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Katsucon 2023

Katsucon is an anime convention held around Valentine's Day each year at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel and Resort. The convention is nearing it's 30th anniversary and has been at the Gaylord for almost half its history. After years of steady growth and outgrowing venue after venue, Katsucon has found a semi-permanent home. (It's been so successful here that Katsucon's parent company, Katsucon Entertainment, Inc., has started a sister convention, Station Unity held in the same location in late summer.) The Gaylord hotel has a fair amount of convention space, and is attached directly to a dedicated convention center for even more activities. In addition to the large hotel, there are a number of other hotels very close by to house attendees. Reservations are filled up almost as soon as they're available, so it's safe to say Katsucon is going strong after years and years.

Katsucon is fairly typical for anime conventions these days, with concerts, a masquerade, and big dealer's hall just what you would expect them to be. There's always a variety of panels and showings, too, enough for almost everybody to find something they'll be interested in. The game room is small only compared to the game room for MAGFest, held in the same location about a month earlier, which uses most of the exhibitor space. Though Katsucon doesn't typically have huge guest announcements or other particularly unique events, having settled in at the Gaylord, it's a fairly safe bet to be well run and enjoyable. Even though it's reputation as a party convention has died down a bit since the Covid lockdowns, the relaxed social atmosphere and party opportunities are what draw a lot of people to the convention.

What Katsucon has been known for since its move to the Gaylord is the huge, bright atrium of the hotel lobby. This makes for fantastic lighting and scenery for cosplay. (At least during the day; in the evening you’ll need a serious studio flash setup.) Beyond the atrium and its three levels, the outdoor areas around the convention also have quite a few options to offer cosplayers and photographers. Whereas the gazeebo is the iconic backdrop for the indoor atrium, the small gardens right outside are a very attractive place for photos, as is the beach of the Potomac river just down the hill. Even with late February weather being often chilly, many cosplayers still brave the outdoors for the space to spread out. Typically there's at least one warmer day with enough sun that the outdoors gets pleasant. On a lucky year, the temperatures rise up to the comfortable 60s or 70s.

It is worth pointing out that the area hosting Katsucon is an attraction in and of itself. While many conventions take place in dense urban areas with all the associated amenities, many do not. Katsucon offers a wide range of dining options from the budget-conscious to fine dining. One of the area’s biggest casinos, the MGM, is just up the road, offering its own entertainment. And for cosplayers and photographers willing to risk a run-in with security, some very unique shooting locations are found there.

Meanwhile in the convention center hotel itself, changes over the years have made it more and more suitable for convention attendees. What used to be a buffet-style restaurant is now a walk-up deli, cafe, and coffee bar, with more seating and more options for different tastes (and budgets). The food is about what you would expect from an up-scale resort hotel and prices do match, though the budget-friendly options nearby do drive the prices down a bit. An additional "pop-up" style fast food window is also available now, giving attendees another quick and fast option for food. What was once a sports bar is now... still a sports bar, but renovated to include games like billiards and darts. It's now more a bar than a restaurant, but shares a kitchen with the rest of the hotel and is a convenient place to get drinks and bar food. Finally, in a smart move, the hotel now uses the lobby bar area as a breakfast buffet in the mornings. The price is steep for a limited amount of options, but the food is high quality and one of the best options around in the morning, not to mention one of the most convenient.

And last but not least, Katsucon appears to get the top-floor PoSE Lounge for exclusive use by attendees. (Though this may change year to year.) The retro-arcade styled renovation of the upstairs club is an improvement and helps bring the party-oriented attendees together. Long gone are the days of late-night congregation by the downstairs atrium fountains with open alcohol containers. That said, temporary bars are in place all around the hotel now, with limited selections but a focus on anime-themed drinks. As mentioned above, Katsucon (and the Gaylord) have settled in to a good spot that offers a lot for attendees.

With so much still the same as in the past for Katsucon, this year did see some changes. Katsucon 2020 was one of the last anime conventions held before lockdowns prevented them. Katsucon 2021 was cancelled due to lockdowns, and Katsucon 2022 was something of a return to normalcy. By that time, mask and social distancing mandates were far from uniform across the country, let alone the world. The Katsucon 2022 mask mandate was mostly followed, though the social distancing one was not. Cosplayers in particular were in a bit of a hard spot, at least those who (as per convention rules) removed their masks for cosplay photos. When you were constantly getting your photo taken, as many often are, the masks would stay off for extended periods (again, as per the convention rules).

DragonCon 2022 (in the fall, in Atlanta) marked a bit of a turning point, as they, too, had a mask mandate. But reportedly after the first day, it was ignored. A few months later, at Katsucon 2023, a mask mandate was technically on the books, though already by Friday left almost entirely un-enforced. Each year, staff tries to corral the masses in the upstairs atrium lobby with modest success at best. Trying to enforce a mask mandate was virtually impossible and most staffers probably gave up on it to focus on bigger issues. Along these lines, at this point the convention community has probably automatically split. Those with covid concerns in 2023 are unlikely to visit conventions regardless of their masking or immunization requirements, while those with no or only minor concerns are the ones who showed up regardless of lockdowns. I will predict that this shift will slightly but noticeably change conventions going forward, though I can't say for sure what the "new normal" will be.

In any case, I expect Katsucon to continue on strong. It's weathered its share of problems in the past and grown both upward (attendance) and outward (new events). The location, attendees, and timing fit well. For anybody local (however you define that) the convention is worth attending, and for those farther away, it's worth at least checking out one year. With so much going for Katsucon, I'm looking forward to seeing Station Unity grow in the same way.

Katsucon 2024 will be held February 16-18, 2024 at the Gaylord National Harbor in Oxen Hill, MD.