Arisia is a
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
-area, volunteer-run
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
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
Boskone is an annual science fiction convention ("con") run by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In the words of the convention organizers, "Boskone is a regional Science Fiction ...
, 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 university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, 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
Marriott may refer to:
People
*Marriott (surname)
Corporations
* Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993
* Marriott International, international hot ...
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.
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 Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
rooms; and a Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat
Jewish prayer ( he, תְּפִלָּה, ; plural ; yi, תּפֿלה, tfile , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with i ...
Jewish prayer service.radio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
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 Massachusetts
Culture of Boston
Science fiction conventions in the United States
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