The Pima County Public Library encourages Megamania guests to dress their best. (Pima County Public Library/Submitted)
The Pima County Public Library puts together a number of programs for Megamania, a decade-old free summer festival for all ages featuring cosplay, games, crafts, and local writers and artists.
The event will take place on Saturday, July 15th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the Pima Community College Downtown Campus.
“This is a Comic-Con style event,” said Kendra Davey, literacy program manager at the Pima County Public Library.
“We seek to recreate the fun and excitement of sharing fandom in manga, anime, video games, books, and anything else you’re into.”
Davey emphasized that this is an all-ages event with crafts for kids, games, video games, Dungeons & Dragons games, a variety of board games, and two escape rooms.
Artists and comic book authors will host workshops, and resident author Jean Towaronite will conduct an open mic for poetry from 2-3pm.
Learn how to make a simple costume at the Cosplay Workshop. Participating organizations include the Arizona Ghostbusters. The Arizona Ghostbusters is a non-profit organization whose members volunteer throughout the state, all with a Ghostbusters theme.
“We encourage people to come dressed up,” said Davey. “We have a cosplay showcase.
MegaMania was founded in 2010 as a teenage program for manga and anime fans. The festival, which went on hiatus during the pandemic, has seen a very enthusiastic response and expanded.
“A lot of adults have asked if they can go,” she says. “So we opened it up to all ages.
“We moved the event to Pima Community College because it quickly outgrew the library branch. They have been really great partners in this event. .”
With the exception of the Escape Room, most events are drop-in and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
“A lot of what we do at Megamania is a year-round program in the library,” Davey said.
“If you miss the escape room, keep an eye on the library’s calendar. These are the things we do regularly.”
megamania
When: Saturday, July 15, 1-5pm
Location: Pima Community College Downtown Campus, 1255 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson Fee: Free Information: bit.ly/TucsonMegaMania
