Zenkaikon is a multi-genre convention held during spring at the
Lancaster County Convention Center
The Lancaster County Convention Center (LCCC) is a publicly owned convention center in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. With initial site preparation in late 2006 and completion in the summer of 2009, the Lancaster County Convention Cent ...
in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
. The convention was formerly based around
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
King of Prussia (also referred to as KOP) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,028. The community took its unusual name in the 18th ...
(a
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
suburb). Zenkaikon's name is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words The convention has an all-volunteer staff.
Programming
The convention typically offers anime and live action screenings, AMV's, artist alley, concerts, cosplay masquerade, costume competitions, dances, dealers room, formal costume ball, game shows, iron cosplay, karaoke,
LARP
A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique feature ...
, live bands, maid cafe, manga library, panels, tabletop gaming, vendors, video gaming, and workshops.
In 2015, the charity auction benefited the Lymphoma Research Foundation and raised over $1,800. The foundation was chosen due to the death of guest CJ Henderson from Lymphoma. In 2017, the charity auction benefited
Ocean Conservancy
Ocean Conservancy (founded as The Delta Corporation) is a nonprofit environmental advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., United States. The organization formulates ocean policy at the federal and state government levels based on peer review ...
. In 2018, the charity auction benefited
The AbleGamers Foundation
The AbleGamers Foundation (also known as The AbleGamers Charity) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to improving accessibility in the video game space, enabling more people with disabilities to be able to play video games. The charit ...
. 2019's charity was the Arch Street Center.
History
Zenkaikon was formed in 2006 by the merger of two Philadelphia-area events, Zentrancon and Kosaikon. In 2008, Zenkaikon became a two-day convention. In 2009 due to significant attendance growth, Zenkaikon moved to the larger Valley Forge Radisson Hotel (same complex as its former location the Scanticon) and capped attendance at 1,500 attendees per day. In 2010, Zenkaikon announced it would become a three-day convention, move to a spring date (skipping 2010), and increase convention space by using both the Valley Forge Convention Center and Scanticon Hotel and Conference Center (same complex). The changes were made to improve weather, allow for better preparation, and increase staff. During the convention in 2011, Zenkaikon and its attendees raised $3750 for the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
Japanese Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Fund. Due to construction of the
Valley Forge Casino Resort
Valley Forge Casino Resort is a casino in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Located in the King of Prussia census-designated place (CDP), it was constructed on the existing site of the Valley Forg ...
at the Valley Forge Convention Center, Zenkaikon 2012 was held at a new location, The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, and reduced to two days.
Zenkaikon moved to the
Lancaster County Convention Center
The Lancaster County Convention Center (LCCC) is a publicly owned convention center in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. With initial site preparation in late 2006 and completion in the summer of 2009, the Lancaster County Convention Cent ...
for 2013 and returned to being a three-day event. The convention returned to the Lancaster County Convention Center in 2014 and occupied every (four) floor. Zenkaikon returned to the convention center in 2015, and 2016 for its 10th anniversary. In 2017, the convention used Tellus360's Temple Room for additional space. Zenkaikon 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 ...
. The convention held virtual programming on what was to be the Saturday of the event. Zenkaikon 2021 was also cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an online event announced in its place. The convention's 2022 COVID-19 policies required masks and vaccination. Zenkaikon for the first time used both floors of Tellus360 for events.
Event history
Kosaikon Anifest
Kosaikon was an anime convention held from 2003 to 2005 on the campus of
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
. The convention featured anime screenings, artists' alley, an artist's gallery, cosplay contest, and video gaming with tournaments.
Event history
Zentrancon
Zentrancon was an
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
convention held on October 16, 2005 at The Rotunda,
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
. It was created by members of the Delaware Anime Society. The convention featured autograph sessions, costume contests, dealers, film screenings, raffles, tabletop gaming, and video game tournaments.
Event history
Collaborations
Zenkaikon staff provided anime and Asian content to America's Video Games Expo 2008 (VGXPO) at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 21–23, 2008. Content included screenings, panels, gaming tournaments, and karaoke. Zenkaikon returned to VGXPO 2009 on October 9–11, 2009 and provided two screening rooms for anime. Zenkaikon hosted a Cosplay Fashion Show in Fairmount Park during Sakura Sunday at the 2012
Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia
The Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival (former "Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia") is an annual spring celebration based on the Japanese custom of ''Hanami'' (cherry blossom viewing). The festival, which is presented by the Japa ...