Arisia is a
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
-area, volunteer-run
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
convention, named for a planet in the
Lensman novels by
E. E. "Doc" Smith. The name was chosen in response to an older
Boston-area con,
Boskone, which took the typical ending for a convention — con — and then altered the spelling to match the name of an organization in the Lensmen books.
Arisia was first held in 1990, and its attendance has grown from 842
[ to over 4,000.]Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, Massachusetts.[ From 2011 to 2018, the convention was held at the Westin Boston Waterfront. In 2019, Arisia moved back to the Boston Park Plaza Hotel temporarily as a result of a strike at Boston-area Marriott properties, including the Westin. Later that year after a legal dispute, Arisia agreed to return to the Westin for the 2020 convention, and also signed a contract for the Westin to host through 2023. Due to the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the convention was held online only in 2021 and 2022, returning to the renamed Westin Boston Seaport District in 2023 and 2024, and is scheduled to return to the Hyatt Regency Boston / Cambridge for 2025.[
Regular events include one of the largest Masquerades (costume contests) on the East Coast; "Fast Track" programming for children; a demonstration of historical fighting techniques; gaming; film, video, and ]anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
rooms; and a Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat Jewish prayer service.radio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...
s.
The Arisia Corporation is the body that funds and promotes the annual Arisia convention; additional activities include awarding grants to other related organizations. Corporate membership costs $24 per year starting in September, pro-rated for members who join during later months. Corporate positions are elected by the voting body (defined as members who have attended one previous corporate meeting) in September. Meetings are held monthly and are open to the public.
References
External links
The Arisia Convention page
The Arisia Corporation page
1990 establishments in Massachusetts
Conventions in Boston
Culture of Boston
Science fiction conventions in the United States
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