Ohayocon is a three-day

anime convention An anime and manga convention (often called just anime convention) is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college cam ...

typically held during January/February in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

at the Dayton Convention Center. Ohayocon's name is derived from the similarity between "Ohio", the convention's location, and , which means "good morning" in Japanese.

Programming

The convention typically offers an anime music contest, an artists' alley, concerts, costume contests, a dealers' room, a formal ball, a masquerade, musical events, panel discussions, a rave, table-top games, tournaments, video gaming, and workshops.

History

2001-2023

In 2007, the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

premiere of '' Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'' occurred at the Arena Grand Theatre during Ohayocon. In 2010, crowding was a problem during the rave due to space issues. The convention shared the Columbus Convention Center with other events and only used about one-fourth of the available space. The convention's dance was moved to the convention center ballroom in 2012 to alleviate crowding issues. Ohayocon began using wristbands instead of badges to control unpaid attendance in 2014. During Ohayocon 2015, a transgender teen disappeared during the rave on Saturday night. The teen was attempting to run away and was later found safe in downtown Columbus on Tuesday. The Columbus Convention Center was undergoing construction during Ohayocon 2017, and the convention continued to use wristbands instead of badges. Ohayocon 2021 was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but a virtual event was held in its place. The 2022 convention had an attendance cap of 17,000 and events like the dance were not held. Ohayocon also had COVID-19 policies that included masks and testing or vaccination. The dance and formal ball returned in 2023. Ohayocon continued to have COVID-19 protocols that included masks and testing or vaccination.

Controversy and relocation 2024-present

Significant numbers of the conventions leadership and volunteers did not participate in the 2024 convention. This was due to the firing of the conventions chair and head of marketing over a logo dispute, among other issues including finances. The convention contends at the time they were removed due to organizational changes surrounding the formation of the Cultural Exchange Society Inc. (CESI), which as of 2024, the formation of is still not complete (specifically the non-profit status.) The staff, as part of the Conventions of Ohio Volunteer Event Network (COVEN), attempted to negotiate unsuccessfully with CESI. Ohayocon announced new leadership prior to the 2025 event, along with the convention moving to the Dayton Convention Center. In January 2025, Ohayocon's owners sued Sekai Guild/Sekaicon, a new convention formed by former staff of Ohayocon. They accused the former staff of sealing convention assets and information.

Event history

References

External links

Ohayocon Website
{{Coord, 39.756503, -84.190122, region:US-OH_type:event, display=title Anime conventions in the United States Recurring events established in 2001 2001 establishments in Ohio Annual events in Ohio Festivals in Ohio Culture of Dayton, Ohio Tourist attractions in Dayton, Ohio Conventions in Ohio