon After Dark, she’ll host the After Dark Cosplay event, drop truth bombs in her adults-only panel, and headline the firestarter that is Cirque du Cosplay. Oh, and when she’s not melting minds with sequins and smirks? She’s literally researching infectious diseases for her Master’s in biomedical science. Yeah — she’s got range.
Deerstalker Pictures
1 For All Creators
Grab your dice and prep your reaction rolls, nerdlings — because Deerstalker Pictures and the cast of the chaotic, critically acclaimed web series 1 For All are storming into AVCon 2025 like a natural 20 to the face!
The fantasy-comedy dream team behind your favourite bardic blunders and DM meltdowns — Elliot Owen Charles (writer/director) and Goldie Soetianto (producer/cinematographer) — have been crafting cinematic fan films and pixel-perfect parodies since 2012. From anime love letters to gaming satire with more heart than a crit heal, they’ve turned YouTube into their personal tavern stage. And now they’re bringing the full cast, camera-ready chaos, and enough behind-the-scenes sorcery to AVCon to make your long rest feel like a rock concert.
Eva Devore
1 For All Cast Member
Eva Devore, the powerhouse behind the unstoppable Evandra from 1 For All, is bringing her polymorph-level talents to AVCon 2025. Hailing from Sydney with more feathers in her cap than a showgirl dragon slayer, Eva’s a triple-threat tornado: award-winning burlesque performer, event sorceress, and costume conjurer for stage and screen. When she’s not slaying monsters with sass and steel, she’s crafting couture for Wicked, West Side Story, Opera Australia, and — oh yeah — designing every jaw-dropping look across three seasons of 1 For All.
If bardcore brilliance had a patron saint, her name would be Eva Devore.
Fall
1 For All Cast Member
Meet Fall — professional actor, seasoned model, and all-around pop culture shapeshifter with a decade-long career that’s danced through the bleeding edge of media and fandom innovation. When they’re not lighting up screens or strutting through style-forward chaos, you’ll find them curled up in a cat-pile with their two furry familiars or weaving community magic with folks who give a damn.
Equal parts heart, hustle, and high fashion — Fall is the kind of force that turns comfort zones into launchpads.
Pat Mandziy
1 For All Cast Member
Sound the horns and prep your memes — Pat Mandziy, aka the gloriously unhinged Illustrium from 1 For All, is crashing into AVCon 2025 like a fireball made of dad jokes and dramatic flair. This actor, internet jester, and certified Silly Man has built a cult following across the digital wilds with his genre-hopping chaos — from deep dives into history, to skits that make your brain hurt (in a good way), to full-blown fantasy antics as Deerstalker Pictures’ most flamboyant wizard disaster. If charisma were a weapon, Pat’s already rolled a nat 20.
Soylent Cosplay
1 For All Cast Member
Soylent Cosplay, the face (and FX mastermind) behind the fan-favourite chaos gremlin Vlithryn from 1 For All, is making her mark at AVCon 2025! Not just an on-screen sorcerer of sass, Soylent is a professional cosplayer and special FX makeup alchemist whose spellbook includes work with heavy-hitting titans like Bioware, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Blizzard ANZ, and PlayStation ANZ. Whether she’s haunting your dreams as Lilith from Diablo IV or perfecting asari elegance as Liara T’Soni, Soylent brings big boss energy and prosthetic precision to every frame.
Also? She’s the head makeup wizard behind every cursed and beautiful face in 1 For All. Bow down — this is cosplay royalty with a brush full of blood magic.
Zac Speaks Giant
1 For All Cast Member
AVCon 2025 is about to get a whole lot louder — because ZacSpeaksGiant, the voice and chaos behind Flint Swiftquiver from 1 For All, is joining the party! You’ve probably seen Zac yelling his way through the internet with his wildly funny D&D But Real series, where dice rolls are swapped for real-life challenges — think sword fights, trivia, and chaos on command. He’s also the guy who once got stuck running up a down escalator… and honestly, that tells you everything you need to know.
