by Xinhua writers Tan Jingjing, Tan Yixiao

LOS ANGELES, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Science-fiction (sci-fi) brings out the kid in all of us, Eric Kaufman said, dressing up as a "Star Wars" character for an alien conference (AlienCon) held in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend.

"Since I was little, I have been reading and watching sci-fi every chance I get. It really motivated me to study science and mathematics in school because I desired to get a career in science," said Kaufman, who turned out to be an aircraft mechanic.

Kaufman was one of the thrilled participants at AlienCon Los Angeles held from Friday to Sunday.

Featuring long-time favorites and all-new guests, panel discussions, programming sessions, fan competitions and exclusive merchandise, AlienCon Los Angeles brought together experts, the stars of American television series "Ancient Aliens," and sci-fi fan favorites.

There were also imaginative discussions on topics such as UFOs and extraterrestrials.

"The show 'Ancient Aliens' brought me here. I'm trying to discover more information about extraterrestrials. You learn a lot more information here than just researching online and things like that," said Robert Drake, a local visitor who was on his second visit to the AlienCon.

"The event brings like-minded people together and I always meet amazing people here. It has been an amazing adventure," he told Xinhua.

Sci-fi fans also took part in costume competitions and showcased their art works during the event.

Sean Murphy, a local sculpture artist, said he always follows space news, including missions of NASA and the European Space Agency, as well as China's space exploration.

"China's probe has made the first-ever soft-landing on the far side of the moon. It is an amazing achievement," he said.

Following AlienCon Los Angeles, AlienCon Dallas will take place from Oct. 4 to 6, 2019 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, U.S. state of Texas.