Crowne Plaza sold out for Pensacon 2016

If you're planning to go to Pensacon's 2016 convention, and you were hoping to stay in the official convention hotel, you're a bit late.

Convention organizers announced at the end of March that the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel opened up reservations for Pensacon 2016, which is set for Feb. 19-21.

In less than two days, organizers took to social media to alert fans the hotel already is more than 75 percent sold out.

It's in keeping with the nerd culture event's incredible growth story, which this year saw more than 20,000 attendees, a complete sell-out on the convention's second day and nearly $4 million in economic impact.

Pensacon's first announced guests of 2016 are "Star Wars" legends David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca).

With the convention's growth, organizers are seeking solutions for additional space, but again expect to take over the entire hotel, the Pensacola Bay Center and many other downtown establishments and facilities for the convention weekend.

Visit www.pnj.com/pensacon to look back at our coverage from the previous conventions.