World Famous Live Entertainment!
From high-adrenaline sword fights and fire breathing, to interactive theatrical events and sketch comedy, there’s always something amazing to watch at METROCON! We’re focused on creating and sharing theme-park-style experiences and shows – immersion and entertainment are in our DNA, and it’s motivated us to create a unique convention experience unlike any other. Starting with the very first Anime Human Chess Match in 2004, METROCON has been bringing high-quality cosplay entertainment to the convention scene for over twenty years, and we’re teaming up with new groups from all over the country to join the roster of our in-house productions. You won’t want to miss any of these signature shows and events – learn more about each show by clicking below!
Click above to learn more about each event!
The ALL-NEW Anime Action Spectacular!
METROCON has a long history of high-intensity live-action cosplay entertainment. Starting in 2004, METROCON produced the VERY FIRST Anime Human Chess Match – after over two decades of producing and expanding on that format, we’ve upped the game even further and evolved!
DREAM/fight LIVE! is the newest in-house show at METROCON – we’re taking your favorite characters and pitting them against each other in an ultimate dream match for the fate of the universe, so expect to see NEW thrills, NEW stunts, and even more of the action you know and love in METROCON’s fight show. DREAM/fight LIVE! also features a fully stunt-ready set with the talented fight performers to use it, and promises to be a fully immersive multi-media adventure through time and space.
DREAM/fight LIVE! 2025 Info COMING SOON!
War looms on the horizon! King Barnabas, famed Conqueror and King of Waloed, has made an offer to the nations that border his own: his armies stand poised to wage war on their lands. If these regal rulers wish to spare their people the cost of war, then they must present their champions to fight as gladiators. The stakes? Only the winning ruler will keep their crown…
With twists and turns, romance, and high fantasy adventure – DREAM/fight LIVE! promises for an exciting inaugural year with 2024’s Theme – SWORDS & SORCERY! Enjoy classic fantasy sword fights, incredible magic, and even a monster or two! Cheer on your favorite champions, and with any luck, your faction will be victorious!
DREAM/fight LIVE! takes place in Main Events, in the West Hall of the Convention Center. Check our programming schedule for specific showtimes and days!
Choreographed REAL Fire Dancing and Fire Breathing!
The METRO Fire Show is a themed live-fire performance, choreographed to a fitting soundtrack, that is sure to astound all of the senses and keep you at the edge of your seat. The show includes live fire-breathing, as well as fire dancing with poi, staff, rope dart, juggling, and the occasional twelve–foot–tall fire–breathing dragon (no, really, it happened in 2016!).
The METRO Fire Show is an immersive video and audio experience as well – leveraging 200′ of projected video and a full concert lighting and sound system, there truly is no other fire show like this one!
METRO Fire Show 2025 Info COMING SOON!
The Dragon. Vlad Țepeș. The Count.
Dracula.
The legacy of blood – of him – runs strong through the veins of many creatures. The visions of a traveler through time give us a glimpse at the many faces of the beast, as the story of Dracula is told through the veil of flames.
Join us for this year’s dark fire extravaganza, Fire Show: Bloodlines, where Saint-Germain gives us a vision through time, recounting the many faces of Dracula, as well as the stories of his offspring, and the many who have fallen in their quest to bury the fanged menace once and for all. The show features music and stories heavily inspired by tales such as Castlevania, Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D, and many of your other bloody favorites!
The METRO Fire Show takes place Friday and Saturday night of the convention, in the Main Events Room (West Hall). Check out our full schedule for detailed times/listings.
The METROCON players successfully abridge (read: butcher) another classic series from anime and video game history! Details for 2025 coming soon!
Princess Mononoke. Spirited Away. Ponyo. The classics of Studio Ghibli…
…all about to be butchered in a magical way you never thought possible.
Every film, every plot – in one hour or less (we think…).
Strap on your aprons, artists. We’re working overtime tonight.
We’re excited to bring fans an ENCORE PERFORMANCE of the highly-celebrated (and widely questioned) inaugural year of our “Abridged” format. This year, MNL once again Presents “The Complete Works of Studio Ghibli (Abridged)” – now with a (slightly) bigger budget, and a (much) larger space, we’re scaling things up for Ghibli: Abridged to dizzying new heights – more cardboard, more props, new jokes, and a whole new Ghibli movie that released since the last time we did this show!?!
Drawing great inspiration from the famous “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)”, a small cast stretched thin enough to snap will attempt to recreate the entire works of the famous Studio Ghibli in as complete a form as possible all in just about one hour.
As they race to the finish line, know this: no character is safe, and no treasured moment will go untouched. Expect at least a mild amount of audience interaction, and no small attempt at prop humor, amid wildly varying degrees of accurate adaptation, and at least several regrettable choices made by writers and actors who have (probably, definitely) seen these films at least one time.
Be sure to join us and clap LOUDLY for this comedic endeavor – or we’ll never turn your parents back into their human form!
Live from Downtown Tampa it’s METRO Night Live!
Pro-Wrestling Style Mayhem with your Favorite Monsters!
Kaiju Big Battel is returning to METROCON 2025, and celebrating their 30th Anniversary in a BIG WAY!
Kaiju Big Battel has been called “One of the weirdest things you’ll ever pay to see!” by MTV News!
An amalgamation of nostalgia, pop culture, pro-wrestling, and the utterly strange, Kaiju Big Battel is an exciting wrestling event with the nastiest monsters this side of the Sea of Japan! Watch these high-flying beasts enter the ring and wreak havoc on their opponents at METROCON 2025!
From the folks at KBB:
Kaiju Big Battel is a modern conflict of epic proportions. Planet Earth is under threat: scattered throughout the galaxy is a monstrous mob of maniacal villains, menacing alien beasts, and giant, city-crushing monsters that are waging war against one another. Presiding over this mayhem is the Kaiju Commissioner, an enigmatic human-arbiter appointed by a clandestine cadre of world leaders to regulate Kaiju rage. If the Kaiju Commissioner doesn’t do his job perfectly the entire world could get caught in the crossfire.
Currently, the Kaiju Universe maintains an active roster of approximately 30 monsters and a despicable, square-headed mad scientist known as Dr. Cube. In addition to the Kaiju Commissioner, a few other privileged humans also get a piece of the action, including Referee Dundee, a mustachioed official who enforces fairness and civility in the ring, and Anthony Salbino, an urban renewal expert who reconstructs crumbled cityscapes between Battels, and one tuxedo-wearing, mouth-running MC
Kaiju Big Battel 2025 Info
