Anime Weekend Atlanta is a anime festival held at the Cobb Galleria Centre & Renaissance Waverly usually from October to November. There are cosplay events, video gaming rooms, game tournaments, fan panels, manga library, a rave with a awesome DJs, and an artist alley which was pretty much like a gift shop where artist sold their handmade items! My boyfriend and me got tickets super last minute and it was the last day of the event as well. This festival goes all day, and all night long so we were able to go past midnight and not miss it. Although it wasn't the same, because most shops were already closed, it was still pretty fun and lots of events were still happening. They have adults events past midnight as well, so that was fun and made it unique. The rave was so much fun! The music was so loud, and the lights were so cool. It was also so cool to see all the peoples cosplay and it inspired us to dress up for future events as well! Can't wait! ESPAÑOL Anime Weekend Atlanta es un festival de anime que se celebra en el Cobb Galleria Center y Renaissance Waverly generalmente de octubre a noviembre. Hay eventos de cosplay, salas de videojuegos, torneos de juegos, paneles de fanáticos, biblioteca de manga, un Rave con DJs increíbles y un callejón de artistas que era casi como una tienda de regalos donde el artista vendía sus artículos hechos a mano! Mi novio y yo obtuvimos boletos súper en el último minuto y también fue el último día del evento. Este festival dura todo el día y toda la noche, así que pudimos pasar la medianoche y no perderlo. Aunque no era lo mismo, ya que la mayoría de las tiendas ya estaban cerradas, todavía era muy divertido y todavía habían muchos eventos. También tienen eventos para adultos después de la medianoche, así que fue divertido y lo hizo único. ¡El rave fue muy divertido! La música era muy alta y las luces muy chulas. También fue genial ver el cosplay de todos los pueblos y también nos inspiró a vestirnos para futuros eventos! No puedo esperar! read more

Anime Weekend Atlanta - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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I've never had more fun at a convention than I have at Anime Weekend Atlanta. It has something for everyone. But, I need to explain why I am giving AWA one star even in that context. For several years, I was a volunteer with the con. It started off quite nicely. Although I noticed a few things that were odd, I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until I began to experience these issues firsthand that I realized how pervasive the problem of toxicity in AWA management actually is. I worked in good faith for a year and a half under the impression I would be compensated for that work with incentives at the next convention. For a year and a half, the managers put off meeting with me. Then, without consulting me or allowing me an opportunity to defend myself, decided they would not give me the incentives in exchange for the labor. When I contacted them and made an offer of a reasonable compromise, they gaslit me in an attempt to make me feel as if I did something wrong. Faisal and David were extremely unprofessional. Now, out of fear of being harassed, I can no longer attend the convention, much less volunteer. At least not as long as the Board of Directors allow this kind of behavior. Exploitation of a volunteer labor force is simply unacceptable. My advice to anyone reading this review is to not volunteer. And, if you still feel comfortable attending, be aware that some of the people volunteering to put the con on for you are doing so under very distressful conditions. Please be kind to them. read more