Big energy, bigger laughs, and 100% guaranteed to roll a natural 1 in the most spectacular way.
SlightlyVillainous
Cosplayer
Strutting straight out of Melbourne with sky-high platforms and even higher creative energy, SlightlyVillainous is crashing into AVCon 2025 with over 6 million followers and a cosplay style that mashes animated icons with alt fashion flair. This ex-competitive dancer turned content powerhouse is best known for reimagining beloved characters in wild, non-canon contexts — all while slaying the makeup game and serving face paint looks that could summon a boss battle.
A Gold Play Button winner and con veteran both at home and overseas, SlightlyVillainous blends performance, costume design, and pure chaotic joy into every appearance.
Henchwench
Cosplayer
All rise for the newly crowned World Champion of the Crown Championships of Cosplay! With 20+ years in the game, a start at Weta Workshop, and degrees from both NIDA and AFTRS, Henchwench is basically cosplay’s answer to a triple-classed artisan. Since 2017, she’s turned her passion for costuming and gaming into a pro career, co-founding a South Australian prop shop that’s worked with giants like Wizards of the Coast, Blizzard, Bethesda, and Epic Games. Equal parts badass and body-positive advocate, she’ll be judging AVCon’s Masters Division and running workshops to help lift your cosplay game to boss-tier glory.
Scrap Shop Props
Cosplayer
Say hello to the legendary Scrap Shop Props! What started as a love for pulling things apart and building them back better turned into a full-blown career in prop wizardry. Scrap went from tinkering with game assets and real-world junk to crafting a towering seven-and-a-half-foot Reinhardt from Overwatch — a beast of a build that made Blizzard sit up and take notice. He ditched his mechatronics degree, co-founded a workshop with cosplay queen Henchwench, and has since levelled up with projects for Wizards of the Coast, Bethesda, Epic Games, and more.
At AVCon, Scrap Shop Props will be judging the cosplay Masters Division and leading panels that’ll teach you how to turn glue, foam, and ambition into cosplay gold.
Andy Trieu
Australian Actor and Host
AVCon 2025 signs off this guest list with a mic drop — introducing the unstoppable Andy Trieu! A three-time Aussie martial arts champ turned pop culture juggernaut, Andy flipped from spinning kicks to spinning mics as the founding host of SBS PopAsia — the cult-fave radio, TV, and podcast platform that brought K-pop to the Aussie mainstream. He’s interviewed everyone from BTS to Bong Joon-ho, clocked over 1000 shows, and helped PopAsia rack up 1.2 million followers and a spot on The Music’s best-of-the-decade list.
Now the face behind The Andy Trieu Show, he’s dropping into AVCon to talk Asian pop culture, lead K-pop deep dives, and bring the heat as host of the Pop and Dance Showcase. Get ready — the hype train has a black belt.
Cosplay Royalty & Catwalk Carnage
Dress up. Show out. AVCon’s cosplay scene is legendary, and this year it's dialled to eleven. Witness the main cosplay parade, jump into the Cosplay Craftsmanship Competition, or let your heart be melted by the Kids Cosplay showcase on Sunday.
Don’t worry if your EVA foam is flaking and your wig is running rogue. AVCon is all about the DIY energy. Cosplay workshops will help you fix, fit, or finesse your look on the fly. And don’t forget to drop by one of the dozens of cosplay photographers roaming the con floor — because if you didn’t get a photo, did you even cosplay?
This is where characters come alive. One minute you're queuing for sushi next to a Chainsaw Man, the next you're complimenting a 9-foot-tall Gundam while a rogue Totoro floats past. It’s wild, it’s pure, and it’s the heartbeat of AVCon.
Panels, Workshops & Nerd Wisdom
Get your butt in a seat and prepare to absorb knowledge like a sponge in a power surge. AVCon's panel and workshop schedule is a choose-your-own-adventure of creative chaos.
