Four-day Sqautchcon event set for this weekend

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 7, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The fifth Squatchcon Comics and Arts Convention will return to Port Angeles from Thursday through Sunday.

Squatchcon is a comic, cosplay, gaming and fan culture event featuring more than 60 local artists and vendors, panel discussions with artists and industry leaders, an all-ages cosplay contest, workshops, fan meetups, live on-stage shows, film screenings, swap events and after-hours parties.

“Squatchcon is a proudly weird event,” said Jess Grello, Squatchcon’s organizer. “It’s not really a comic con. It’s not really a Sasquatch convention. But it is really Port Angeles.”

The annual convention will be centered at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., with some activities scheduled at the Hub, 117 N. Lincoln St., and at Studio Bob, 118 ½ E. Front St.

There also will be special events at Field Arts & Events Hall, 201 W. Front St., and the Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.

Four-day Squatchcon passes are $25 per person and $15 for youths 17 and younger; kids 12 and younger will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult pass holder.

Activities kick off Thursday when the vendor market at Vern Burton will open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a free community preview. During the preview, visitors will be able to attend the Sasquatch Experiences Meetup from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m, the Zine Making Workshop from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Teen Writing Workshop from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., a panel discussion on local sea serpent cryptid “Eddie” from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Tamara Kaye Sellman’s Bigfoot Poetry Workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

After-hours events on Thursday include the annual all-ages Cosplay Drink and Draw from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Studio Bob and a dive into the world of “KPop Demon Hunters” from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Field Hall. The Field Hall activities include a fan meetup and card swap, a sing-along screening of the 2025 animated fantasy film and a post-film discussion led by authors Lish McBride and Kendare Blake.

Anime Kat and Dusk Mart will host Magic the Gathering and Pokemon drafts and games beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at the Vern Burton Center.

The vendor market and artist alley at the Vern Burton Center will be open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

Workshops set for Friday include “Sticker Making,” “Writing Cryptids and Folklore,” “Voice Acting for Video Game” and “DMing 101.”

Squatchcon “Fairy Godmother” Donna Barr will host the “Free Octopus Cosplay and Costume Swap” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Studio Bob.

Attendees can bring fabric or clean, gently used costume pieces to trade, and they can take what they like from the Squatchcon collection.

Also on Friday, The Hub will host a Mermaid Grotto experience with mermaid Siren Circe and special guest Pirate Cliff.

The Mermaid Grotto will feature activities for younger audiences such as mermaid flower hair workshops, children’s book readings and a “Color Your own Mermaid Tail” experience.

The grotto will transform into the all-ages “Under the Sea Blacklight Party” at 5 p.m. with a DJ, blacklight face painting and photobooth.

Mermaid, pirate and nautical-themed costumes are encouraged.

Admission is $15 per person or free with a Squatchcon pass.

Saturday market hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Panels and workshops will include: “Wizard Staffs & Wands,” “Decoden Workshop,” “I’ve Finished my Draft … Now What?” “The Creature Feature,” “Comics: Idea to Market” and a special meetup of the Paranormal Kindred of Clallam County.

Featured special guests on Saturday will include comedic actors J.P. Manoux and Chris Tallman, voice actors Gerard Caster and Ian Russell and paranormal researcher Josh Cutchin.

Studio Bob will host the panel discussion “Bigfoot Enterprises: independent film in the Making” at 11 a.m., several cosplay panels, including “Wig Styling,” “Fabric Design,” “Body Positivity” and “Group Cosplay Strategy,” and a screening of the director’s cut of “The Lady of the Lake” followed by a Q&A session with director Ryan Grulich.

The Hub will host the Mermaids and Pirates Tea Party from noon to 2 p.m. and workshops with teaching artists from Field Hall Peninsula Performs! during the day.

At 7 p.m., the Hub will host the annual Squatchcon Cosplay Costume Party and Awards Ceremony with live music from Reckless Dove.

Winners of the all-ages cosplay contest will be announced onstage at 8 p.m.

The convention will wrap up Sunday with the vendors market open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Workshops and panels will include “How to be a Con Artist,” “Traditional vs. Indie Publishing,” “Zines & Politics,” “Collaborative Zine Making” and “Gaming & Governance.”

Studio Bob will host a performance of “Sasquatch Island” at noon. The performance will feature Tom Sewid and Peggy Seaview sharing Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations stories of Sasquatch as well as traditional masks and regalia.

The Hub will host open Lego play and Mermaid Meet and Greet starting at 10 a.m.

For more information, including the complete schedule, visit www.squatchconpa.com.

Several partner organizations will offer Squatchcon-themed experiences this weekend. Admission is not included with a Squatchcon pass. Events include:

• “Art vs. Writing: A Storyteller Face-Off,” a free writing event with children’s book creators Kristin Varner and Rachel Michelle Wilson at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Port Angeles Main Library.

• “Drag Me to the PNW” featuring Blake McCabe, Aries, Johnny Longboy, Richard Stephens, Tia Stephens, Aleksandra Mistress of Fusion and Drew Paradisco at 8 p.m. Friday at Studio Bob. The 16-and-older cosplay-themed burlesque show is $25 per person.

• D6 Gaming Arena will host Squatchcon Open 2026, a 50-player Warhammer 40,000 grand tournament, on Saturday and Sunday at the Port Angeles Masonic Temple, 622 S. Lincoln St. Tournament registration is $75 per person at www.bestcoastpairings.com/event/zmxpz50usgdn.

• Clallam Mosaic’s Snappy Players will present its original comedy, “Sasquatch: Dead or Alive!” at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Hub. Admission is $10 per person, $8 for children and seniors. Proceeds will benefit Clallam Mosaic.