PokéCon Tampa is happening November 21st through 23rd at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa USF, and if you’re into Pokémon—cards, games, collecting, whatever—this is three days of exactly that. Twenty-five bucks gets you in for a weekend of digging through vendor tables, tournaments, and hanging out with people who won’t judge you for dropping money on cardboard.

The Embassy Suites works for this. You’re not packed into some cramped hall where you can’t move. Three days means you don’t have to sprint through everything in one afternoon. Come Friday, come back Saturday, take your time looking at stuff, and don’t stress about missing things.

Vendors are the reason most people show up. Cards you’ve been stalking online might actually be sitting on a table where you can see them yourself, check the condition, and buy them without hoping the photos were accurate. Sealed product, singles, older sets, new releases—the kind of stuff your local shop doesn’t carry. Graded cards if that’s your deal, and vendors who know what they have instead of guessing at prices.

Tournaments happen all weekend for people who play instead of just collect. TCG or video games, whatever you’re into. Prize support makes it worth entering even if you’re not trying to top cut, and you get to see what decks and teams people are actually running right now.

Cosplay showcases happen too. People show up in Trainer gear or full Pokémon costumes, and some of them put serious work into it. The showcase format means you actually get to look at them instead of just walking past in a crowd.

Panels cover collecting, gameplay, franchise stuff—depends on what they scheduled. Some are more useful than others, but they give you somewhere to sit and hear people talk about things you already care about. Good for taking a break between hitting vendor tables and watching matches.

Kids come with parents, teenagers show up with friends, adults come solo to hunt cards. Nobody makes it weird. The vibe stays relaxed. Everyone’s there for the same reason.

Cards & More Tour runs the event. They do Pokémon conventions in different cities, so they’ve done this before. The setup works—vendors are solid, tournaments run on time, and it feels like people who actually know the community put it together.

Tickets are $25 on pokecon2025.com. The venue is at 3705 Spectrum Boulevard in Tampa. Easy to find, parking won’t ruin your day. November 21st through 23rd—three full days to buy, trade, battle, and be around people who get it.

If you’ve got a want list or just want to spend a weekend with the community, this is it. Bring cash since some vendors prefer it, know what you’re looking for so you don’t buy everything on impulse, and leave room in your bag because you’re definitely walking out with more than you planned.