Katsucon

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Anime convention in the Washington, D.C. metro area

title: "Katsucon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["anime-conventions-in-the-united-states", "recurring-events-established-in-1995", "1995-establishments-in-virginia", "annual-events-in-maryland", "festivals-in-maryland", "culture-of-washington,-d.c.", "tourist-attractions-in-prince-george's-county,-maryland", "conventions-in-maryland"] description: "Anime convention in the Washington, D.C. metro area" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsucon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Anime convention in the Washington, D.C. metro area ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Convention"]

FieldValue
nameKatsucon
image[[Image:Katsucon.png
captionThe official Katsucon logo
statusActive
genreAnime, Manga, Japanese pop culture
venueGaylord National Resort & Convention Center
locationNational Harbor, Maryland
countryUnited States
first1995
organizerKatsucon Entertainment, Inc.
attendance17,005 in 2016
websitehttp://www.katsucon.org/
::

| name = Katsucon | image = [[Image:Katsucon.png|117px]] | caption = The official Katsucon logo | status = Active | genre = Anime, Manga, Japanese pop culture | venue = Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center | location = National Harbor, Maryland | country = United States | first = 1995 | organizer = Katsucon Entertainment, Inc. | attendance = 17,005 in 2016 | website = http://www.katsucon.org/

Katsucon is an annual three-day anime convention held during February at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It is traditionally held in February over Presidents Day weekend and was previously held in various locations around Virginia and Washington, D.C. The basis of the convention's name is not clear, as "katsu" in the Japanese language has various meanings, including pork.

Programming

The convention typically offers anime music video screenings, an art show, artist alley, charity auction, costume contests, cosplay chess, dealers room, game shows, formal ball, karaoke, a maid cafe, masquerade, musical performances, panels, rave, workshops, video gaming, and video screenings. Katsucon has Japanese Culture programming known as the Japanese Cultural Institute. Katsucon's charity events in 2012 benefited the American Cancer Society, Anime Aid, and Cherry Tree Maintenance Endowment Fund.

History

Katsucon started in 1995 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Virginia Beach, and moved to locations around the Washington metropolitan area after its third year due to growth. In 2002 the convention had a membership cap of 7,000 people, unsuccessfully attempted to move to the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, and in 2003 returned to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. Katsucon ran for extra days in 2003 due to hundreds of attendees being trapped by road closures during the North American blizzard of 2003. Guests and staff ran panels and opened video rooms. Due to growth, the convention in 2005 moved to the Marriott Crystal Gateway and Sheraton Crystal City from the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The hotels were unconnected and one had construction ongoing, which caused problems including the first two floors of the hotel having no heat, long dealers room lines, and panels being held in larger hotel rooms. The convention from 2006 to 2008 was located at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, but in 2007 suffered crowd control and logistics problems. For 2009 the convention returned to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City and suffered from overcrowding, even with an attendance cap of 6,000. Katsucon 2009 had over 300 volunteers on staff.

The convention for several years had been experiencing problems with convention space and in 2006 began discussions about moving to the Gaylord. In 2010 Katsucon moved to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center and the February 9–10, 2010 North American blizzard occurred. Attendees traveling to the convention encountered icy conditions and congested traffic, with the weather preventing delivery of the cons badges on Thursday, delaying registration until Friday. The convention in 2011 released a revised Fan Art policy due to controversy over its wording. Due to an incident where a sex offender made contact with a minor at Katsucon 2010, the convention announced that it would attempt to check its pre-registration lists against sex offender databases and deny attendance to possible threats. In 2012, the convention hosted the United States preliminary round for the World Cosplay Summit. The winner from the twenty-two teams entered was Coconut Bubble Sex Cosplay. The masquerade began seating late and was an hour late to start. Due to the convention's attendance growth, they ran out of badges in 2012 and returned to the Gaylord in 2013. In 2013, the convention hosted the United States Eastern Regional qualifier for the World Cosplay Summit. The dealers room in 2013 suffered from crowding on Sunday, and they had to limit the number of attendees who entered.

The February 11–17, 2014 North American winter storm occurred on the days before the convention, causing travel disruptions for attendees. The convention did not share the Gaylord with other events in 2014 and made the dealers' room larger. Registration experienced significant delays due to staff and organization issues. Katsucon again held events for the World Cosplay Summit. The dress code was changed by the convention and hotel for 2016. Katsucon 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Katsucon 2022 had COVID-19 policies that required masks and vaccination. During Katsucon 2025, a pipe burst in the Artists Alley on Friday, delaying its opening on Saturday.

Event history

::data[format=table]

DateLocationAttend.Guest
date = February 17–19, 1995venue = Holiday Inn Executive Centerlocation = Virginia Beach, Virginiaattendance = 500
::

Notes

References

Other Related News Articles

References

  1. "Katsucon 1995 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  2. "Katsucon 1996 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  3. "Katsucon 1997 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  4. "Katsucon 1998 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  5. "Katsucon 1999 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  6. "Katsucon 2000 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  7. "Katsucon 2001 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  8. "Katsucon 2002 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  9. "Katsucon 2003 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  10. "Katsucon 2004 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  11. "Katsucon 2005 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  12. "Katsucon 2006 Information". AnimeCons.com.
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  14. "Katsucon 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com.
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  17. "Katsucon 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  18. "Katsucon 2012 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  19. "Katsucon 2013 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  20. "Katsucon 2014 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  21. "Katsucon 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  22. "Katsucon 2016 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  23. "Katsucon 2017 Information". AnimeCons.com.
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  26. "Katsucon 2020 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  27. "Katsucon 2021 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  28. "Katsucon 2022 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  29. "Katsucon 2023 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  30. "Katsucon 2024 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  31. "Katsucon 2025 Information". AnimeCons.com.
  32. Delahanty, Patrick. (2013-01-07). "Ten Largest North American Anime Conventions of 2012". AnimeCons.com.
  33. (2013-03-04). "AnimeCons TV: Katsucon 2013 Report". AnimeCons TV.
  34. (2014-03-03). "AnimeCons TV: Katsucon 2014 Report". AnimeCons TV.
  35. (15 June 2024). "Katsucon 2024: A Truly Serendipitous Weekend". Anime Herald.
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  38. (February 15, 2016). "Photos: At Katsucon, Cosplayers Find An Empowering And Safe Space".
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  40. (February 15, 2025). "Katsucon 2025 Artist Alley Saturday". Katsucon Facebook.
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  42. Orsini, Lauren. (2009-02-12). "Popular Anime Gathering Comes To Arlington This Weekend It's Unconventional: Anime". Free Lance-Star.
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  44. "Hey, Answerman! Y'all Ready For This May 18th 2012". Anime News Network.
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  58. Reynolds, Kay. (1995-02-15). "Japanimation Event Has Worldwide Appeal". The Virginian-Pilot.
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  62. (14 February 2025). "Burst pipe rains on KatsuCon attendees and displays at Gaylord National Harbor". WJLA.
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::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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