Halloween weekend was a big weekend for the Motor City. Concerts, parties, and Red Wings are expected. However, thousands of people dressed in costume for three days celebrating Japanese and western animation cultures is normally not the first thing people think of.
Youmacon celebrated its 11th anniversary this year, and filled the Renaissance Center and the Cobo Hall in Detroit with the colorful casts of characters. From grey skin to blue hair, this convention had a little bit of everything to see.
Besides just walking around in costumes, attendees could look forward to photoshoots, a massive dealer’s hall and artist’s alley, costume contests, and famous industry members coming to talk to the attendees one-on-crowd.
“This convention was a good way to meet friends I may only see once or twice in a year,” said junior student Max Pelkey.
Another interesting thing about Youmacon this year was the surplus of concerts. Kieran Strange, Steam Powered Giraffe, Crush 40, and multiple other bands performed in two very long concerts on Friday and Saturday of the event.
Crush 40 rarely performs outside of SEGA sponsored events, so for them to appear, and say they plan on returning in years past, is a big deal for a local event such as Youmacon.
This isn’t a new feat for the convention directors anyway. At Midwest Media Expo, Youmacon’s sister con, the staff managed to bring out The Living Tombstone from Israel to perform on stage for the audience.
Youmacon is located in the Renaissance center, which means a lot of walking to get up to certain floors. The building was made in a confusing circular shape, so walking through the convention trying to figure out which floor to be on is no easy task for a first-time visitor to the event. Maps are also only provided in the physical schedule, which made finding a way through the masses of people was difficult.
The event was also held in two separate buildings. While this worked well to de-clutter the Renaissance Center, it was a problem to continue moving between both buildings using the People Mover, which when I was on it Saturday night, it broke down for a couple of minutes, leaving us stopped and suspended over Detroit until the problem was resolved.
At 60 dollars for a weekend pass, it’s no easy feat to afford it. Even if someone last second was to go to the convention, every room in the Marriot at the Renaissance Center was booked full. Almost every single hotel in Detroit was at maximum capacity for this event.
The problem with going to conventions that happen during the school year, like Youmacon, seems to be keeping up with class work.
“I literally cried when I was reminded of my homework,” Pelkey said.
To avoid this problem, there are a list of some summer conventions to browse through, though some are much larger than others.
“Another good convention I’d recommend is Colossalcon, it’s at the Kalahari in Sandusky,” Jacob Chessrown, another OU student who attended the convention, said.
If money is the problem with the convention, some such as Shuto Con, which is in Lansing in March, pay their volunteers. As with most every convention, if someone hosts their own programming throughout the weekend, they get their badge paid for. The only problem is getting your panels approved before they can be brought before an audience.
Conventions are also usually a safe place for LGBTQIA+ students to feel accepted, Pelkey said.
“Some events aren’t very welcoming, but more often than not, the convention creates safe spaces for all different attendees.”
More information about upcoming conventions, locations, and dates can be found at animecons.com. More about Youmacon in general can be found at youmacon.com as well.
