Community Cork Board

Upcoming events

Recommendations on events to attend over the next few months.

• Animazement – May 23-25 (Raleigh, NC)
  Covered below. | (Official website)

• ConCarolinas – May 30-Jun 1 (Charlotte, NC)
  Covered below. | (Official website)

• RRG Game & Geek Expo – Jun 7-8 (Raleigh, NC)
  Will be covered in the next issue. | (Official website)

• GalaxyCon Raleigh – Jul 24-27 (Raleigh, NC)
  We’ll cover this one as it gets closer too. | (Official website)

Bad Machines soft opens in Cary!

Bad Machines (IG: @mybadmachines) is open once again! This e-sports bar is doing a soft opening at their new location in Cary after a year hiatus.

In late 2023, they announced they were moving from Durham to the Crossroads in Cary. It’s been a long road to reestablishing their video game lounge, but the wait is over. Go check out their new space, grab a drink, and play some video games.

Fun fact: the previous Durham location was where The Turnabout Players hosed the Triangle VGM Jams through 2023. Bad Machines is a super cool place and super supportive of local nerd culture.

PSA: the next VGM Jam is this Sunday, May 18th at Hartwell in Raleigh.

Next weekend: Animazement!

Raleigh, NC – May 23-25, 2025 | Official website

Next weekend we have one of the most anticipated events of the year. Animazement is a full-weekend convention all about anime and Japanese culture. Their mission is to provide an introduction to the Japanese language (日本語) and culture through anime (アニメ) and manga (マンガ).

The event is run by an all-volunteer staff fully dedicated to promoting its mission.

This year’s activities include:

• Industry guests & autographs

• Panels & workshops

• Concerts & performances

• Artists & vendors

• Video games & tournaments

• Cosplay & contests

• Karaoke

• Maid cafe

The schedule is packed, but they have an app that helps you easily navigate and plan your weekend.

Cost: $30-$50 single-day pass. $70 weekend pass.

Address: Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27601

If you’ve never been to an anime convention before, check out this video I made earlier this year! It gives you a glimpse into what it’s like to attend, straight from other attendees and cosplayers.

ConCarolinas

Charlotte, NC – May 30-June 1, 2025 | Official website

North Carolina’s longest running sci-fi & fantasy con is taking place again in a couple of weeks in Charlotte. It’s a great excuse to get out to Charlotte and nerd out with entertainment, gaming, cosplay, authors, films, music, panels, workshops, and more.

Look at this page for this year’s programming and hours. I like how they divide their programming into separate tracks depending on what you want to experience the most of.

On a special note, they host a charity auction and film festival. They also have a huge list of guests that’s worth checking out.

Cost: $35-40 single-day pass. $64 weekend pass.

Address: Hilton University Place, 8629 J M Keynes Dr, Charlotte, NC 28262

That’s it for this issue! Two of the largest events in our state coming up. If you make it out to either of those, send me a note on how it went! I’d love to hear about your experience.

This is Matias, survivor of the 2025 pollen season, signing off.

Am I missing a big event? Hit reply and let me know!