11:30am

The Nichibukan Naginata Dojo

The Nichibukan Naginata Dojo (part of the Japanese Swordsmanship Society) is coming to GSAF! Naginata is a traditional Japanese martial art, practiced with a 6 to 9 foot weapon similar to a glaive. Unique compared to other Japanese weaponry, the Naginata is particularly effective for midrange and close quarter fighting due to its length and its ambidextrous techniques. Rebecca Pomeroy (3-dan) will be leading a demonstration of the art, and members of the dojo will be available throughout the day to respond to questions and provide information about how to start practicing in NJ.

12:30pm

The Saber Guild

for the 1st time ever the Saber Guild will take to the GSAF stage Saturday April 20th and perform their own story "STAR WARS Tales of Corellia Shadows of Fate"! This will be a cant miss production and all of us here at Garden State Anime Fest are honored to have this 1st time production happening at our event. Make sure to come out as you will not want to miss this!

1:30pm

Cosplay and Social Media Panel

Cosplaying itself is hard, but managing social media on top of that is another issue. Join cosplayer and social media influencer Sarah Crystall in learning about cosplaying for social media and all the differences between normal cosplaying and social media content creation."

2:30pm

Danga Jeopardy

Puhuhuhu! Are you the Ultimate Danganronpa Fan? Come & test your knowledge to see if you have what it takes to survive & escape Hope's Peak Academy! (Stickers will be handed out to all who attend! <3)

3:30pm

Five Nights at Freddy's Jeopardy

Welcome to your first day on the job playing Five Night's at Freddy's Jeopardy! The animatronics tend to get a bit quirky at night, so you'll have to answer a few questions relating to the FNAF games in order to leave. Do you have what it takes to win the game & escape the animatronics? Oh, there's also a pizza for you in the break room. Good luck!

4:30pm

Cosplay Contest

Cosplayers of all experience levels are invited to participate in our cosplay competition! There are no limits to your creativity (within reason) at our contest. Join us Saturday of the convention at 4:30pm for the contest!

11:30am

The Nichibukan Naginata Dojo

The Nichibukan Naginata Dojo (part of the Japanese Swordsmanship Society) is coming to GSAF! Naginata is a traditional Japanese martial art, practiced with a 6 to 9 foot weapon similar to a glaive. Unique compared to other Japanese weaponry, the Naginata is particularly effective for midrange and close quarter fighting due to its length and its ambidextrous techniques. Rebecca Pomeroy (3-dan) will be leading a demonstration of the art, and members of the dojo will be available throughout the day to respond to questions and provide information about how to start practicing in NJ.

1:00pm

Intro to Genshin Impact: How to be Successful as a New Player

A beginners' guide to the world of Genshin Impact! With the ever-growing open world RPG constantly bringing out new updates for players, it can get pretty difficult to have a fresh start. As a player since day 1, I'll be putting together a guide to help those who want to start playing get their bearings! The guide will consist of an explanation of the gameplay, including what the various elements do and the purpose of artifacts, talents, weapons, etc. I'll also provide a very brief summary of the plot and universe of the game, only talking about the basics to avoid spoilers! I'll share the tips and tricks of a veteran in the game, ranging from mistakes I made as a new player to how to put together an awesome team. My goal in this panel is simply to give a hand to those who might be a little lost as the enter the game, as the monthly updates tend to cater to pre-existing players. Realizing this is a bit unfair to newcomers, I want to make sure they can catch up and enjoy this wonderful game to the fullest! I have cohosted panels for Connecticon before, so I do have some experience with presenting at conventions!

2:00pm

What's With The Mask? A History Of Kigurumi

Kigurumi is a masked cosplay subset which often flies under the radar. I hope to show, through a slideshow and demonstrations, that this obscure niche is actually quite beautiful.