Arisia is a

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

-area, volunteer-run

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

convention Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

, 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. Arisias 2000–2006 were held at the Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston, and Arisias 2007–2010 were held at the Hyatt Regency in

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 beca ...

, 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. 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 hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

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 ...

Jewish prayer service. Other events that have been recently included are a blood drive, a drumming circle, Friday and Saturday evening dances, and live

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 ...

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 {{sf-convention-stub