| AVCon | |
| Status: | Active |
| Frequency: | Annual |
| Venue: | Adelaide Showground |
| Location: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Country: | Australia |
| Organiser: | Team AVCon Incorporated |
| Attendance: | 13,000 (2023) |
| Filing: | Not-for-profit |
AVCon is an Australian anime and video games festival held annually in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the largest combined anime and gaming festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
AVCon showcases anime, video gaming, tabletop gaming, Japanese culture, art and technology in one large, all-ages event. AVCon is organised by the volunteer-based not-for-profit Team AVCon Incorporated.[1]
The festival is divided into multiple sections focusing on individual industries or fandoms.
AVCon After Dark is the 18+ event that is complementary to AVCon and hosts content with a mature age ratings, alcohol consumption, burlesque and other performances.
In December 2023, Team AVCon Inc. ran its inaugural 'Games 4 Kids charity', using donations and proceeds from its Christmas Artist Market to purchase several PlayStation 5 units for donation to the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital.
AVCon began in 2002 as a joint effort between volunteers of the University of South Australia's Adelaide Japanese Animation Society (AJAS) and the Adelaide University Video Gamers Association (AUVGA). Originally known as ‘AVConnection’ (a reference to the AV cables that connect a game console or DVD player to a TV) for the first two years, the event was held at the University of Adelaide in the Union building. It featured anime screenings, video game free play, vendor hall, quiz night and cosplay.
In 2004, the event officially changed its name to ‘AVCon’ and continued to expand on the University of Adelaide campus.
In 2008, the event outgrew its convention status. It officially changed its title to 'festival' and registered their organising body ‘Team AVCon Incorporated’ as an incorporated entity and registered not-for-profit.
In 2009, AVCon had grown past the point that it could be categorised as a simple university club event and thus was no longer suitable to host at the University of Adelaide campus. Team AVCon Inc. made the decision to relocate the event to the Adelaide Convention Centre to reflect its status as an established festival. This venue upgrade and addition of new activities, such as the Indie Game Room, The Ichigo Ke-Ki Maid Cafe and the Adelaide qualifying leg for the Madman National Cosplay Championship, resulted in double the previous year's attendance.
In 2011, AVCon hosted its first guests with local celebrities Jade and Ryan from Cheez TV and internet content creator Martin "LittleKuriboh" Billany. AVCon then began courting local and international talent as guests for each subsequent year.
In 2015, AVCon added esports to its line-up with community matches and professional teams competing in Dota 2 and StarCraft II. It also hosted the first AusSpeedruns speedrunning marathon.
In 2016, AVCon added a dedicated tabletop gaming section to its activities alongside video games, including tabletop roleplaying games, Japanese and Western trading card games, board games, and wargaming.
During these years, AVCon secured support and partnered with many large companies, such as principal sponsorship with Australian Internet service provider Internode (now known as iiNet) and Nintendo Australia.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the 2020 AVCon festival was cancelled.[2] The 2021 AVCon festival was scheduled to be held at a reduced capacity at the Morphettville Racecourse from 9–11 July; however, it was cancelled due to pandemic restrictions.[3] On the 16 March 2022, an official statement was released on Team AVCon's social media and website announcing that due to the ongoing possibility of COVID-19 complications returning, AVCon would not be held in 2022.[4] Instead, in 2022, Team AVCon held two small-scale events. As part of the Adelaide Fringe, an artist market in the style of their Artist Alley was run, and in July, an AVCon After Dark style event was held that featured DJs, artists, and local vendors.
After a three-year hiatus, and with COVID-19 measures lifted in South Australia, AVCon was held again as a large event at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 21–23 July 2023 with reduced space and a selection of virtual panels.
