CajunCon, a new pop culture convention, coming to Baton Rouge area in 2025

GONZALES — A new convention is making its way to the Baton Rouge area, but there’s a catch—you’ll need a golden ticket to get into CajunCon. The massive pop culture convention will take place next year from December 6-7, 2025, at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.

While December 2025 might feel far off, convention organizer Scott Innes says it’s necessary to ensure the most interesting and captivating personalities from all walks of television and film can attend.

“In the convention world, it’s not that long away. You’ve got to book out,” Innes explained.

Most around the country know Innes as the voice of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and Scrappy-Doo in films and video games. He’s also built a long career as an event promoter, actor, producer, and writer. Innes himself travels to conventions worldwide, meeting Scooby-Doo fans and taking pictures with them.

For CajunCon, Innes said he wanted to tap into his own childhood and build the convention’s theme around one of his favorite movies, “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”

The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center will be transformed into a set from the iconic 1971 film, which starred Gene Wilder as the owner of a magical—and sometimes frightening—chocolate factory.

“I’ve always been a Willy Wonka fan. I love Willy Wonka,” Innes said. “We’re gonna have huge props. Everything Wonka, that’s going to be our theme. We’re even going to have cosplayers dressed up as Oompa Loompas working the booths and everything.”

Several of the surviving original children from the iconic film will also be reunited at the convention, allowing fans to meet Julie Dawn Cole, who played Veruca Salt, Paris Themmen, who co-starred as the iconic young cowboy Mike Teevee, and of course Peter Ostrum, known for playing Charlie Buckett.

Tickets for the event are free, and Innes says they’ll likely be distributed through local businesses as golden tickets. For those not in the immediate area, free passes will also be available online. VIP fast passes will also be available for $200, allowing attendees to skip autograph lines and receive some exclusive goodies. Only 200 fast passes will be available.

While the theme of the convention is “Willy Wonka”, Innes noted that there will be television and movie talent from several genres, including comedy, horror, and Christmas movies, as the convention takes place in December. He mentioned that cast members from “A Christmas Story”, “Elf”, and the Jim Carrey “Grinch” movie will be in attendance.

Several vehicle replicas from film and TV will also be featured, including the Ecto-1 from “Ghostbusters”, the original van from “Jeepers Creepers”, the General Lee from “The Dukes of Hazzard”, and the van from “The A-Team”, among others.

In an effort to make the convention accessible to everyone, Innes said Sunday morning will feature an hour of sensory-friendly activities for children with special needs. Music will be turned off, and flashing lights or other distracting noises will be minimized.

“Each child gets either a red Superman cape or a pink one,” Innes said about the Sunday morning activity. “They’ll be able to meet their stars for free, get autographs for free, and it’s just going to be a warm and fuzzy experience. We live in a crazy world right now, and I think the more we pay tribute to those who need extra love in their lives, the better place we’ll be.”

Anyone interested in becoming a vendor can apply for spots at onescottshop.com. You can also follow updates for CajunCon on the group’s Facebook page or at their website, cajunconla.com, which will launch on Dec. 14th.

Download the  Unfiltered with Kiran app from the  Apple App Store and  Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area. 

Help support UWK and their mission to continue providing you “The News You Deserve. Unfiltered.” Sign up to become a monthly patron via Patreon.