New Zealand’s biggest pop culture convention returns to Palmerston North

Armageddon Expo returns to Palmerston North next month. Photo / Armageddon Expo

A celebration of all things pop culture and fandom is returning to Palmerston North.

The Armageddon Expo ‘Palmygeddon’ will be in town this weekend for the fourth consecutive year and founder and director William Geraldts said it will be a “diverse celebration of geekdom”.

“We’ve got all sorts whether its gaming, fandom, anime and everything in between. There’s going to be something that everyone will like and enjoy. A lot of fandoms are quite singular as in you watch it or enjoy it by yourself with a couple of friends. Armageddon is a place people can come and celebrate together.”

Over 10,000 people are expected to attend the event and Geraldts says with a Just Dance area, a Nintendo Chill Zone, racing simulators, a board game library, airsoft and plenty more, there won’t be a boring moment.

“We’ve got a whole lot planned. The board game library is quite popular. It’s a free thing that people can use to try a new game out. Our racing simulators and Just Dance area are always a hit. There’s so much going on that everyone will enjoy.”

New to the expo is a Guitar Hero competition, something Geraldts said the team are happy to have.

“We’ve never done this before so Palmygeddon will be the first one to experience it.”

This year’s Palmygeddon will also feature live wrestling shows by Capital Pro Wrestling.

“This is something we’re excited to have. We haven’t had wrestling at Armageddon in a while.”

Geradlts said the Artist Alley will be worth visiting.

“These exhibitors make tremendous things that are quite often only available at the show which is pretty cool.”

He said fans of anime will be in for a treat, with Austin Tindle (Tokyo Ghoul, Trigun Stampede, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia and Assassination Classroom) and Faye Mata (Helluva Boss, League of Legends, Street Fighter, Fate/Apocrypha, Fire Emblem, Konosuba and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) attending the event. They’ll be joined by media guest Ivanna Sakhno (Star Wars: Ahsoka, Pacific Rim Uprising, The Spy Who Dumped Me and M3GAN 2.0).

“There’ll also be the chance to go against Faye Mate in a Super Smash Bros Ultimate one-on-one.”

Palmygeddon will have gaming stations. Photo / Armageddon Expo

He said Armageddon is a family-friendly celebration of geekdom.

“We get a lot of people coming in cosplay. We love to see it. So many people put a lot of effort into their cosplays and Armageddon is a safe space where they can come and show off what they’ve created.”

With tickets starting at $10 for a child and $15 for an adult, Geraldtz said the event is a great family day out.

“Armageddon is something affordable, something fun and something the whole family can attend and with those three things, we offer a pretty unique experience and it’s our pleasure to bring it back to the Manawatū region.”

The details:

What: Palmygeddon

When: Saturday August 3 - Sunday August 4, 9am-5pm

Where: Fly Palmy Arena, 61 Pascal St, Palmerston North

Tickets: iticket