I've been to Anime Weekend Atlanta three of the past four years and it's a lot of fun. I go mainly to check out and snap photos of the latest cosplays. While AWA is focused primarily on anime, a lot of comic book and video game cosplayers do show up. You'll also see several steampunk costumes and a small handful of sci-fi, fantasy, movie, TV, and other pop culture cosplay. I can't help but compare AWA to Dragon*Con since the two conventions are in Atlanta and are only weeks apart from one another. AWA is like a subset of Dragon*Con. Since we're talking cartoons and animation, the demographic of the con-goers is younger, mostly teenagers to twenty-somethings. Attendance at AWA is nowhere near that of Dragon*Con, but it's still in the thousands. The quality of the costumes isn't as great, but Dragon*Con is the gold standard. Don't get me wrong -- you'll still see plenty of superb cosplay at AWA (just take a look at the pictures). It's the most popular anime convention in the Southeast. AWA takes place over three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Centre. The hotel and convention center are connected to each other. One plus about this convention is parking is free and plentiful. You can park outside the hotel or inside the Galleria's parking deck. The Galleria has a food court and restaurants such as Jocks & Jills and Big Chow Grill, so you don't have to go anywhere if you want food. Over the years, Galleria staff has added additional seating outside in the hallways, so there's ample seating to eat, rest, and relax. Like Dragon*Con, you don't need to purchase a membership badge to enjoy the people watching and cosplays. Unlike Dragon*Con, you don't need a badge to access the hotel or convention center at certain times. You do need a badge if you want to go to the dealers rooms, cosplay contest, panels, anime viewings, video game tournaments, music concerts, etc. If you decide to purchase a membership, the sooner the better. Prices for 3-day memberships gradually increase from $20 at the convention (for membership to next year's convention) to $50 at next year's convention. Memberships can also be purchased online. The convention runs Friday through Sunday with membership badge pickup available as early as Thursday evening. If you can only attend one day, the best day to go is Saturday (day and night), though the convention is still pretty busy Friday night and Sunday afternoon. You can't really go wrong either way. read more

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I had fun but they really should have been clear on their covid policy if you didn't have a recent negative test you had to wait in a long line to get on also the line were really unorganized because there were so many people I think you should be able to the 2 day passes earlier like the 4 but what ever read more

I used to be a frequent con goer back in the early 2000's and I am disgusted and appalled at what I experienced this year returning. I will not be going again due to the hardships and just outright disregard for anything family friendly or even anime fan friendly. The con apparently allows is goers to dress as if they are attending an adult event with children and families in attendance. They over charged me for my parking and more. The attendees were by majority rude and unpleasant to be around as well. The staff was not even knowledgeable about their own event. They couldn't even direct people where to pickup their badges or wristbands correctly and had horses of us walking around the entire buildings looking for where to get our passes to get in. This used to be not only a family friendly event with adult only areas blocked off and secure from minors. Now people walk around like it is an adult party, some of the attendees weren't even wearing undergarments and it was clearly apparent that they weren't. This is disgusting, outrageous and appalling. I am ashamed to call myself a fan of anime because of events like these and I have been a fan for more than 25+ years. This event needs to be policed much harsher or regulated a lot harder. read more

I really enjoyed myself at my first time to AWA. I picked this for my birthday since we ended up working the weekend of my birthday and I wasn't feeling up to arranging a birthday party this year. I couldn't buy tickets online for just Saturday and Sunday so we followed a Joker to the ticket line and he turned out to be someone we would repeatedly see in different lines all morning. Line buddies ftw! The Dealer Room is huge and also holds Artists Alley and the signatures line. It literally took us hours to walk around and look at everything. You could legit spend a whole day in there. I was really excited to meet Jennifer Hale since she voiced two characters in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II! It cost $30 per signature though so I only had her sign BGII. I also got signatures from the Sailor Moon crew that came and from the guy who draws Rick and Morty for my friend who is a huge fan. I had a lot of fun and everyone is really nice! When I left my bag of artwork and signed stuff a vendor put it up on his stand (though I missed it because I was looking at the floor) and posted it on the app (which is how I found it!). I was so bummed out until a friend suggested I check the app and when I did he had literally just posted my stuff a minute ago! Thank you again to his girlfriend who suggested he post it and to my friend who suggested I check there! My bestie and some other friends were there and they met up with us for a few panels and events (and a quick photo session). I really loved the Blue Exorcist Murder Mystery panel. So much fun! You have to line up a few hours before it to get a free ticket and then you come back with your ticket at the time of the event. We went out for food after the murder mystery because most things had closed already since it was like 9 or 10. Luckily there's like a million thing around this convention center so we found somewhere to eat. I decided I wanted to try the rave but realized that's not my thing so we stayed only half an hour (hubby doesn't like dancing period anyway). After the rave, hubby and I shared a Monster so we could experience some late night activities Saturday since we weren't able to go Friday. Those were probably the weirdest panels and anime screenings we went to but hey we did a thing. I had a lot of fun but I am not sure I would go back unless I lived closer. read more

