Animethon
Encyclopedia
Animethon is a three-day anime convention
held annually at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. It is Western Canada's longest-running anime convention, the first being held in 1994. It was, up until 2006, Western Canada's largest anime convention, but in that year Anime Evolution
's attendance was claimed to exceed Animethon's by about 150.
's anime club as a public festival to promote Japanese animation and pop culture to the public and help dispel the widely-held perception of anime fans as an unpopular and disturbing fringe element. Animethon was preceded briefly by an event often referred to as the 'Mechaball', which was not publicized and did not attract a large attendance. First held in August 1994 as a single-day event at Grant MacEwan University's then brand-new City Centre campus, Animethon attracted several hundred attendees despite its short notice. Animethons II and III also featured the first commemorative t-shirt designs, in a collage artwork style initiated by Harvey Lee. 1997 saw a change in leadership both at the originating club and Animethon, and a new series of t-shirt designs produced in successive years by Daniel Ross, Ian Horner and Megan Shaw. In 1997, Animethon also began its practice of soliciting food donations for the Edmonton Food Bank and/or the University of Alberta or Grant MacEwan campus food banks. During the years 1997 to 2003, Animethon continued to follow the originating mandate to provide a free event for the general public, while expanding its attendance to an average between 3500 and 3800 people and its offerings to include discussion panels on culture and technology related to animation and manga as well as anime-related events such as a cosplay contest.
With an estimated 4,000 people in 2003, Animethon was the tenth largest anime convention in North America that year.
Anime convention
An anime convention is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Commonly, anime conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels...
held annually at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. It is Western Canada's longest-running anime convention, the first being held in 1994. It was, up until 2006, Western Canada's largest anime convention, but in that year Anime Evolution
Anime Evolution
Anime Evolution was an annual three-day anime convention held in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and organized by the AE Convention Corporation. It had traditionally been held in August since 2004...
's attendance was claimed to exceed Animethon's by about 150.
History
Animethon was conceived by the Banzai Anime Klub of Alberta, the University of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
's anime club as a public festival to promote Japanese animation and pop culture to the public and help dispel the widely-held perception of anime fans as an unpopular and disturbing fringe element. Animethon was preceded briefly by an event often referred to as the 'Mechaball', which was not publicized and did not attract a large attendance. First held in August 1994 as a single-day event at Grant MacEwan University's then brand-new City Centre campus, Animethon attracted several hundred attendees despite its short notice. Animethons II and III also featured the first commemorative t-shirt designs, in a collage artwork style initiated by Harvey Lee. 1997 saw a change in leadership both at the originating club and Animethon, and a new series of t-shirt designs produced in successive years by Daniel Ross, Ian Horner and Megan Shaw. In 1997, Animethon also began its practice of soliciting food donations for the Edmonton Food Bank and/or the University of Alberta or Grant MacEwan campus food banks. During the years 1997 to 2003, Animethon continued to follow the originating mandate to provide a free event for the general public, while expanding its attendance to an average between 3500 and 3800 people and its offerings to include discussion panels on culture and technology related to animation and manga as well as anime-related events such as a cosplay contest.
With an estimated 4,000 people in 2003, Animethon was the tenth largest anime convention in North America that year.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|