Countdown To New Zealand’s Greatest Celebration Of Geekdom!

The annual celebration of pop culture, gaming, anime, comics, science fiction and fantasy, Armageddon Expo returns this Labour Weekend, Fri, 25 Oct 2024 – Monday, 28 Oct, at the Auckland Showgrounds

Billed as the biggest and most exciting show in years, the expo features four huge days of celebrity guests, panels, cosplay competitions, gaming tournaments, merchandise stalls, and other fan-related activities.

“This is going to be the largest event we’ve had for some time,” say founder William Geradts.

“And with Jason Momoa leading the lineup of guests, we know that the fans will be out in force to attend the show, meet the stars and celebrate with other fans of their favourite genre,” he said.

Started in 1995, Armageddon has since grown into New Zealand's biggest pop culture event, with multiple shows held annually in cities including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Tauranga. The Auckland event is the largest and typically draws tens of thousands of attendees. It’s a major gathering for fans to meet celebrities from movies, TV shows, and anime, as well as enjoy a huge range of interactive experiences.

Above all, the big attraction is the stars! And this time, the biggest, most powerful warrior in the DC Universe, Jason Momoa leads a strong contingent of superheroes, and fantasy and anime stars to the show.

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A dynamic and versatile actor, Hawaiian-born Jason Momoa, has an army of fans who celebrate his roles in sci-fi series Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones and Aquaman and films shot here including Chief of War, Minecraft and The Wrecking Crew currently being filmed in Auckland. He’ll be appearing on Saturday for autographs and photo sessions with fans.

Momoa will be joined at the Expo by other superheroes from across the various universes.

Danielle Panabaker is an American actress who played Layla, a superhero with botanical powers in Sky High, and as Caitlin in The Flash.

Renowned South African Steven John Ward is best known for his role as Dracule Mihawk in the Netflix live-action adaption of One Piece - the best-selling manga series in history.

Australian actor Brenton Thwaites has had major roles in films such as Gods of Egypt, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Thwaites recently starred as Dick Grayson (Robin) in the HBO Max series, Titans alongside Joshua Orpin who played Connor Kent, (Superboy) in the series – both are attending the Auckland event.

Grace Currey is an American actress and dancer best known for playing Mary Bromfield in the DC Extended Universe film Shazam! She also starred in Annabelle: Creation and the survival thriller film, Fall.

Kiwi Craig Parker also joins the lineup. A New Zealander born in Fiji, Parker was 17 when he started working on New Zealand television in the glitzy series Gloss, followed by roles in Shortland Street, Xena: Warrior Princess, Young Hercules and Lord of the Rings. More recently he’s been a villain in The Legend of the Seeker, he’s portrayed Sabas in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Gaius Claudius Glaber, in Spartacus, Narcisse in Reign, a thousand-year-old demon billionaire in Charmed and an abusive artist in Good Trouble.

Lee Majdoub is a versatile artist who has had guest roles in Arrow, Once Upon a Time, UnREAL, and Supernatural. He won ‘Best Male Guest Performance in a Dramatic Series’ at the Leo Awards for his performance in the second season of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and was cast as Agent Stone, alongside Jim Carrey in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films.

Majdoub also appeared in The 100, alongside Luisa D'Oliveira who as one of humanity’s few survivors returned to earth 97 years after a nuclear war destroyed civilization.

Someone already acquainted with Momoa is Stargate Atlantis star, Rachel Luttrell, best known for her performance as the lead actress Teyla Emmagan for five seasons. Rachel also played one of the Jabari Warriors in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, TV Series ‘Arrow’ and the Upside-Down Cop in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Also from space, when she portrayed Lyta Alexander in the Hugo Award-winning sci-fi series Babylon 5, Patricia Tallman’s credits go further than character roles, with the prolific stunt woman taking punches on screen for the likes of Laura Dern (Jurassic Park), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: Generations) and Geena Davis (The Long Kiss Goodnight).

Martial arts proponent Yvonne Chapman demonstrated her skills as Kyoshi in Avatar: The Last Airbender and as violent villain Zhilan in Kung Fu. And from a galaxy far, far away, Lauren Mary Kim appeared in The Mandalorian, as well as Daredevil, Ahoka and Ms Marvel.

Armageddon is likewise renowned for its voice actors and animation guests, with a lineup of top names making the journey to Auckland.

Headliners include John Gremillion – who also played Dracule Mihawk in One Piece, but as a voice actor in the acclaimed anime series - plus other leading roles in shows including Food Wars! and My Hero Academia.

Award-winning actress/singer, Lenore Zann has performed around the globe with hundreds of credits in TV, Film, Animation, Radio and Theatre. A recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Lifetime Award for Service to Community & Country, Lenore is best known as the iconic Rogue of the X-Men animated series on Disney+.

Voice actor/director Caitlin Glass has been heard in dozens of roles but most notable is Winry Rockbell in Full Metal Alchemist. Other roles include Mina Ashido in My Hero Academia, and Petra Rall in Attack on Titan.

Prolific voice actor Kari Wahlgren has a rap sheet too long to list, but highlights include recurring character Jessica in Rick and Morty, Harley Quinn in Gotham Nights, and Celty Sturluson in Durarara!!x2.

David McCormack is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He is best known for starring as Bandit Heeler in the critically acclaimed Australian animated television series Bluey.

And comic creators attending Armageddon include Stephen B. Jones - known for his renditions of Wonder Woman and Big Mouth, and Jason Keith a comic artist and colourist credited within Spider-Man / Deadpool, The Avengers and Hulk.

Fans of Sonic also have a treat in store, with the release of the new Sonic video game at Armageddon Expo, Sonic X Shadow Power – with a huge pavilion dedicated to the game. And Sonic is just one of the gaming franchises featured, with Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Astro Bot, Just Dance, TMNT Mutants Unleashed, Diablo IV, Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero and Act 2 VR Minecraft – some of which will be release for the first time in New Zealand at the expo.

Fan experiences are a big part of the Expo, with attractions including a giant animated robot that talks to fans, massive Cosplay Parade, Airsoft Apocalypse, Racing Simulators and both K-pop and J-pop performances to name a few of the features.

Armageddon Expo starts with a preview evening on Friday the 25th, before all the stars arrive for a huge Labour Weekend of activities and entertainment.

Guests can buy tokens to meet the guests and be photographed with them, or see them for free on one of the stages, telling stories about their lives, their careers and characters.

As always, the show will have a big commitment to gaming with demonstrations and competitions throughout the weekend. Plus, there will be hundreds of artisans selling merchandise of all kinds to interest fans of every genre.

“Labour Weekend is typically our biggest event, but early indications are that this year will be something very special,” says Geradts.

“With an incredible lineup of stars of all genres, fantasy, anime, gaming, comics and cosplay, there’s something at Armageddon for everyone and having A-list actor Jason Momoa attending is the cherry on the top.

“So, charge up your lightsabre and get your tickets and tokens online and join us for an epic weekend,” he says.

See iTicket for details: https://www.iticket.co.nz/go-to/springeddon-auckland

To stay up to date with the guest lineup, see https://www.armageddonexpo.com/guests/

About Armageddon Expo

Armageddon Expo is a New Zealand owned and operated pop culture convention that holds multiple events around New Zealand in cities including Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch. The event, run by Beyond Reality Media Premier Event Management, has been running continuously since 1995 and features an unmatched line-up of talent from screen, television and online, together with gaming, anime, cosplay and more.

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