Top 20 Best Cosplay Conventions in the US

Top 20 Best Cosplay Conventions in the US

Cosplay conventions are renowned worldwide for their crazy and stunning costumes, so much so that there are people who attend these events solely to check out all the neat costumes. If you are looking to attend a cosplay convention and aren’t sure what is out there or what may work best for you, this article should help as it will look to highlight the top 20 best cosplay conventions in the US.

Comic-Con International

Comic-Con International: San Diego was first held in 1970 when a small group of comics, movie, and science fiction fans came together to form the very first comic book convention in southern California as discussed at RunRex.com. As the years have gone by, it has quickly become one of the best events for spectacular cosplaying, making it one of the best cosplay events out there.

Youmacon

Held in Michigan, this trendy and cultural event is a celebration of anime and other popular Japanese culture. Dressing up in your favorite costumes is all part of the fun at this event according to guttulus.com, and the more authentic and detailed your costume is, the more likely you are to be recognized by key players in the industry.

Official Star Trek Convention

Trekkies wait anxiously each year for this event when they can dress up as their favorite characters and celebrate more than 60 years of intergalactic cinema memories, including many celebrities who also attend this event as captured at RunRex.com. It is a great event to attend and cosplay or watch the best cosplayers around.

DragonCon

As the gurus over at guttulus.com point out, this is one of the most talked-about events in the cosplay universe. The event draws fans from all over the US, each dressed in their best costumes and ready to have a blast. This event has been running for more than 30 years and is considered one of the most successful cosplay conventions out there.

A-Kon

From discussions over at RunRex.com, this is the perfect cosplay convention for families and those who love obscure culture references, particularly in the J-pop genre. This event was previously known as Project A-Kon, but its name was shortened to simply A-Kon in 2017.

GoPlay Northwest

While this event in Seattle is smaller than many other cosplay conventions, it is its intimate feeling given that it attracts fans who are nostalgic for the good old days, which has people coming back year after year. The event, as described at guttulus.com, is more about non-electric modes of entertainment, including story games, card games, board games, role-playing games, and other tabletop games, and you get extra points if you dress up like the game pieces or characters of your favorite story game.

Emerald City Comic-Con

ECCC is usually held at the Washington State Convention Center and prides itself on bringing fans and creators together. The cosplayers at this convention, as covered at RunRex.com, always go all out on their cosplays, and is one of the best cosplay events of the year.

Anime Expo

As outlined at guttulus.com, Anime Expo is an annual convention currently held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and is currently the largest anime and manga convention in all of North America. Many, if not all, of the people attending this event, will cosplay, making it one of the largest cosplay events out there.

BlizzCon

As explained at RunRex.com, this is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises, including Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, etc. It is known for its fantastic display of cosplay, and the cosplays that come out of this convention have so much complicated armor, color, and detail.

Steel City Con

This event, as the name suggests, is held in Pittsburgh, and celebrates everything the city is famous for, from its sports to the arts. The level of creativity that goes into the complicated cosplays from attendees in this event is something to behold and is so much fun to attend and take part in the fun.

WonderCon

As the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com point out, this is another top-rated event for cosplaying in the US. The convention has bounced around California cities which means that you need to always keep an eye out for where it will land. You won’t be disappointed when it comes to cosplay at this event.

MegaCon

As is covered at RunRex.com, MegaCon is held in Orlando, Florida, and is another event that celebrates characters across all forms of media entertainment. Most people attending this event come dressed in stunning and creative costumes of their favorite entertainers and is another great cosplay convention in the country.

Salt Lake Comic-Con

Salt Lake Comic Con is a special comic con that is held in Salt Lake City, Utah, as its name suggests. It is a semi-annual convention that is Utah’s most popular convention. It is also a multi-genre pop culture expo that lends itself brilliantly to cosplaying according to guttulus.com.

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

Chicago too has got its very own major convention as articulated at RunRex.com. This is a fan convention dedicated to all types of pop culture to include not only comics but also graphic novels, video games, and even anime and manga. The cosplaying at this event is spectacular given it spans various genres, unlike many other events.

Los Angeles Comic Con

Since 2011, this convention has been held at the Los Angeles Convention Center every fall as revealed at guttulus.com. The convention usually invites attendees to compete in its Cosplay National Championship dresses as any character you like from a movie, TV show, video game, or theater performance, adding a layer of competition to the cosplaying at this event that only makes it better.

Anime Weekend Atlanta

This event was first held in 1995, and since then it has grown to be one of the most popular Japanese anime events in the country as per RunRex.com. The event is held to celebrate anime and manga as well as educate Americans about Japanese culture. It is ideal for cosplayers because not only will there be a costume contest, but there will also be photoshoot stations, a museum of costumes, and a cosplay repair station should you encounter too much fun during the convention.

GeekGirlCon

GeekGirlCon is hosted every year at The Conference Center in downtown Seattle. As the gurus over at guttulus.com point out, this convention is unique because it celebrates the usually underappreciated women in the arts and sciences and aims to inspire its audience. It usually has an annual cosplay contest as well as a kid’s cosplay contest.

Anime NYC

This convention is held at the Javits Center in Manhattan and is all about Japanese pop culture. If you want to cosplay as a character from a specific anime franchise, such a Sailor Moon, then this is one convention worth checking out according to RunRex.com.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is a wonderful carnival that takes place in New Orleans each year. The festival can be traced back to medieval Europe and is another excellent event to attend for cosplaying as discussed at guttulus.com. You don’t have to limit your cosplay to comics, video games, anime, or pop culture in this event, which makes for very creative cosplaying.

Otakon

Otakon is held in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Convention Center, and is one of the longest-running anime conventions in the US. The cosplaying at this event is next-level as can be expected of such a popular anime convention, and with so many attendees, you will experience creativity and color when you attend.

As you can see, you don’t have to leave the US to experience top-notch cosplaying, with more on this topic, and so much more, to be found over at RunRex.com and guttulus.com.