Dragonfest, the Biggest Martial Arts Convention to be held in Burbank, CA

- (NewMediaWire) - August 08, 2019 - Burbank, CA -- If you are looking for the most awesome Asian badguys, or if you are into martial arts anime, or perhaps you want to enjoy taiko drumming, Chinese lions, meeting the creator of Hong Kong Phooey or talking to an actual member of the Cobra Kai? Then the 15^th annual Dragonfest expo coming this August 16, 17 and 18, at the Burbank Pickwick Gardens convention center is your destination.

Considered the comic-con of the martial arts, Dragonfest brings in over 3,000 visitors and martial arts enthuisasts as they enjoy cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, panels with some of the greatest pioneers of the industry and Q&A sessions with your favorite icons and even shaking hands with James Bond himself.

Hosted by the Martial Arts History Museum and sponsored by VisitBurbank.com and YuenMethod.com, Dragonfest is the museum’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

“This is it. The biggest and most popular martial arts convention on the planet and it’s here in the great city of Burbank, Ca. Every major star in the field and every significant figure in martial arts history kindly gives of their time to support the museum by attending this event,” says museum president and also head of Dragonfest Michael Matsuda.

“The martial arts isn’t that old in America and many of our great pioneers significant achievers are still with us. People like Leo Fong, Fumio Demura, Tak Kubota, Doug Wong, Benny Urquidez, Eric Lee, Kam Yuen, people that literally changed the world will be there. It’s like meeting Benjamin Franklin in person, that’s the impact many of these people have had on the world and Dragonfest provides that opportunity to meet them,” adds Matsuda.

Dragonfest includes 170 vendors featuring martial arts weapons, fun toys, artwork, movies, nutritional products, healing workshops and a variety of martial arts supplies. Other booths include a number of martial arts celebrities signing autographs featuring Joe Mantegna, Michael Jai White, Don “the dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Ernie Reyes Jr., Steven Ho, Obba Babatunde, Albert Leong, Gerald Okamura, Ron Van Clief, TJ Storm and Graciela Casillas just to name a few.

Dragonfest, this year, is a three-day event. Friday evening, August 16, will play host to a number of marketing seminars. Saturday, August 17, is the Dragonfest Expo itself. It is the only day that will include vendor booths as well as the cultural performances and demonstrations. Sunday, August 18, are the workshops. Conducted by the most recognized experts in the field, the audience has an opportunity to workout with their icons. There will be a total of 18 workshops.

A charity event, 100 percent of all funds collected go to support the Museum.  The costs of Dragonfest include:
Friday, August 16: $20, Saturday, August 17: $30 and Sunday August 18: $30. If you sign up for Saturday and Sunday, Friday night is free.

Kids 17 & under will be admitted free to Saturday, August 17, which is the Expo. Sunday is for adults only. All active military with an ID, will be admitted free to all three days.

“We make the event free to kids but this event, they can actually meet the people who brought the martial arts to America. This is history itself and to say that you actually shook that person’s hand is something that they will never forget. They are touching history and that makes a big impact on a young kid’s life. That’s why we do it,” adds Matsuda.

“For the martial arts community, this is our comic-con, this is our Disneyland, this is the one time of the year where people fly in from all over the world to meet hall of famers, train with the pioneers, get an autograph from a legend or just rub shoulders with cast of ‘Big Trouble in Little China,’ this is it,” says Matsuda. “It is our goal to relocate the Martial Arts History Museum to a much larger location and Dragonfest is a big part of making that happen.”

The Pickwick Gardens Convention Center is located at 1001 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank, CA 91506. Parking is free.

For tickets or more information about Dragonfest, visit
http://www.Dragonfest.com.

For information about the Martial Arts History Museum, visit
http://www.Mamuseum.com.

For hotel reservations, visit
https://reservations.visitburbank.com/hotel/list/12538/i5146