To me AWA is almost like getting married.... One day an unsuspecting person becomes drawn to it, you go check out AWA and either you fall in love with it to find yourself to be tortured for many years to come or you discover it's not for you and you part ways... Well about 7 years ago I unfortunately fell in love with AWA and in sickness and in health... 'til death do us part, I've been going back ever since. AWA unofficially starts on Thursdays with picking up badges (pre-reg or 3 day passes), the Super Happy Fun Sale- SHFS (which is like an AWA garage sale where people can buy a table and sell parts of their collections-toys, manga, anime, clothes, etc... to the public) and some ol' school anime later that night. Pre-registering is cheaper but the line is longer on Thursdays, but you're not missing much while standing in line. Miss the early purchase dates and you pay full price when you walk in but the line is very short.... but only on Thursday. Friday and Saturday, be prepared to wait in line for awhile.... As an anime and manga geek or otaku to put it simply. I have more manga than any one person should have and most of my weekend at AWA is spent watching anime, buying up various amounts of manga, collecting tons of buttons in the artist alley, and watching AMVs (anime music videos). But completing all of these tasks is not easy by any means... During the day there's so much to do it's almost impossible to make it to the dealers room before it closes at 7pm on Fri and Sat so most people go on Sundays but almost everything is picked over and/or gone. The artist alley closes later on Fri and Sat, but not much later (8pm), but browsing through the products of up and coming artists in the Artist Alley is very fun and it's hard to leave empty handed. So once the schedule is up, it's important to figure out how to fit in shopping.... and food. Busy con-goers tend to forget about food since it's not a high priority. That's why the food in the Galleria mall stays open later (3am) and the new addition of the food trucks this year was helpful in the artist alley (and in the parking lot if you could catch them). An annoying rule with the food trucks in the artist alley, that wasn't posted.... you couldn't take the food outside their little crowded food court, so either prepare yourself to sit in there and eat or find food else where. Events and panels during the entire weekend will keep you occupied, but be careful of time changes, cancellations, and other crazy schedule mishaps that can happen at conventions. So AWA can be fun and frustrating...just like a marriage, but it takes work to keep the spice going: don't go to the same events every year, check out new animes you've never heard of, go to a dance if that floats your boat, if you've never seen hentai... go check it out at least once(18 and up), and enjoy the awesome cosplaying. So despite having almost 40% fun and 60% frustration this year... will I return next year??? I'm pretty sure I will... read more

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If you like Anime, then AWA is the best place for you to go. See cosplayers dressed as your favorite characters from most shows you can think of! Buy swag from Gunpalas to custom art in the dealer room. Attend panels ranging from behind the scenes and voice acting to meeting key people in the industry. Play games and party a full weekend with like minded fans of anime! AWA is my favorite con to attend, and if you've got the weekend and you love anime, come join us! read more

They were too dumb to figure out a line for demondice. Left the concert early to wait at room 120 just to be told they changed the whole line and we were fucked. The whole con was horribly unorganized. Your better off waiting for something else. The demondice concert was great though read more

You know, I wasn't greatly into anime until I went to AWA. A friend recruited me for some staff duties, and I found myself amid a very cool family of friends who put a lot of effort into ensuring a good attendee experience. Everything any anime fan would want is here. Everything from films, to costuming, to manga, to a big dealer's room, to video games, to a very diverse selection of panels. It's all here. I've watched the con grow over the last several years. Staff really does work hard to make sure folks have a good time. If you see me working staff there, please do say HI. read more

