Programming

SHOW HOURSFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY
Ticket Desk opens at2 pm9 am9 am
Guests of Honor 4 pm – 9 pm10 am – 7 pm10 am – 3 pm
Vendors4 pm – 9 pm10 am – 7 pm10 am – 3 pm
Programming & Activities (see info below!)5 pm – 12 am11 am – 12 am11 am – 2 pm
Food Truck (downstairs)4 pm – 8 pm11 am – 8 pm11 am – 4 pm
click for the Full Schedule of Events

Programming and Activities include: (*Schedules will be posted on each of the room doors)

Downstairs in the Haunted Forest


Guest of Honor Panels, Q&A, Movie Screenings, and Readings. Including:
Tim Waggoner workshop.  FREE. Spend an hour learning about scripts and franchise tie-in work. Pick the author’s brain and bring a notebook! FREE admission, but limited seating. Pre-registration is highly suggested to secure your seat. You can sign up when you purchase your tickets online.
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• Not one but two contests (more info ↓)
• Vendor Author Readings, Vendor Presentations, DEAD Talks (more info ↓)
• The Game Room (more info ↓)

Upstairs in the Vendor Room

• a different kind of RAFFLE! Whenever you buy an item from a vendor, you receive a raffle ticket to drop in the bucket-of-luck for the item(s) you are interested in. Raffles are drawn throughout the weekend.
• a Trick-or-Treat parade for those under 14 on Saturday at 1pm

AFTER HOURS!

• Friday and Saturday night we have an outdoor after-hours party tent for those who don’t want to stay inside. Tent is air-conditioned and has seating and cash bar (tent is used during the day for general purpose and seating for the food trucks located in the lower parking lot)
VIP Party starting at 8pm Saturday. This is a private, ticketed VIP party allowing you to hang out in a far more casual fashion with our celebrities and creators. A limited number of attendees are allowed. Tickets will sell out fast! Snacks and a cash bar are included. (Tickets available in either Saturday Plus or Weekend VIP packages)
Dead Dog Party for all those stragglers staying Sunday night, we’ll have seating and snacks in the ballroom. Relax and enjoy those last hours together.


Contests! We have two contests:

SCREAM contest — Friday night. Bring your lungs and laughter. Screams will be judged on pitch, power, and passion. Signup sheet is at the ticket counter. Limited number of contestants allowed, so don’t delay.
COSTUME contest — But wait, it’s not just a costume contest. To involve all guests of honor as judges, we’re changing things up! Each guest of honor has a limited number of judge tokens to give out during from 2:00-6:00 pm Saturday only. They will hand them to their favorite costumes. And this year there are categories! (group, most original, scariest) Saturday night, at 7 pm we’ll see who has the most tokens! Stop at ticket counter for token bag and info.
The contest winners will each receive … to be announced!

The Game Room!
It occurred to us, we have far too many horror-themed board and card games and that we could put them to good use. We’ve got a dedicated room with tables and the following games for you to chill, play, watch, and enjoy. Game Room hours are Fri 4-9, Sat 10-9, Sun 10-3. We will likely not be bringing all the games again, but rather, those that are quickest/easiest to play and/or were popular at the 2024 event.


Be Part of the Programming!

Want to host a mini-discussion about something you love or hate about the genre? Check out DEAD Talks for more info! ANYONE can do this. You do not have to be a vendor. You just need a weekend pass to play along.

Vendors are you interested in doing a panel, demo, etc.? Just let us know!

Are you an author vendor? If you are interested in a Reading, sign up here, after you get your vendor tables.

Podcasters interested in recording Live! at the convention, don’t forget to Sign up here. Because podcasters often do not have merchandise, you can be either a vendor or simply an attendee with a weekend pass.