29th A-Kon: Hit or Miss?

A-Kon schedule, guide, and badge.

A-Kon is the longest running anime convention in North America, as well as one of the most popular ones in the country. Each year, thousands of cosplayers and anime lovers alike across North America flood the Dallas/Fort Worth area to attend the Kon. It’s the summer event for anime lovers of all types. One cosplayer, Madison, commented that “A-Kon is the world’s best nerd hangout this time of year.”

From left to right: Madison as 2B, Jon as Misaki Mei, Isabel as Ichigo

However, as of two years ago, A-Kon moved from Dallas to Fort Worth, which seemed to have a mixed impact on the veterans of the convention. Most of the newer people who had been attending less than five years liked the venue change. Kyle, cosplaying as Sakuyo Mikage, commented on the abundance of food and parking options, saying “There’s just a lot more choices.” His sister Kristina added “I also love the water gardens.”

From left to right, Luke Shelton as Soldier 76, Kyle Hunter as Sakuyo Mikage, Morgan Shanon as Yoshiko Tsushima, Bethany Knox as Saki Uno, Kristina Hunter as Sakuyo Mikage and Ted Bridges as Saki Uno.

A lot of people agreed that parking was better since it moved to Fort Worth. I also had many people commenting on crowd size, saying that since the convention is now held in two hotels as well as the Fort Worth Convention Center…