Halloween season has started in Phoenix and it was kicked off this past weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center thanks to Keen Halloween. This was actually the third Keen Halloween after taking a hiatus for awhile after the first two were put together by local creators “Steam Crow” who you might see around other conventions. The brain power behind Phoenix Comicon and Phoenix Fan Fest teamed up with Steam Crow to revive the show and offer some of their resources of putting on a successful convention. This was my first time attending Keen Halloween as I had missed out on the first two cons a few years back so I was pretty anxious to see what the show was all about.


The con was held in the South Building of the Phoenix Convention Center and it was made up of an exhibit hall and a hallway of panel rooms. The exhibit hall was made up of vendors and artists who specialize in the creepy, spooky, and fun. It’s a bit different going to a con and not seeing a single Captain America or Steven Universe print for sale but it was a nice change of pace. Many of the artists had hand made goods and a few prices of art while the vendors offered everything from steam punk accessories to Halloween decorations and inflatable yard decorations. 


I did attend one panel which was first thing Saturday morning and it was how to make slime presented by the Ghostbusters of Arizona charity group. The panel offering were diverse but still manage to keep the focus on Halloween and the celebration of the holiday. Honestly, my only gripe with the convention is that one day was enough, I really didn’t have a reason to go back for a second day. With that said, I would still recommend checking out Keen Halloween because it’s only going to get better. I gave it some thought on the drive home after the con and I would recommend Keen to three groups of people: 

  • Con Addicts – This is the group I fall in, con goers who check out a ton of shows through out the year. Keen was a nice way to mix things up, it wasn’t your typical pop culture con so you see a lot of things you don’t see at other cons.

  • Families – The event is free to children 12 and under which is great. Many of the panels were kid friendly and they even had a workshop sores on the exhibit floor that you could make different things through out the day. 

  • Halloween Addicts – If you decorate your house on October 1st, you buy candy corn as soon as it appears in stores, and you spend all year planning your costume, then Keen is for you. Lots of unique Halloween decorations could be found that won’t be seen anywhere near a Spirit Halloween store, it’s that simple. 

That’s a wrap for Keen Halloween, next up is Phoenix Fan Fest! As always, make sure to follow Legion of Sand on Twitter for more AZ con coverage and news (I just hit a 1,000 followers, thanks!)

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