Otakon 2022 Convention Report - Bigger Than Ever!
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The Otakon anime convention returned in 2022 and ended up breaking all of their attendance records by a mile. The 28th Otakon took place from July 29-31, 2022 in Washington, D.C. and unofficial attendance numbers put them over 40,000 attendees for the weekend which is a major leap up from last year’s 25K and well above their previous record of 34K back in 2013 when the convention was still held in Baltimore. Large numbers of people however meant long lines and densely packed crowds wherever you went.
Perhaps folks were starved and super excited to attend a convention post COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (yes, I know we are actually STILL in the pandemic), but the sudden spike in the number of warm bodies threw everyone for a loop. Friday wasn’t exactly a picture of chaos, but it was a hint of things to come as no matter which entrance you went to (the main convention entrance or the tunnel connector via the Marriott hotel) you were looking to have to wait in line in order to get through the metal detector at the security checkpoint. However, by the time Saturday came around it was just total pandemonium as you were looking at 1-2 hours to get into the building, and that was even if you had your badge and the wristband to show your COVID validation status. I can’t even image how long the wait was for those who were there for at-door registration and badge pickup.
Speaking of security, since the pandemic is in fact still ongoing the requirements this year is that you either had to show proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test from the past three days (no rapid tests) and also required you to wear a facemask. You were then given a black-and-white checkered wristband to show your validation status which you had to frequently show when going into the various venues. Getting the wristband wasn’t really that hard or time-consuming, it was the funneling of literally tens of thousands of people through a single metal detector at each of the two entrances that was the real bottleneck. At some point on Saturday someone finally got the smart idea of opening up additional express entrances for those who had both their badge and the wristband but did not have any large bags that would require them to pass through the metal detector. It definitely helped to get people into the building faster but it really made no sense why they didn’t already have such a plan in place before all hell broke loose. The common excuses given by the convention staff was that not only was the extraordinary jump in attendance number completely unexpected, but that they also had record-low numbers of volunteer staffers to man the convention as well. Regardless of whether or not you find those reasons to be sufficient, there is no one that can argue that the logistical nightmare of just trying to enter the building is something that Otakon must address by next year.
Of course the large crowds didn’t just pose an issue with entering and exiting the building, it also made traversal through the halls just as hard. There is some rumors going around that the attendance on Saturday came close to reaching the Walter E. Washington Convention Center’s fire code limit of 42,000 bodies which was definitely believable by how packed it was inside the building. It got to the point where the convention staff blocked off certain hallways leading to the Dealer’s Hall and directed the traffic through a long roundabout path just to prevent a bottleneck. Of course for those who dreaded having to step foot outside to get food just to have to wait a few hours to get back into the building had to settle with paying for the overpriced convention food.
That being all said, it wasn’t as though the convention was a disaster. Far from it. Especially on Friday and Sunday where you weren’t packed like sardines in a can there was a lot to like about this year’s Otakon. If there is one thing that I can point to it is to the fact there was a lot of variety to their programming. It wasn’t just stacked with English voice actors or just heavy with Japanese guests. From a full-blown K-pop concert to YouTube and TikTok influencers, there really was something for everyone. I also have to give a shout out to their cosplay photoshoot coordinators for providing a number of gorgeous artwork backdrops at the photoshoot locations. They added a lot of flair to the shoots and also gave cosplayers a nice backdrop to take individual photos at. I just wish they would do something about the horrendous mood lighting that is in the room that they hold the photoshoots.
All-in-all while there was a number of frustration about the logistics of this year’s convention, a bit of better planning or even a set attendance cap would go a long way to encourage the frustrated con-goers to come back.
Check out my Facebook photography page where I uploaded photos from various cosplay photoshoots which includes Fate Series (Friday), Nintendo x Smash Bros, Spy x Family, Fire Emblem, Genshin Impact (Saturday at 4pm), and Demon Slayer (Saturday).
Check out my YouTube channel for my recording of voice actor Steve Blum’s Q&A panel and of the cosplay Masquerade contest.