Katsucon 2014: 20 Years Old and Still Some Growing Pains

Katsucon is a three day annual anime convention that takes place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. It is traditionally held in February over Presidents Day weekend, and was previously held in various locations around Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

This is my second time at Katsucon, and this year the con was celebrating its twentieth year. Over the two decades of its convention history, Katsucon has seen an impressive growth in attendance numbers, from a mere 500 at its first con, to more than 11,000 attendees this year. And with a con like it, it is understandable why so many cosplayers from across the country — and even out of the country — flock to it every year.

My first Katsucon experience was last year. And even still, after being at that convention center twice before, walking into the Gaylord National Harbor & Resort I am still instantly blown away by how beautiful it is, even when covered in snow like in the picture of me as Frozone above (taken by the talented AshB Images). The videos I have seen coming from the con did not do the con center justice. It was like it’s own little town under that glass roof, many stories above. From the fountain area, to the hillside, to the beach area, and to the famous Gazebo area, this was by far the most beautiful convention center I have ever been in. The amount of photo opportunities, due to the locations and natural lighting alone are worth busting out your best cosplay work just for some killer shots.

The cosplays at Katsucon always manage to blow my mind. I can say that when it comes to cosplay for a convention, Katsucon always seems to bring out the most incredible, breathtaking cosplays you will see. You will walk down a hall and see a dress with people caring trails of fabric behind them, with stunning detail, and amazing design. Or maybe a guy rocking a full body armor swinging around a giant prop. I loved seeing the amount awesome cosplays that were at this con. I feel the Gaylord has the ability to bring out the true beauty of a cosplayers cosplay. Katsucon photos are always amazing, and I feel it is the perfect place for cosplayers, and fans of cosplay to see some amazing cosplays.

One of the big reasons for that is that Katsucon is one of the locations in the US for preliminary qualification for the World Cosplay Summit. Even though only about a dozen teams of cosplayers get picked to compete, just the fact that the WCS is part of Katsucon seems to encourage all cosplayers to bring out their best.

The dealers room in my opinion was pretty decent. It wasn’t the biggest I have ever seen, but it was definitely well organized, and I love that. Longtime attendees said the dealers room wasn’t the best the con ever had, but it was passable. The game room was a big step up from last year, which seemed rather unimpressive. Panel rooms were huge, and really accommodating, and I have to say my favorite change from last year was the move of the rave to a better room than the concrete floored room that it was held in last year. However despite all this praise for Katsucon, the con was not perfect.

I had heard several instances of problems that had occurred at the convention regarding staff of the Gaylord, and Katsucon attendees. For example I was told by a friend that while practicing for a shoot, hotel staff told them to stop in a very rude and degrading manner. There is no reason to talk down to people when it comes to dealing with con goers.

One other thing I noticed was that the con staff seemed to have an issue with photographers taking photos, claiming the use of “Professional Equipment” was forbidden. I witnessed this first hand during a photo shoot — the photographer wanted to use a reflector screen that was held by somebody, not standing on its on. The con staffer told him, “no professional equipment.” I am not sure if this rule came from the con staff, or the Gaylord. I am sure that since these set ups are not in the way, blocking traffic, or fire exits they should be allowed.

All in all, I can highly recommend Katsucon, especially if you have not been to it before. The Gaylord is a beautiful location to showcase a new cosplay, and get some awesome photos. Not to mention it’s definitely a cosplay heavy con. If you are just a fan of cosplay, or a cosplayer yourself, I suggest you check out Katsucon next year. I know I’ll be attending once more.