Anime USA (AUSA) is an annual three-day anime convention held during October/November at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

Programming

The convention typically features an AMV contest, artist's alley, cosplay contest, dealer's room, host club/maid cafe, LARP, musical performances, tabletop gaming, video rooms, and workshop rooms.

History

The Northern Virginia Anime Association first organized the convention. Anime USA moved from the Sheraton Premiere in Tyson's Corner to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in 2007, a location previously used by

Katsucon Katsucon is an annual three-day anime convention held during February at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It is traditionally held in February over Presidents Day weekend and was previously held in vari ...

and

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 ...

, due to the convention's growth. Renovations and the Hyatt Regency Crystal City layout caused problems during the 2008 convention. In 2010, the video games room was located in a sectioned off part of the parking garage, with at times a cap of 45 people, due to crowding and fire marshal concerns. In 2011 the video game room had to moved out of the parking garage due to concerns from the fire marshal, causing board gaming to be cancelled. For 2012, Anime USA moved to the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The convention partnered with the

Make-A-Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headqua ...

in 2011 to help an ill girl attend the convention. The conventions charity auction raised $3,621.25 for the Taylor Anderson '04 Memorial Gift Fund in 2011. The charity auction in 2012 benefited The DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative. Anime USA 2020 was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. No convention was held in 2021 due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, along with Anime USA's venue closing. Anime USA returned to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City At Reagan National Airport in 2022.

Event history

Notes

Notoriety

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...

attended Anime USA 2002 and received attention while playing the video game

Tekken is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The ...

References

External links

Anime USA Website
{{coord, 38, 50, 55, N, 77, 3, 6, W, region:US-VA_type:event, display=title Anime conventions in the United States Recurring events established in 1999 1999 establishments in Virginia Annual events in Virginia Festivals in Virginia Virginia culture Tourist attractions in Arlington County, Virginia Conventions in Virginia Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia