Labor Day Weekend I journey back to AnimeFEST in Dallas, TX. Last time I was there was around 2011 or so. Why did I disappear from attending this con ? DragonCon is the same weekend so I was there for a few years.

AnimeFEST is what I call a chill con. It's big enough to keep you occupied but small enough you can actually have decent conversation with people. The last four cons I attended had attendance over 30,000 so it was pretty cool to have a moment to breath at a con.

I sat at my table all weekend and at times invited folks to just take a seat with me at my table. Believe me, this doesn't happen at many cons. All weekend I listen to stories from people which is kinda the best part of what I do - getting a chance to hear from people I normally would have never get a chance to meet if it wasn't for a book.

I didn't have a chance to go into the dealer room but I did walk up to the second floor where I originally set-up to photograph cosplayers back in 2009 for the first Cosplay in America book.



Back then, the Sheraton Hotel/Convention Center was used by A-kon. A few years ago, A-kon moved to a different hotel and AnimeFEST moved in so in a way, it was taking a step into the past.