In 2024, Team AVCon Inc. moved the event to the Adelaide Showground and has renewed its focus on creative and community orientated aspects such as fun themes, commissioned art, mini events, community outreach, cafe with maids, panels, art classes, arcades and guests.
| Dates | Location | Theme | Guests | Convenor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 20–21, 2002 | University of Adelaide | None | Neil Phillips | ||
| July 19–20, 2003 | University of Adelaide | None | Neil Phillips | ||
| July 17–18, 2004 | University of Adelaide | Wacky Japan | None | Connell Wood | |
| July 16–17, 2005 | University of Adelaide | RPG | None | Connell Wood | |
| July 14–16, 2006 | University of Adelaide | Pirates vs Ninjas | None | Mitchell Chapman | |
| July 20–22, 2007 | University of Adelaide | Rock Show | None | Mitchell Chapman | |
| July 26–27, 2008 | University of Adelaide | Space Opera | None | Mark Stoffels | |
| July 24–26, 2009 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Heroes and Villains | None | Mel Dyer | |
| July 23–25, 2010 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Into the Woods | None | Thomas Baker | |
| July 22–24, 2011 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Retro | Little Kuriboh, Ryan Lappin, Jade Gatt | Thomas Baker | |
| July 27–29, 2012 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Neon Future | Cassandra Lee Morris, Crispin Freeman | Tom Birdseye | |
| July 12–14, 2013 | Adelaide Convention Centre | School Days | Jessica Nigri, Chris Cason, Spike Spencer | Tom Birdseye | |
| July 18–20, 2014 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Fantasy RPG | Jon St. John, Cherami Leigh, Chris Avellone | William Brennan | |
| July 17–19, 2015 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Detective Agency | Jennifer Hale, Yaya Han, Eve Beauregard | William Brennan | |
| July 15–17, 2016 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Magica vs Mecha | Caitlin Glass, Good Game cast Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell, Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen, Gus "Goose" Ronald, Nich "NichBoy" Richardson and Michael "Hingers" Hing | Kira Austin | |
| July 21–23, 2017 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Winter Festival | Quinton Flynn, Jen Taylor, Chris Pope, Steve Downes | Kira Austin[5] | |
| July 20–22, 2018 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Evolution | Spike Spencer, Neil Kaplan, Major Sam Cosplay, Beke Cosplay, Vera Chimera, Knitemaya | Anthony Kearney[6] | |
| July 5–7, 2019 | Adelaide Convention Centre | Join the Party | Paul St. Peter, D.C. Douglas | Ethan Levy[7] | |
| July 21–23, 2023 | Adelaide Convention Centre | 21st Birthday | Lisle Wilkerson, Hiroshi Nagahama, Toshio Furukawa (Virtual), Shogo Sakata (Virtual) | Thao Vuong | |
| June 28-30, 2024 | Adelaide Showground | Sports Festival | Bryce Papenbrook, Ladybeard (as frontman of Babybeard), Dokibird (vtuber), Whereisdanielledebs Cosplay, Zaphy Cosplay, Shadinski Cosplay, Grizzly Ghoul Cosplay, Rowenberry Cosplay, Galaxy Girl PAiDA | Matthew "Mowen" Owen |
AVCon’s original mascots were Ayvee (a green-haired anime-inspired humanoid female with angel wings) and Sprite, her koala animal friend. In 2004 a male counterpart to Ayvee was added named Switch (a grey-haired, anime-inspired humanoid). With Switch's introduction, Sprite was no longer featured in any from thereafter. Ayvee and Switch have been featured in art and promotional material drawn by various artists every year since. Ayvee, Switch and Sprite were created by two of AVCon's original organisers; Connell Wood and Melissa Waterman.
In 2021, a more petite pink-haired humanoid female named Juliette was designed and added to represent the AVCon 'Ichigo Ke-Ki Maid Cafe' but has since been refocused as a general mascot. Juliette was created by artist Rae Harris.
For the 2024 event, a new character was brought on because of the need for four team captains for that year’s Sports Festival theme. A yellow-haired humanoid male with spiral glasses, a "nerd" aesthetic and robotic appendages, he was created by 2024 convenor Matthew "Mowen" Owen. This character was christened Wayville and his robot friend Ridley to honour the event's move to the Adelaide Showground.
Team AVCon Incorporated, the parent organisation which produce AVCon, is a registered not-for-profit.[8]