FanimeCon celebrated its 30th anniversary with a racing-themed event, the Fan Prix, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on Memorial Day weekend. This year’s festivities was headlined by events such as the Masquerade, the Music Fest, the Black and White Ball, a sprawling swap meet, and cosplay gatherings. This year’s guests of honor lineup included a variety of notable figures such as Mark “Markman” Julio and Hirokatsu Kihara, both of whom we had the pleasure of interviewing.
Aside from the canceled FMV contest, the event featured the usual mainstays, such as the ever-popular artist alley, vendor halls, dances, karaoke rooms, panels, and a gaming room. Perhaps the area most affected by staffing issues was the latter, which had fewer console games, no PC gaming stations, and reduced hours, closing at 10 PM each night. This was quite the departure from its 24/7 availability during Fanime’s pre-pandemic years.
The absence of video rooms in the convention center and the 18+ events located at the DoubleTree hotel miles away meant there was a lack of evening activities. Instead, “Parkcon,” an unsanctioned music festival across the street, drew the biggest crowds each night.
FanimeCon will return in 2025 with the Matsuri theme. Check out our photos from the event below!
