Otakon

Otakon is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. It stands for Otaku Convention. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The convention focuses on East Asian popular culture (primarily anime, manga, music, and cinema) and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku. Otakorp Otakon is run by the Pennsylvania-based non-profit organization Otakorp, Inc. whose primary purpose "is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment". Programming Typical Otakon programming includes anime and live action East Asian films shown on big screens in multiple video rooms. Fan-produced content including fan-parodies and anime music videos (AMVs) are also shown. For several years, Otakon had a dedicated 35 mm film theater, but replaced it in 2008 with an HD theater to take advantage of the wider array of offerings in that format. Panels and workshops are held on subjects such as voice acting, how to draw manga, and Japanese culture. Industry professionals announce new acquisitions, and expert guests discuss or show tricks of their trade and field questions from the audience. Many panels and workshops are conducted by fans rather than pros (ex. Create a Comic Project). The convention also includes cosplay and a skit-based Masquerade show, which in the years before the convention moved to Washington D.C. had taken place inside the Royal Farms Arena. History Otakon 2020 was cancelled due to its venue, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, being converted to a field hospital to treat COVID-19 patients during the ongoing pandemic.