The Tauranga Armageddon Expo will bring its signature brand of pop culture madness to the Bay region this June.

#BAYOFGEDDON 2021 will showcase the latest and greatest in gaming and technology with console, PC and virtual reality gaming areas for attendees to try out.

Armageddon Expo founder and director William Geradts says partnering with a selection of gaming and technology-focused companies has seen the event evolve.

'While we still have that special brand of pop culture magic that makes Armageddon what it is, we've redefined certain aspects of the show,” he says.

'With the lockdowns in 2020 keeping everyone indoors, gaming has seen a real spike in popularity. This year we are using our resources and knowledge to really hone in on this.”

He says alongside Ping Zero's PC and console set ups, sponsor OPPO will host a League of Legends mobile gaming tournament, and attendees can experience Half-Life: Alyx in virtual reality with VR Cave.

Catherine Tate is one of many guests who will be streaming in next month. Supplied photos,

In keeping with Covid-19 safety guidelines, all of the celebrity guests will be beamed in live via video – and three guests will even take part in a ‘virtual signing'.

'We wanted to bring back a piece of the show that has been missed by attendees - autographs,” he says.

'We will have animation stars Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty), Maile Flanagan (Naruto) and Stephanie Nadolny (Dragon Ball Z) doing virtual signings. Fans can have a one-on-one chat with their favourite celebrity and collect a pre-signed picture at the end.”

The epic line-up of celebrity guests doing virtual panels include stars from The Mandalorian, Supergirl, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Star Trek and a bunch of other fandoms.

The expo will have a massive range of stalls selling geeky art, crafts, collectables, comics and more.

Giancarlo Esposito.

Attendees will also be able to enjoy a huge range of in-show events including the famous Armageddon Cosplay Contest, a Chilli Eating Challenge (with a $1000 grand prize), a Just Dance disco dancefloor and more.

'We're beyond excited to kick off the Tauranga Armageddon Expo for 2021– it's going to be a great event not to be missed.”

The Tauranga Armageddon Expo will be held over the weekend of June 12-13 from 9am to 5pm both days. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the website: https://www.armageddonexpo.com/

SunLive has five double passes to this year's armageddon to giveaway.

Enter the competition online here to be in to win.

The competition will be drawn next Wednesday.