| Animecon | |
|---|---|
Two girls cosplaying as anime characters during Animecon 2007. |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | Varies |
| Country | Finland |
| First held | 1999 |
| Organizer | Various organizations |
| Attendance | approx. 7,000 in 2007, together with Finncon |
| Official website | http://www.animecon.fi/ |
Animecon is the largest anime convention in Finland, held annually over a weekend in varying Finnish cities. It has no participation or membership fees.
Animecon is organized as a joint project between anime clubs throughout Finland, facilitated by the communications hub Suomen Animeunioni (The Finnish Anime Union).[1] The convention was first established in 1999 as an outgrowth of the science fiction anime fandom of the sci-fi convention Finncon,[2] expanded into a separate event about anime in general. Until this year, Animecon and Finncon have been held in conjunction, sharing premises but no events; they even often have held separate opening ceremonies.
The two drew some 5200 visitors in 2004[3] and 5500 in 2006, peaking at 5000 on Saturday during the three-day event.[4] After the 2007 conventions, an organizer cited the number of visitors as an estimated 7000.[5] Animecon II was the first major cosplay event in Finland, [6] and the practice has been noted for its abundance in later ones.[4]
Contents |
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1–3, 2003 | University of Turku Turku |
4,000 | Jonathan Clements. |
| July 10–11, 2004 | University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä |
5,200 | yoshitoshi ABe and Jonathan Clements.[7] |
| August 18–20, 2006 | Helsinki Congress Paasitorni Helsinki |
9,000 | Paul Gravett.[8] |
| July 14–15, 2007 | University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä[9] |
7,000 | |
| July 26–27, 2008 | Tampere Hall Tampere[10] |
9,000 | |
| July 10–12, 2009 | Kaapelitehdas Helsinki |
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| July 14-17, 2011 | Turku[11] |
|
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