Kami-Con facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kami-Con |
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| Status | Active |
| Genre | Anime, Manga, gaming and pop culture. |
| Venue | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex |
| Location(s) | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2009 |
| Attendance | 7,527 in 2018 |
| Organized by | Bama SOS Brigade |
| Website | http://www.kamicon.net/ |
Kami-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held during January/February in Birmingham, Alabama at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex by the Bama SOS Brigade, a student organization from the University of Alabama.
Programming
The convention typically offers anime screenings, concerts, cosplay contests, dodgeball tournaments, a Pokecenter, rave, tabletop games, vendors, and video game tournaments. The convention contains a storyline/plot, which allows attendees to pick sides, and affect the outcome of the story by participating in various contests.
History
Kami-Con is organized by the Bama SOS Brigade, which was started by Raymond Lenzner and a handful of students at the University of Alabama. Construction in the Ferguson Center during the 2010 convention caused some events such as video gaming to change locations. The convention moved to the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in 2013. Kami-Con 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 25–26, 2009 | University of Alabama - Ferguson Center Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
460 | Mandy Clark, Bryan King, Kittyhawk, Aaron Pabon, Seraphina, Stephanie Yanez. |
| April 24–25, 2010 | University of Alabama - Ferguson Center Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
1,267 | Robert Axelrod, Martin Billany, Lisa Furukawa, Kevin "Chicknwings" Hicks, Vic Mignogna, Aaron Pabon, Seraphina. |
| February 19–20, 2011 | University of Alabama - Ferguson Center Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
2,600 | 91.8 The Fan, Martin Billany, Johnny Yong Bosch, Carly Dorsey, Kyle Hebert, Kevin "Chicknwings" Hicks, Aaron Pabon, Seraphina, Micah Solusod, Charity Youngblood. |
| February 3–5, 2012 | University of Alabama - Ferguson Center Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
2,500 | 501st Legion, 91.8 The Fan, Robert Axelrod, Martin Billany, Electric Moon, Crispin Freeman, Kevin "Chicknwings" Hicks, Marble Hornets, Marianne Miller, Chris Niosi, Aaron Pabon, Seraphina, Ashley Serena, Sonny Strait, Eric Stuart, Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, Cristina Vee, Doug Walker, Nick Wright. |
| February 15–17, 2013 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
3,700 | 91.8 The Fan, Martin Billany, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Kevin "Chicknwings" Hicks, Laugh Out Loud, Vic Mignogna, Marianne Miller, Chris Niosi, Aaron Pabon, Michelle Ruff, Chris Sabat, Seraphina, Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, Doug Walker, Greg Wicker, and Nick Wright. |
| February 14–16, 2014 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
4,172 | Linda Ballantyne, Martin Billany, Beau Billingslea, Steven Blum, Melissa Fahn, Katie Griffin, Laugh Out Loud, Wendee Lee, Marianne Miller, Aaron Pabon, Toby Proctor, Susan Roman, Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, Greg Wicker, and Nick Wright. |
| February 27 - March 1, 2015 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
4,800 | 91.8 The Fan, Curtis Arnott, Martin Billany, Ed Chavez, Mr. Creepy Pasta, Scott Frerichs, Kazha, Nick Landis, Laugh Out Loud, Marianne Miller, Aaron Pabon, Bryce Papenbrook, Jessie Pridemore, Lawrence Simpson, Micah Solusod, Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, Cristina Vee, Doug Walker, Greg Wicker, Nick Wright, and Apphia Yu. |
| March 11–13, 2016 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
4,700 | 91.8 The Fan, Robert Axelrod, Linda Ballantyne, Chalk Twins, Cosplay, Inc., Mr. Creepy Pasta, Richard Epcar, Jacob Grady, Catherine Jones, Kazha, Aaron Pabon, Jessie Pridemore, Toby Proctor, Ian Sinclair, Ellyn Stern, Nicki Taylor, Cristina Vee, Aurelio Voltaire, and Greg Wicker. |
| January 27-29, 2017 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
6,800 | Yuu Asakawa, Martin Billany, Zach Callison, Mr. Creepy Pasta, Kara Eberle, Scott Frerichs, Caleb Hyles, Kazha, Nick Landis, Vic Mignogna, Marianne Miller, Aaron Pabon, Malcolm Ray, Lawrence Simpson, Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, Tokyo Attack!, Greg Wicker, and Alexander Shunnarah. |
| January 26-28, 2018 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
7,527 | John Anderson, Dante Basco, Martin Billany, Johnny Yong Bosch, Greg Cipes, Mr. Creepy Pasta, Jonny Cruz, Barbara Dunkelman, Kara Eberle, Andy Field, Scott Frerichs, Jacob Grady, Todd Haberkorn, Catherine Jones, Lindsay Jones, Kazha, Phil LaMarr, Nick Landis, Marianne Miller, Aaron Pabon, Jessie Pridemore, Malcolm Ray, Michelle Ruff, Lawrence Simpson, Corinne Sudberg, Vofan, Doug Walker, Rob Walker, and Arryn Zech. |
| February 22-24, 2019 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
9,000 | John Anderson, Brentalfloss, SungWon Cho, Mr. Creepy Pasta, Estelle, Katie George, Caitlin Glass, Chuck Huber, Catherine Jones, Kazha, Lauren Landa, Erica Mendez, NateWantsToBattle, Aaron Pabon, Jeremy Shada, Micah Solusod, Vitamin H Productions, and Apphia Yu. |
| January 31 - February 2, 2020 | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Birmingham, Alabama |
Zach Aguilar, Steve Blum, Leah Clark, Mr. Creepy Pasta, Jim Cummings, Yaya Han, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Catherine Jones, Kazha, E. Jason Liebrecht, Aaron Pabon, Rob Paulsen, Jād Saxton, Cristina Vee, and Vitamin H Productions. |
Mascots
The official mascots of Kami-Con are Shio-chan (light/shiny) and Kosho (dark), who battled with the help of convention attendees choosing sides and participating in contests, to decide 2011's mascot. In 2013, Shio and Kosho battled with the new turtle mascot, Shoyu, and its previous evil owners.
Mississippi Anime Invasion
The Mississippi Anime Invasion was a two-day anime convention held during October at the Oxford Conference Center in Oxford, Mississippi. It was created by Kami-Con and students from the University of Mississippi.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 14–15, 2013 | Oxford Conference Center Oxford, Mississippi |
Kyle Hebert, Laugh Out Loud, Micah Solusod, Greg Wicker, and Apphia Yu. | |
| October 25–26, 2014 | Oxford Conference Center Oxford, Mississippi |
Laugh Out Loud, Bryce Papenbrook, Chris Sabat, and Greg Wicker. |
Gallery
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KamiCon 2009 logo.
