LunaCon celebrates Japanese culture with foster cats, cosplay contest
Vendor booths spilled out into the parking lot of Luna Cat Cafe during LunaCon IV. They sold a variety of handmade goods, from crocheted characters to anime posts. Sean Sterling | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Tables of vendors and cosplayers greeted visitors at Luna Cat Cafe. Upstairs, the sound of birdcalls played softly from lantern speakers as visitors of all ages relax and play with foster cats.
“It brings a little taste of Japanese cuisine, Midwestern cuisine and cats, so many unique and special things come together here,” featured cosplayer and former employee Adeline Livingston said.
On Saturday, Luna Cat Cafe held LunaCon IV, the cafe’s annual Japanese cultural festival and anime and gaming convention. Over 20 small shops and artists tabled at the event, selling prints, jewelry and handmade crafts. The event also included a community cosplay contest and the cafe’s signature cat room and Japanese-Midwestern menu.
LunaCon IV allowed attendees to bond over shared interests, Livingston said. She manned her booth in costume as Tifa Lockhart from the video game “Final Fantasy VII.” Livingston appreciated chit-chatting with customers and introducing them to her favorite video games and characters, she said.
Meg Wills often travels to Syracuse from Pittsburgh with her touring anime festival, Anime Night. Wills advertised upcoming events at her booth at LunaCon IV. The passion of Syracuse’s anime fandoms keep her coming back to the area, she said.
“The energy that people bring, it’s just pure excitement and joy, and Luna Cat Cafe specifically has that great energy,” Wills said.
LunaCon gave anime and gaming lovers a place to connect over shared interests. Some vendors sold themed merchandise. Sean Sterling | Staff Photographer
The cafe fosters cats from the Central New York Cat Coalition, hoping to find their forever homes. The cats live in Luna Cat Cafe’s recently renovated upstairs room.
The cat room provided a relaxed atmosphere away from the excitement of the main convention, and attendees gushed about their interactions with them. Volunteers, like Syracuse University senior Charlie Thomas, visit regularly, taking advantage of time with the felines.
New kitten arrivals Joe, Kelly and Kim quickly caught visitors’ attention with their rambunctious playfighting. Brothers Onyx and Spooky watched from their perches in the cat trees, and Piper was eager to interact with visitors.
Syracuse University Studio Art Professor Chris Wildrick attended in Loki cosplay, promoting the university’s Geek/Art CONfluence. The annual Comic Con partners with Luna Cat Cafe to provide a cat room during the convention. The cat room is one of the biggest draws to the event, Wildrick said, providing a connection between the SU community and off-campus businesses.
“We try to act as a kind of bridge to the overall community,” Wildrick said.
Alison, a vendor who didn’t provide their last name, said that Luna Cat Cafe’s purpose goes beyond its function as a cat cafe — it also provides a “third space” for attendees.
Third spaces are social environments separate from home and work where people can connect with others and gain community. The cat cafe’s role as a third space for its customers makes the business especially important, she said.
“There’s not that many third spaces around,” Alison said. “So, Luna is not just a place where you can go pick up food, but it’s a place you can go hang out with cats, hang out with friends.”
Sonja Patrician has been tabling at LunaCon for three years with her art shop, The Gilded Dragon. Her booth included paintings, resin art and other handmade crafts.
She likes that the cafe gives college students a break from campus while giving back to the community. Patrician appreciates the kind, welcoming environment LunaCon has brought to her and others.
“You always meet the right kind of people here,” she said. “Who doesn’t love to get a nice drink or a good bite to eat and then hang out with some cats to relieve stress?”
