Sunshine City Scare, Florida’s Official Halloween Prequel, kicks off the season August 15–16  at Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, 333 1st St. SE. The horror convention features costume and prop-making inspiration, cosplay contests, specialty vendors shop with spooky treasures, and interactive experiences for fans ready to get a head start on Halloween before summer ends. The event runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

This year, attendees also can learn how to participate in “Cosplay/er,” an independent slasher movie inspired by cosplay culture and fan conventions that will film portions of its production this spring in St. Petersburg.

Event Highlights Include:

Get Halloween costume and special-effects makeup tips from YouTube master crafter, “Evil Ted,” who will lead a panel on creating blood effects, and “The Star Cos,” a 21-year-old Universal Epic Universe makeup artist with 1 million TikTok followers.
Shop for Halloween decorations, apparel, accessories, collectibles, and artwork from specialty horror vendors. You won’t see these items on Amazon or in a mall.
Enter or watch horror cosplay and lip-sync contests.
Dive into the after-hours Slash & Splash Pool Party on Saturday, August 15 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Participate in fan panels exploring cosplay, prop-making, and fan culture

This year’s convention also will introduce attendees to “Cosplay/er,” an upcoming slasher movie inspired by cosplay culture and fan conventions. The production plans to film portions of the movie in St. Petersburg, including scenes during St. Pete Comic Con on April 17-18, 2027.

During Sunshine City Scare, attendees can:

Audition for minor speaking, featured non speaking and background roles.
Step into The Screams Booth to record a horror scream that could appear in promotional materials or in the movie.
Have professional makeup artists recreate the movie’s signature horror look.
Meet members of the production team and learn about cast and crew opportunities.

Advance tickets for Sunshine City Scare are $25 for Saturday, $20 for Sunday, or $35 for a weekend pass. Prices increase by $5 at the door.

To learn more about the movie “Cosplay/er” visit cosplayslasher.com.