| Kawaii Kon | |
| Venue: | Hawaii Convention Center |
| Location: | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Country: | United States |
| First: | 2005 |
| Attendance: | 13,076 in 2019 |
| Organizer: | Dyad LLC[1] |
| Website: | http://www.kawaiikon.com/ |
Kawaii Kon is an anime convention geared towards Japanese animation and comics held in the Honolulu area.
Kawaii Kon currently has AMV and anime screenings; industry, fan, and guest panels; Hall Cosplay contests, Masquerade/Cosplay Competitions, Art Shows, Artist Alley Contests, Concerts, Dances, and Karaoke, along with Video and Role Playing games, autographs, and a Dealer's Room.
Kawaii Kon was founded by Gamers Evolution Expo, LLC., a company started by Stan Dahlin, Marlon Stodghill and Scott Richardson. Dahlin is a Hawaii native himself, who was at the time based out of Atlanta, Georgia.[2] As for why they decided to bring an anime convention to Hawaii, taken from the website: "Being a transplanted local boy living far away from home for a better part of a decade or more, I'm very proud to be hosting this show in my home state. You ask why? A number of reasons but to simply state it.... I love anime!"[3]
Kawaii Kon was the first anime convention to be held in Hawaii.[4] Local support for the convention by fans in the event's first year resulted in a surprising attendance level that surpassed the staff's expectations. Kawaii Kon 2020 was moved from May to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was later cancelled.[5] [6] [7] [8] Comic Con Honolulu and Kawaii Kon were going to combine for the August 2020 event, until it was cancelled.[9] Kawaii Kon 2021 was moved from April to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was also later cancelled.[10] [11] [12] [13] Kawaii Kon held an online event on May 29-30, 2021.[14] Comic Con Honolulu and Kawaii Kon combined for the 2022 event.[15] 2024 changes included additional concert and video game space.[16] [17]
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