Anime Central facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anime Central |
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| Status | Active |
| Venue | Hyatt Regency O'Hare Donald E. Stephens Convention Center |
| Location(s) | Rosemont, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1998 |
| Attendance | 32,653 in 2018 |
| Organized by | Midwest Animation Promotion Society (MAPS) |
| Filing status | 501(c)(3) |
| Website | www.acen.org |
Anime Central (often called ACen) is a huge yearly event for fans of anime and manga! It's a three-day convention held every May in Rosemont, Illinois, in the United States. This exciting event takes place at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The Midwest Animation Promotion Society (MAPS) organizes ACen, making sure it's a fun experience for everyone.
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What Can You Do at Anime Central?
ACen offers tons of cool activities for attendees! You can watch anime in special viewing rooms, explore the artist alley to find unique artwork, and even get autographs from your favorite voice actors or creators. There are also concerts, dances, and a big dealer's room where you can buy all sorts of anime and manga merchandise.
Gamers will love the different gaming areas, including arcade games, role-playing games, board games, and video games. You can also enjoy a formal ball, sing your heart out at karaoke, or watch the amazing masquerade (a costume contest). Many panels and Q&A sessions are held, where you can learn more about anime, manga, and meet special guests.
How Did Anime Central Start?
Anime Central began in 1998 because there weren't many anime events in the central United States. People wanted a place to celebrate their love for anime, and so ACen was created!
Over the years, many interesting things have happened at the convention. In 2001, a guest named Robert DeJesus even got married during the event by another guest, Jan Scott-Frazier! In 2012, two more cosplay weddings took place, showing how much people love the community at ACen. That same year, the Hyatt hotel had to be briefly evacuated because of a fire alarm, but everyone was safe.
ACen has also hosted big competitions. In 2014, it held the US Finals for the World Cosplay Summit, where talented cosplayers competed to represent the United States on a global stage. Unfortunately, the conventions in 2020 and 2021 had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but ACen has since returned!
Anime Central Aftershock!
In 2009, Anime Central offered a special program called "Anime Central Aftershock!" This was a separate track of events held at the Chicago Comic-Con. It included anime showings, appearances by artists, fun contests, cosplay activities, and interesting panel discussions.
Otaquest Connect
When the main Anime Central convention was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACen teamed up with Otaquest. Together, they held an online anime convention called Otaquest Connect on August 15–16, 2020. This allowed fans to still enjoy some of the convention experience from home!
