Raleigh Convention Center's expansion looms as 'Animate! Raleigh' packs in fans

The convention celebrates all things animation, from comic books to voice actors. It was started by the founders of GalaxyCon, one of Raleigh's biggest summer events. But this will be the last year fans will see the convention as they know it.
Posted 1/5/2025, 12:07:25 AM Updated 1/5/2025, 1:58:05 AM

FUNERAL ON THURSDAY. PRESIDENT

CARTER WAS 100 YEARS OLD.

THIS WEEKEND. THOUSANDS ARE

PACKED INTO THE CITY OF OAKS

FOR THE END OF A RALLY. THE

EVENT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A

BIG IMPACT IN AN IMPORTANT YEAR

FOR THE RALEIGH CONVENTION

CENTER.

INSIDE THE RALEIGH CONVENTION

CENTER SATURDAY, STORMTROOPERS

SAMURAI AND HUNDREDS OF STOLZ.

IT'S A CELEBRATION AND THIS

ONE. SO AS A RALLY KICKS OFF

THE LAST YEAR OF THE RALEIGH

CONVENTION CENTER AS IT IS NOW

BEFORE A MULTI-YEAR

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION

BEGINS. WE ARE ROOTING FOR TO

COME AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE

BECAUSE WE NEED THE SPACE AND

EXPANSION EAGERLY AWAITED BY

PEOPLE LIKE PETER KATZ, SENIOR

VICE-PRESIDENT FOR GALAXY GOD,

WHICH ALSO PUTS ON ANIMATE

RALLY WILL HAVE OVER 10,000

INDIVIDUALS WILL BE COMING

THROUGH. OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT IS

VERY HIGH FOR THE CITY.

>> IT SAYS THE EXPECTED IMPACT

FROM OLD THE STANDS AND FANS

WILL BE AROUND 4 MILLION

DOLLARS GALAXY CON THEIR

MARQUEE EVENT BRINGS AN EVEN

MORE ROUGHLY 10 MILLION DOLLARS

HAS BECOME SO BIG. IT NO LONGER

FITS WITHIN THE CONVENTION

CENTER. WE TAKE UP EVERY SQUARE

INCH THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY GET.

WE ALSO EXTEND INTO THE HOTELS.

WE DO EVENTS THERE YET SAYS

THE WAIT LIST VENDORS TO SET

UP A GALAXY CON IS ROUGHLY 700

SHOPS LONG. A NUMBER THAT'S

BOTH INTIMIDATING AND ENTICING

FOR ARTISTS LIKE ASHEVILLE

BASED HERE IN CAUSING FINGERS

CROSSED EVENTUALLY GET INTO

GALAXY CA A GREAT CONVENTION

CENTER EXPANSION IS SET TO KICK

OFF IN TWENTY-TWENTY 6.

>> THE NEW WING WILL BE BUILT

ON TOP OF THE CURRENT RED HAT

AMPHITHEATER, WHICH WILL MOVE A

BLOCK SOUTH. THE NEW OMNI HOTEL

WILL ALSO ADD 550 HOTEL ROOMS

TO THE AREA AND ANOTHER 55,000

SQUARE FEET OF MEETING SPACE.

>> ALL THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY

IMPORTANT FOR US, BECAUSE

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA

BE ABLE TO GROW IMPORTANT FOR

GROWTH AND

FOR CONNECTION FANS AND ARTISTS

ALIKE GETTING TO ACTUALLY MEET

PEOPLE IN.

© WRAL