BronyCon is the world’s largest convention for and by fans of the animated TV series "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." Starting out as a one-day event in New York City with just 100 attendees, BronyCon has grown over the years to a weekend-long extravaganza drawing over 10,000 fans from every corner of the globe. Featuring show guests, an incredible panel lineup, BronyPalooza, a fully-stocked vendor hall, screenings, contests and so much more, BronyCon has something in store for everyone.
BronyCon is a nonprofit event run entirely by volunteer staff.
The inaugural BronyCon (then referred to as BroNYCon) was held at the NYC Seminar and Conference Center on June 25, 2011. While it was small by the standards of more recent events with just 100 attendees, it kicked off the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" convention scene and laid the foundation for what BronyCon would later become. Complete with fandom guests, artists, panels, gaming and more, the con was followed by cake and hanging out in nearby Madison Square Park. Cabal, founder of rainbowdash.net, was in attendance and Eurobeat Brony held a Q&A via Skype.
The second BronyCon was held in Downtown Manhattan in a fourth floor studio in Chinatown. 300 people turned out to see special guests Jayson Thiessen, Eurobeat Brony, Egophiliac, Neighslayer and Sethisto. We started the day with the Season 2 Premier, provided by Mr. Thiessen, and ran programming throughout the day featuring Equestria: Online, the EqD prereaders, and a modest artists’ alley of eight.
We danced until 2 a.m., rocked out to the Discord Shuffle, turned "Sugarcube Corner" into an ode to Berry Punch, and had an awesome time with great music and new friends. Everyone was so eager for another con that we started to plan an expanded third event, set to take place just a few months later.
Having outgrown our venue again, we had to think big. And what’s bigger than the Hotel Penn down on 34th street, right in the heart of Manhattan? (Well, plenty of places - but none of them within our budget.) This time, we thought bigger for our guests, too. Daniel Ingram, Nicole Oliver, Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman all made their first convention appearances along with Sethisto, Equestria Online, and Egophiliac coming back for a second round. This convention also introduced the live BronyPalooza concert, livestreaming courtesy of Everfree Network for those not able to attend, and the fandom’s first charity auction. Both guests and attendees enjoyed themselves - enough, in fact, to once again cause BronyCon to have to go on the hunt for a larger venue.
On June 30, 2012, 4,000 people lined up at the Meadowlands Convention Center for the biggest "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fan convention to date - BronyCon Summer 2012. Featuring two full days of pony, a staggering amount of programming, a star-studded guest list (including Lauren Faust, John de Lancie, Tara Strong, Andrea Libman, Peter New, Lee Tockar, Amy Keating Rogers, Cathy Weseluck and Meghan McCarthy) musicians, artists, and vendors, this convention was an event the likes of which the fandom had never seen before.
The convention ended on a happy note with promises of even more amazing things to come. And that leads us to this past summer’s event.
BronyCon 2013 was gearing up to be even bigger than before, and what better way to ensure that there would be enough room for everypony than with a move to the Baltimore Convention Center? 2013’s con saw exponential growth yet again - this time bringing together 8,407 attendees from all seven continents (yes, even Antarctica!) in the largest gathering of pony fans ever. With three days packed full of fantastic programming, a twelve-hour concert featuring the best pony musicians, over 140 vendors selling every MLP-themed item imaginable, two gaming rooms (both tabletop and video), and much more, 2013’s BronyCon exceeded anyone’s wildest dreams.
9,607 attendees strong, BronyCon 2014 took place Aug. 1-3. It marked the second year in our new home of Baltimore, albeit with a much larger footprint in the convention center. With the larger area came our largest panel rooms yet, which acted as home to some of our most inventive panels yet. The vendor hall grew to dizzying proportions with over 200 booths. In addition to Bronypalooza, 2014 brought countless memorable performances on the newly embraced Renegade Stage. Overall, BronyCon 2014 built strongly on the foundation laid in 2013.
During the weekend of Aug. 7—9, BronyCon 2015 brought 10,011 attendees together from all over the globe. For the third year running, the Baltimore Convention Center has held host to a grand assortment of panels, events, and activities, for the enjoyment of all! Our vendor hall was a bustling and active marketplace, with over 173 booths to browse and explore, and over 20 musicians shook the walls in BronyPalooza. And last but not least, patrons at the charity auction raised a total of $30,645 for CureSearch, a charity dedicated to ending children's cancer.
Will we be your vacation destination of choice in 2016? Will we finally be able to handle all these crabs? Find out with us! We hope to see you there!