AKACON to return in October

Anime enthusiasts will be taking over Beenleigh Event Centre again this October.

AKACON, the brainchild of CEO Raine Lovebright, is described as Queensland’s most inclusive anime and pop culture convention.

The first event in March 2022 was wildly successful, with thousands in attendance.

Raine says the 3-day event, which is proudly sponsored by Logan City Council, will be bigger and better than ever.

‘The event will be fun for anyone even if you don’t watch anime – it’s such a unique event and the vibe is just great,’ she says.

‘And nowadays, there’s an anime for everyone and it’s so accessible.’

The Friday event will also be free to attend this time around.

‘We’re really big on following up on feedback from the last event, so we’ve made Friday absolutely free,’ she says.

‘We’ll be setting up in Beenleigh Town Square with a night market, performances and a Studio Ghibli movie screening.’

Across the weekend program, there will be more than 32 exhibitors, live Idol performances, celebrity guest panelists and a cosplay competition.

The Australian Esports League will also have a console gaming setup to accompany claw machines, Dance Dance Revolution, and a free photo booth.

Above all else, Raine is looking forward to seeing everyone again.

‘We have such a supportive and positive community – we have a large online following and everyone’s always keen to engage in discussion and come by the store to say hi,’ she says.

‘The main feedback we got from the first event was that everyone was thrilled about the sense of community, especially for the cosplayers.

‘That feeling of inclusivity and being welcome is lacking in other major cosplay events and we hit that on the head.’

Mark your calendars for the the AKACON Spring event and keep an eye out on their Facebook for updates.

By June Ho