AWA 19 was different compared to previous years. It was more quality than quantity this year. There were far less panels this year but they were the best. Second, they had one of the best line-up of guest of all the years I've been to AWA. Come one now they had the voice actor who did Vegeta and Picollo From Dragonball Z. The best part, they had guest from Japan in music (Bless4), gaming (Zun), fashion (Shunsake Hasegawa) and voice acting (Mitsuo Iwata). So here's the breakdown of the panels I attended top favorites not in any particular order. 1. Ask an Anime Character - An hour of guest asking question to anime characters including Vegeta (DBZ), Armstron (FMA), Ichicho and Reichi (Bleach), Tamaki (Ouran Host Club), Death the Kid (Soul Eater), Natsu and Elfman (Fairytail), Italy (Hetalia), and Izaya (Durarra). The characters are on the screen while the actors are off-stage in the back. Its improv with anime characters. 2. Maid Café - Maid Café have been running for the past three years or so and I pretty much ignored it. A few people recommended to go so I went. Its a themed tea time. For $12 dollars you have tea time for an hour including a beverage (coffee, tea, soda, or lemonade) and a dessert (cheesecake, cookies, brownie, or fruit). The servers are dressed in adorable maid outfits and guys butler attire. You sit at a table with complete strangers chill, talk, and play games. Really laid back atmosphere. $12 seem a lot but you got to think these people participating are volunteering to do this. Its fun and the staff are adorable. Seem whatever they're doing they doing it right the line outside is proof of that. 3. Vocaloid Concet - Just went because there was nothing else going on and plus I wanted to know what was the big deal about them. If you don't know a vocaloid is a voice synthesizer so its not real person (its a combination of several voices). It reminds me of the movie Simone nevermind. The most famous is Miku. Most outside of anime fandom may remember her a few years back as the character from Toyota's Corolla commercials campaign. Plenty of teal-haired cosplayers running around. http://youtu.be/E15PE7iGT0U This was a first for the southeast. Just a suggestion the screen should be bigger next time. 4. Japanese Snacks - Ok free snacks and trivia fro more free snacks. 5. Super Happy Fun Sale - it's like a flea market. This is a really good event for people to buy things outside of the dealer's room on the cheap. I might consider doing this next year. 6. Food Trucks - I know its not a panel but who though of this is a genius to have the food trucks inside the Galleria. Viet Nomies, Nana G's, Pup truck, and Tex's Tacos. They should this every year for now on. The problem was you couldn't take food outside the food truck area to artist alley. This rule was not posted and they need to. 7. Anime Screenings - The line-up of movies and anime series were great the lines for the screenings were just as crazy and packed. I was able to few The One Piece movie. Also I finally got to see the first two episodes of Attack on Titan (really huge following) and Panty & Stocking. Ok now I'm hooked thanks a lot. 8. Throwback anime panels - Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon. These are two separate panels but there's nothing like reminiscing about the top anime shows that began the anime craze for many people and to me put Toonami on the map. Still can't believe Sailor Moon is 20 years old. Sheesh. The panel were filled t capacity outside of that things went pretty well. Downside, there weren't enough panels so there were people just hanging out in the atrium or in the food court. But on the flip-side there was time for photographers to do photo shoots and there were plenty of them. The other problem was confusion with the schedule in the book and map. They need better maps or have a directory kiosk. Which may help with the last problem which was better crowd control with the lines. Yeah, the rooms were bigger but the problem was the rooms were close together most being in the narrow hallway area. People had no idea where the end of the line was or what line went to which panel. Overall it was great. I'm still seeing more families and older people (over 25) attending AWA and there were where I said they were at in the panels. Its only going to get bigger because next year will be 20 years so you know I have to be there. read more

