Kawaii Kon is an anime convention geared towards

Japanese animation is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

and

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

held in the

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

area.

Programming

Kawaii Kon currently has AMV and anime screenings; industry, fan, and guest panels; Hall

Cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

contests,

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

/Cosplay Competitions, Art Shows, Artist Alley Contests, Concerts, Dances, and Karaoke, along with Video and Role Playing games, autographs, and a Dealer's Room.

History

Kawaii Kon was founded by Gamers Evolution Expo, LLC., a company started by Stan Dahlin, Marlon Stodghill and Scott Richardson. Dahlin is a Hawaii native himself, who was at the time based out of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia. As for why they decided to bring an anime convention to Hawaii, taken from the website: "Being a transplanted local boy living far away from home for a better part of a decade or more, I'm very proud to be hosting this show in my home state. You ask why? A number of reasons but to simply state it.... I love anime!" Kawaii Kon was the first anime convention to be held in Hawaii. Local support for the convention by fans in the event's first year resulted in a surprising attendance level that surpassed the staff's expectations. Kawaii Kon 2020 was moved from May to August 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 ...

, and was later cancelled. Comic Con Honolulu and Kawaii Kon were going to combine for the August 2020 event, until it was cancelled. Kawaii Kon 2021 was moved from April to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was also later cancelled. Kawaii Kon held an online event on May 29-30, 2021. Comic Con Honolulu and Kawaii Kon combined for the 2022 event.

Event history

Pictures

File:Kawaii Kon 2015 Crowd.jpg, Kawaii Kon 2015 opening ceremony crowd

References

External links

Kawaii Kon Website
{{coord, 21, 17, 25.44, N, 157, 50, 8.52, W, region:US-HI_type:event, display=title Anime conventions in the United States Recurring events established in 2005 2005 establishments in Hawaii Annual events in Hawaii Festivals in Hawaii Culture of Honolulu Japanese-American culture in Honolulu Tourist attractions in Honolulu Conventions in Hawaii