A new fandom has been generating a lot of press recently,
for the unusual fans to a surprisingly good cartoon. You would expect most little girls to know
about, and many women may also fondly recall, My Little Pony (MLP), however the
newest incarnation has attracted a fandom of individuals referred to as Bronies
and Pegasisters. Who are these
individuals? They are commonly teen and
twenty-something fans of the Hasbro cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is
Magic. Also, surprisingly, this fandom
has been popping up all over the country, and even around the world, and while
there have been many Brony Conventions around the country, the only one in the
South East, is Tampa’s own Grand Brony
Gala.
The Grand Brony Gala is returning for their second
year. This year it is moving to a larger
venue and has grown from a one-day convention to a three-day convention, for
fans of all ages, of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The Grand Brony Gala-2 will be held in Tampa
at the Embassy Suites USF/Busch Gardens location.
The Grand Brony Gala has invited several special guests
including, the Voice Actress from the show who plays Spike, and Mayor Mare: Cathy Weseluck; the Voice Actress of Apple Bloom: Michelle Creber, and the My Little Pony Children’s Book Author: GM
Berrow who will be signing books. Also appearing will be the Brony musical talent/singer: Black Gryph0n, and "No Ordinary Balloon Guy" Bruce Carr.
The day portions of the event will consist of tons panels,
live stage shows, a game room, costume contest and more. For example, representatives of the My Little
Investigations development team are hosting a live demo and Q&A panel; Whammy
Games will be hosting game-show style competitions, such as Jeopardy. Also, there will be karaoke, crafting panels,
voice acting panels, and more. Along
with panels, there will also be a small carnival area included in your day
ticket for both Bronies and kids, with classic carnival games with small prizes
for the winners. A renowned Balloon Artist will be creating a life-sized
balloon sculpture live during the convention for the Saturday evening Grand
Galloping Gala.
Dozens of local, and not-so-local artists and vendors will
be in attendance with nearly every kind of pony art you can find online, free
of shipping charges: plushies, badges, prints, perler ponies, shadow boxes,
cosplay accessories, jewelry, custom blind bags, toys, and more.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Friday night there is a dance, live band and
a Rave. On Saturday there is the formal Grand
Galloping Gala with a Live Mystery Theatre and Dance from 7 pm to midnight with
refreshments being served. (These can be
purchased as separate tickets, or for a discount, in combination with the
Weekend Pass.) You may purchase tickets here: http://ggbg-con.ticketleap.com/grand-brony-gala-two/
Saving the best for last, a portion of all the ticket sales,
drawings and artist auction, is going towards All Children’s Hospital through
the Children’s Miracle Network. They’re a great charity that is totally focused
on pediatric childcare and research. The Grand Brony Gala is a non-profit
convention. If you would like to donate directly towards All Children’s
Hospital, you can donate here http://www.allkids.org/foundation_body.cfm?id=6&.
Have any questions? Feel free to
email the admins at: admin@grandbronygala.com
Or call 813-431-8795
Thank you
for Reading!
- GGBG Staff
Website: http://www.grandbronygala.com/
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