Dream Con (May 2025)
Dream Con 2025
May 29th – June 1st, 2025
Houston, TX
May 2025 owes me nothing. It was an amazing month.
I closed out the month marking my second Dream Con in the books. As always, I came to capture visuals that encapsulate the energy of the con, but also to reflect more deeply on the experience itself. As many of you know, I focus on various subcultures within the African Diaspora and I hope to expand on this more as I frequent more spaces. I’ll be using this trip as a moment to do more than just host a photo gallery covering the event.
After moving from Austin to Houston, many wondered how the con would translate to a new city. Out the gate, the surrounding area felt safe, the convention center was spacious and easy to navigate, and the overall production felt polished and thoughtful. Still, like any evolving space there’s plenty of opportunity for growth and improvement within Dream Con.
The Highlights
Its programming largely consists of panels that speak directly to marginalized geek communities and creatives alike. Some standout sessions I attended included:
- GenderBending While Black
- HBCU Style Squad Meetup
- A-Train Fan Film Part II
- Captain Zero: Into the Abyss Part II
- The Balancing Act: Adulting vs. Creating
Panels like these aren’t just filler—they’re essential. They create a space where creativity, culture, and identity intersect in meaningful ways. It’s also important to note that Dream Con isn’t an “anime” con. They largely focus on entertainment and content creation and blerd culture falls under that. There are countless content creators and influencers, transforming Dream Con into space geared toward networking, collaboration, and new media inspiration.
The Flip Side
That same energy can be overwhelming, especially if you’re there to just enjoy the con. Dream Con attracts a younger crowd, largely in their early 20s, many of whom are live streaming, vlogging, or actively building brand visibility. This can impact immersion for a more seasoned geek/con goer that doesn’t want to get wrapped up into young adult antics, pecking orders, and politics. This isn’t really the direct result of the con but rather it’s target market.
This is a con that is heavily geared toward influencers and content creators. It changes the dynamics as you meet people in certain spaces. However, a lot of my connections have been genuine and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed most of the people I’ve come across. Immersion can be disrupted as you’re walking through the con, look up and see everybody is streaming and asking you to talk to the chat.
“Who’s the chat? Am I about to get meme’d? I’m just in the vendor hall trying to buy a t-shirt bruv…”
Another challenge? The cost. Dream Con isn’t cheap. From flights and hotels to badge fees, rideshares, offsite events, and surprise incidentals, it’s easy to watch your weekend expenses stack up. Add in the RSVP system for main events (which feels like it fills up in seconds), and it starts to feel like a high-stakes game of con hotel Hunger Games. The Megan Thee Stallion fireside chat? Gone before you could blink. If you’re not a fan of Con Hunger Games you may want to reconsider attending.
While the RSVP system may help manage traffic, it also makes it hard to flow through the weekend organically. And some of the best events require additional fees—even beyond the badge—which feels out of step with what many con-goers are used to.
If you can’t make the main con events and official after parties (which still may cost an additional fee beyond the price of the badge), you have the option of hitting up some of the official off-site after parties. They run around $25-$40. I still had a good time at these but I do miss E 6th ST in Austin. One of my biggest issues this round is the amount of parties that could potentially fragment your tribe.
Final Thoughts
Despite the growing pains, Dream Con remains one of the most important conventions for Blerds. Once you get past the price tag, everything feels polished. However, I do look forward to there being more panels and activations. I’d love to see panelists not have to pay for badges in the future, which could help deepen the pool of programming talent.
I would also like the con to revisit the RSVP system where patrons reserve spots and/or pay for events that would usually be included with the badge for a typical con. Beyond that I think they did a FANTASTIC job for such a young and fast growing convention. Dream Con is still in its single digits as a con and growing quickly.
I also want to say I love seeing other cons in the blerd space represented here. Dream Con has its goals and it shouldn’t be a competition. A friend of mine put it best:
“BlerDCon is like Homecoming. Dream Con is like a class reunion.”
They’re vital, they serve the culture and if you attend any of them with intention, you’ll come out richer for it.
-GXFTD
You can read about my first Dream Con experience here: Dream Con (July 2024)
As always, if we met for the first time, DON’T BE A STRANGER! If you see me out and bout and recognize me, say wassup! I’ll do the same! Don’t hesitate to reach out on IG as well. It was a pleasure meeting you all.
Feel free to download and share but please credit @GXFTD as the photographer if you’re posting on IG (or @iamGXFTD on Twitter).
Right-Clicking and selecting ¨Open Image In New Tab¨ will allow you to see the larger version of the images (long press if you’re on mobile for the download option).
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