AWA was my introduction to the wonderful world of anime conventions. My first year was 2003, and I've been attending ever since. There have been a lot of changes, but it's still an overall enjoyable experience. To me though, Momocon with its growth is giving AWA considerable competition to the point where some years I prefer Momo over AWA, but that really just depends on certain factors such as guests, panels, etc. AWA has recently started getting more guests that have piqued my interest, but my favorite year was probably 2015 when they got Home Made Kazoku to come and give what's still my favorite AWA concert experience. Parking can be kinda hit or miss, sometimes you find a spot immediately and others you have to drive by 4 or 5 parking decks before you get a spot. The best advice I can give is what everybody says which is to get there early. Also one year I carpooled with a friend and she tried to park at the mall across the street, but mall security wouldn't let her so there's a good chance you can't do that. When it comes to food, they do have food trucks inside the dealers room and sometimes outside near the main events room, but the food can be expensive so I think most walk over to the mall for the most part. There is a Subway booth on the lower level of the galleria though. I myself pack food so that I have more money for nerd merch. AWA is the con that inspired me to start cosplaying. It was the first place I saw adults dressed up as sailor senshi and it blew my teenage mind and I knew right then and there I wanted/needed to cosplay too. The cosplay game here still blows my mind, and the GA cosplay community is just great. There are a few good spots around the Galleria and Renaissance Waverly to get nice cosplay photos, and I have a lot of fun getting shots done at them or exploring the area for more. There's something for everyone here, whether you're checking out panels, buying loads of merch, competing in game tournaments, or cheering for your favorite character in the cosplay contest, you're gonna wish there was an extra day just so you can see it all. read more

This was my second time going to AWA, and the first time actually going the whole weekend. As far as conventions that I'm used to going, it's considerably smaller. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There definitely seems to be a younger crowd that frequents AWA than Dragon Con, too, which I'm really not that surprised about. I spent most of the weekend hanging out with people, drinking, and only going to a few panels. I also went to the dealer's and artist alleys, and the arcade. Now the arcade is a nice touch, albeit one that smells rather odorous. The place to be is the hotel lobby, and it's a great place to watch the ebb and flow of the cosplayers. It's not that expensive, and at least parking is abundant and farrr easier than any other con I've ever been to, which is a serious plus. There's actually a parking garage that you don't have to pay to park in, which made me extremely happy. AWA seems to grow a little bit every year, as does each con. I really hope they don't outgrow the Galleria, but I know it's only a matter of years before that happens. read more

This is a great place for families, and young people. There aren't many things going on late night, and the most adult activities happen in private. There is a lot of outdoor space for photos. There is also a not overly crowded common space. However, the food options are very limited, and often very busy. There is a small food court in the convention center, and usually food trucks outside. The food trucks are expensive, and the food court isn't as bad, but the wait is very long. I recommend driving to the convention. Free parking is available across from the hotel entrance, in a deck. I would leave the premises to eat for sure. Definitely be sure to read about the dress code, as they take it very seriously. Also this is not a convention like Dragon con where you can walk around with open containers. There are lots of police officers on duty so it is very safe but for adults, make sure you don't get too rowdy, I have friends arrested for very minimal offenses. read more

I have always been big into Anime and Manga. This is something I look forward to every year. It's filled with amazing people who are friendly, helpful, and just there to have fun and celebrate common interest. You don't have to be in a Cosplay or dressed up to go. They have really fun events, lots of engaging panels, discussions, and artists. They also have nightly events that can be so much fun. My favorite has got to be the Saturday night dance. I have so much fun every year. And the very large dealers gallery has all kinds of interesting things to buy. read more

