Matsuricon facts for kids

Matsuricon is a fun three-day event for fans of anime, manga, and video games! It happens every August in Columbus, Ohio, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus and Greater Columbus Convention Center. Matsuricon is known for being a welcoming place for families and people of all ages.

What to Do at Matsuricon

Matsuricon offers many exciting activities for everyone. You can find:

• An Artist Alley where talented artists sell their unique creations.
• A Cosplay Contest to show off amazing costumes.
• A Dealers Room filled with cool merchandise to buy.
• A Formal Ball for a fancy dance party.
• Lots of Gaming options, including arcade games, board games, and video games.
• Karaoke where you can sing your favorite songs.
• A Masquerade which is another costume show.
• A Video Contest to see creative fan-made videos.

In 2014, the Carolina Manga Library brought a huge collection of manga books for everyone to read. Matsuricon also helps raise money for good causes. In 2014, they raised over $13,916 for Pelotonia, a charity that supports cancer research.

Matsuricon's Journey Through the Years

Matsuricon started in 2006 and has grown a lot since then! It's always held in Columbus, Ohio, but the exact location has changed a few times as it got bigger.

Special Moments in Matsuricon History

Matsuricon has hosted some really special events over the years:

• In 2012, a famous concert called "Distant Worlds" came to Matsuricon. This concert plays music from the popular video game series, Final Fantasy. The concert was led by Arnie Roth.
• After the concert, some lucky fans got to meet Nobuo Uematsu, the amazing composer who created much of the music for Final Fantasy!
• In 2018, Matsuricon shared its convention space with another big event. This meant that the convention center was very busy!
• Sadly, Matsuricon 2020 had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it came back stronger in later years!

Matsuricon continues to be a popular event for anime and gaming fans in Ohio and beyond.