Convention Fans:
Otakon 2010 - A Baltimore, Maryland Anime Convention

Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and one of the largest anime conventions in the United States. This fan-run convention keep growing, and attracted over 25,000 attendees in 2009. Because it is one of the bigger cons, if you want to attend you really should plan ahead. Otakon 2010 is taking place July 30 - August 1, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Otakon always has an amazing guest list. Because it is are so large, it is typically able to attract musical acts, voice actors, and anime industry professionals from Japan. In fact, the band Home Made Kazoku is making their USA debut at Otakon 2010. Other guests include The Yoshida Brothers, Maile Flanagan (Voice Actor), Vic Mignogna (Voice Actor & Singer/Songwriter), and Naoto Hirooka (Fashion Designer). You can expect more guests to be announced as the convention draws closer.

Pre-registration opened for Otakon 2010 back in February, but there's still plenty of time to get your tickets at a discounted rate. However, getting yourself registered is a bit complicated. If you've been before, you should renew your membership rather than create a new one. If you haven't attended before, you need to first read the somewhat lengthy terms and conditions page before proceeding. If you don't want to wade through all that, here's the important part: "Membership in Otakorp is non-refundable and non-transferable. This means that you will not receive a refund if you are unable to attend Otakon. Refunds will only be issued in cases of accidental overpayment."

Tickets are currently $65 until June 18th, 2010. After that the prices rises to $75.

A quick word to the wise about Otakon and registration: The lines are horrendous. It doesn't matter if you pre-register and go to pick up your tickets on Thursday, or wait until the convention to buy at the door, you are in for one hell of a line. The convention actually warns attendees about it on their registration page. There's even an official Otakon "line etiquette" policy (http://www.otakon.com/policies.asp#lines).