I don't know who's running this con because the organization for this year was horrendous. Me and my dad arrived at 10:35 am to see the Fashion Show that was at 11:00 am this Saturday along with walking around the con in general. When we got there we didn't even know where to go because there were already so many people there. So we got into one of the lines and waited for a couple of minutes. One of the volunteers for the con told us this is not the line and we could get this con shut down. Everyone dispersed, but, no one knew where to go because no one knew where the line even began. So, people started making their own lines. Next thing you know my dad and I were hoping into 3 different lines because every time we would get into a line one of the volunteers would say the line is closed. The last line I was in warp all around the second floor of the Renaissance Waverly Hotel building to the balcony. We waited in line for a hour before we left. After I left, The crazy thing was .... MORE PEOPLE WERE COMING IN. It was ridiculous. I don't understand why they didn't allow people to preregister online for single days like the 4-day membership. The registration line for the 4-day membership had little to nobody there. This was not fair to the people who didn't want to spend 80$ for a 4-day membership. The only other con I've been to is Momocon and I have rarely if ever have problems with their registration process. I feel bad for the cosplayers and the regular attendees. The staff was trying their best when it came to directing people to where they needed to go, but there were just so many people and even they didn't know what to do. The cosplayers and people regularly attending had to wait for 2+ hours to get a badge. Imagine being dressed up to the nines as your fav character and having to wait for hours to get a badge. It's disrespectful to people's time. Especially to ones who have come out of state. People told me the registration line wasn't this bad before covid hit. The venue they rented out is too small and they need to find a bigger one. If you do need to contact them for something you can't because they DON'T HAVE A PHONE NUMBER (unacceptable). What they should've done was to separate the registration into categories like covid testing, single-day passes, 2-day passes, and 4-day membership passes. The people who need to be held accountable are the ones who are running the con. Also, I didn't see too many people wearing their masks. This was my first time going to Anime Weekend Atlanta and I did not have a good experience. If the higher-ups don't fix these problems I will not return. On a positive note, the people that I met were chill and cool and everyone who was in cosplay did a great job with their outfits. read more

For those who go to DragonCon, do you ever get the Con blues a few weeks thereafter? You know, finding yourself reflecting on all the crazy moments? From the awesome Cosplayers, to the not so awesome Cosplayers? If you don't, that's cool, but for me, I always do. I guess I just truly enjoy going to events where everyone in attendance is there to have fun. I often wonder if the powers that be strategically select the last weekend of September to host the convention. They have to be aware that it's beneficial for a lot of people, as I'm sure there are a lot of people who may need to recover financially (alcohol, hotel, food, and merchandise) as well as from the highly contagious con crud. Luckily, I didn't get the crud this year, so I definitely lucked out in that regard! Like with any convention, you can expect numerous cos players and panels. Artist alley has numerous tables, with all types of art available. Also, starting this year, artist alley was combined with the dealer's room. Although the foot traffic was hectic at times, I believe it was more convenient for attendees since it felt like it was a one stop shop, considering that the food trucks were in there as well. Yes, the crowd here is much younger but make no mistake, there a lot of adults and a good handful of senior citizens. Yes, I'm not kidding, there were senior citizens...with badges! Unfortunately, they weren't cosplaying, but it was pretty cool to see them in attendance. Parking sucks. There, I said it. Unless you are arriving really early every day, just save yourself some time and park at the Cumberland Mall parking lot. There is a skybridge that connects the parking lot to the Cobb Galleria Centre, where the convention is held. This year, I found myself parking near Costco, so I had to hump it a little bit. If that's not a good indication of the increase in attendance numbers, I don't know what is! So, if you love anime, or even manga, I say check out AWA! read more