Whether you're trying to launch a career in game dev, learn how to survive as an online content creator, or just wanna know how to sculpt demon horns out of foam clay — there’s something here for every flavour of fandom.
Highlights this year include:
Live podcast recordings
Q&A sessions with local and international artists
Writing workshops for comics, RPGs, and screenplays
Game development and pixel art tutorials
These aren’t just sit-and-listen sessions. AVCon thrives on audience interaction. So be ready to ask questions, make friends, and possibly walk away with a freebie or two.
Artist Alley: Buy Art. Support Chaos.
Artist Alley at AVCon is not just a merch pit — it’s a shrine to imagination. Here, indie creators spill their obsessions onto paper, plastic, enamel, and every medium in between.
Looking for sad frog prints? Anime-inspired tarot cards? Fan zines about morally ambiguous warlocks who run coffee shops? Done. You’ll find hand-painted dice sets, homebrewed RPG systems, embroidered patches, and maybe even a sticker of your OTP making out on a flaming unicorn.
It’s creative anarchy with a debit card. Support your favourite artists, discover new ones, and prepare to leave with empty pockets and a full heart.
Sprite’s Kids Zone: Little Legends Welcome
AVCon isn’t just for grown-up geeks. Sprite’s Kids Zone is a pint-sized wonderland designed for tiny tornadoes of fandom. From face painting and LEGO building to chill zones with storybooks and kid-friendly games, it's a family-friendly haven amidst the nerdy noise.
Every child under 12 gets free entry with a paying adult. Which means more budget for plushies, snacks, and bribing your kids with Pikachu plushies while you browse Artist Alley for the fourth time.
AVCon After Dark: Where the Weird Gets Wild
Once the sun sets, the lights dim, and the cosplay gets a little more suggestive — welcome to AVCon After Dark. This 18+ extravaganza peels back the PG and dives headfirst into mature mayhem.
Expect:
Cirque du Cosplay — A dazzling blend of burlesque, aerials, pole routines, and cosplay. Think Moulin Rouge with more tentacles.
Midnight Lane — NSFW artist alley. Spicy prints, adult comics, and more than a few things that’ll get your Etsy account banned.
MA15+ and R18+ panels/screenings — From horror anime deep dives to mature-themed D&D sessions.
It’s adult geekdom at its finest. BYO scandal and sense of humour.
Ticket Tiers of Glory
You’ve got choices, and they all lead to awesome:
General Admission: $35 per day, $70 for the weekend. Entry-level access to everything wholesome, weird, and wonderful.
Gold Ranger Pass: $260 of early access, exclusive merch, front-row seating, and VIP bragging rights for life.
After Dark Access: Sold separately. Required for all 18+ mayhem.
AVCon makes it easy to tailor your weekend, whether you’re dragging your kids along, going full cosplay, or just vibing through Artist Alley with a bubble tea and an existential crisis.
When & Where to Get Your Nerd On
Saturday, July 5 – 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday, July 6 – 10:00AM – 6:00PM
AVCon After Dark – Saturday, 6:00PM – 11:00PM
Location – Jubilee + Wayville Pavilions, Adelaide Showground
Whether you're a lifelong otaku, a dungeon master in denial, or a button-mashing goblin with a caffeine addiction, AVCon is your weekend Mecca. Come for the games. Stay for the vibes. Leave emotionally attached to a plush axolotl and nursing a caffeine hangover.
Adelaide, Brace Yourself!
AVCon 2025 isn’t just an event. It’s a full-blown pop culture bacchanal. It’s a portal to a parallel dimension where fandom rules and everyone is welcome. If you missed last year, this is your redemption arc. If you went last year, prepare to level up.
So, charge your devices, prep your cosplay, and don’t sleep on those tickets. This is more than a con. This is AVCon — and it’s coming for your heart, your wallet, and your entire weekend.
For full info, tickets, and hype, hit up www.avcon.org.au.
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