AWA will probably always be my home convention. Over the years, it's grown considerably, but, ultimately, I probably wouldn't like it as much in comparison to other conventions if it had not been my go to for so long. In the past few years, I've been less interested in the panels, and the guests have been a little lackluster for me at best. If these are important to you, be sure to check their site and forum for updates. 2013 saw some good guests and panels, but I wasn't impressed by 2014--- which saw a price increase and made me expect huge changes or additions. While better in a sense, it was not considerably different than years before but perhaps that's just me... In previous years, I've attended in Artists Alley, and it was fairly decent. The table prices are very reasonable. They also couple the alley with food trucks now. I'm guessing as an attempt to get traffic to AA or due to a lack of space, perhaps. They also close their dealer's room earlier, so people will funnel into the alley. I really love the food truck idea. I wish they were able to bring in more choices just around the event in general. These days I go for the cosplay. It's alive and well at AWA from Disney to comics. While AWA's mainstay is as an anime and Japanese pop culture convention, there are a few other nerdy realms peaking through. The crowd here obviously tends to be younger, but it doesn't kill the older audience. If you're afraid to deck out a costume, but want to then this con is a good one to try. Practically everyone is wearing one, whether for satire, serious hobby, play in general, or because Spirit of Halloween just opened... So just because, whatchu gonna do about it? If not, it's fun to people watch.The cosplay contest is also pretty chill if you want to try that. Overall, it's not your party con, but there is plenty of partying being had. Late night crowds get the more adult-geared panels, if that suits your fancy, so it's not all kids, but daylight hours make for a great family friendly con. A lot of kids also love seeing the Disney cosplayers and even some game characters. I had a number of kids get photos with me this year even though I wasn't sporting a Disney. Lines get huge. If you've been to a con, you know the drill. The line is particularly massive on Saturday, of course. Badges can also be picked up Thursday where they have a few panels and a little yard sale where you can pick up fairly cheap goods from other fans willing to sell. read more

This year's AWA convention is the second anime convention I've ever been to. As obsessed as I was becoming with slice-of-life/girly anime shows, I KNEW I had to go! My only big gripe, is when I walked the hotel in through the escalator, the walk-in line on October 1, 2016 was AWFUL!! An hour and a half line, and it only filled more once getting there by about 9:50. You should definitely plan your trip to this con AHEAD (or preregister). But, once that line was done, I got ecstatic. While I was only there for about 5+ hours, those hours went by LONG! When in the dealer's room, I was overwhelmed by all of the wall scrolls and figurines, but I didn't see much in the way of merchandise from my favorite series, YuruYuri (a funny slice-of-life manga/anime series). I start to sound a bit selfish here, admittedly. I did find a little figure thing of Kyoko Toshinou (which I bought), and some hentai (porn) doujinshi of Sakurako and Himawari. Most of the anime series I saw merchandise for was stuff like One-Punch Man, Fairy Tail and Love Live. There were tons of Good Smile Nendoroid figures (but no YuruYuri). The "Artist Alley" was nice; a lot of well-drawn fan art, though I overlooked most of it. However, if you are smart with spending money and know prices of certain items, be careful; you usually can buy most of these items online for a cheaper price. In addition to the dealer's room, I found a free play arcade which was absolutely FIRE!! Lots of rare Japanese games in mini "candy" cabinets, 10-people playing Saturn Bomberman together, Dance Dance Revolution was packed with dancers, and this Gundam game (Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT) that was cooking with players! Plenty of Capcom fighting games and shoot-em-ups were around, too. I played Magical Drop III, Vampire Savior and the Gundam game, and became incredibly competitive with hardcore gamers! Oh, the cosplayers. There are so many ways to describe this, it's not funny. I saw a man dressed up as "Filthy Frank" (a funny YouTube user who denounces his culture as Japanese, though American)... And I saw plenty of Street Fighter characters and Saitama from One-Punch Man. :) I didn't get to go to any panels (didn't have much time), but when I go back next year, I definitely want to see a panel. My first Anime Weekend Atlanta was like Summerfest in Milwaukee. Cosplayers galore, free arcade games, mostly friendly people and plenty of anime eye candy. I'm sure hoping to go to next year's AWA and do more events. But be sure you carry wads and wads of cash when you go, 'cause a lot of stuff is expensively priced. ;) read more

I love going to this convention every year. The website shown will give you a better overview on how this convention goes. Im a cosplay artist, so I try to go to any and all conventions in atlanta =) read more

The anime convention ever growing bigger. So much panels and things to do. Always prepare to walk and know the schedule.

It was my first time going to AWA I was really looking forward to going but I was very disappointed. They were unprepared and did not have a thorough schedule. I paid $35 for a one day ticket was told that the gallery part would be open tomorrow. read more