Creators After Dark, or CAD, is an adult convention based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX metroplex. It describes itself as an 18+ adult nerd entertainment convention. Imagine a convention full of Only Fans creators and you'll have a good understanding of what it's like. Cosplay, boudoir, pole dancing, nipple pasties and general lewdness are common sights at CAD. It filled the regal Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel to capacity which is pretty impressive for an event which is just three years old. It's had as many names in those three years.
It was previously known as "Waifu Expo" for its first year and "KimochiiCon" for its second. My sources tell me the first name change from Waifu Expo to KimochiiCon was supposedly to have a broader appeal. I'm not sure how much meaning the word "waifu" has to those outside weeb anime circles. I'm also not sure how KimochiiCon would be any more relatable, but it's not the worst anime convention name I've heard of.
The last name change to "Creators After Dark" was due to a fallout between the matron owner, Juliette Michelle, and a business partner who apparently owns the rights to "KimochiiCon". There may have also been some financial shenanigans on behalf of the business partner which further soured that relationship. After a break during 2025, Juliette Michele produced Creators After Dark for 2026.
Creators After Dark occupied the small convention center at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel, which operates under the Marriott brand. The hotel is tucked away in a development of urban condos so dense you wouldn't know it was there unless you had a reason to visit. The hotel is nicely furnished and maintained. In fact, it was better looking than I expected. That's no surprise given it's a Marriott property, but even that is not a guarantee of quality. I think I was expecting more of a Holiday Inn Express vibe, but it was much more elevated than that.
The creator and vendor hall was modest in size and featured more creator guest tables than vendors. The artist alley was even smaller but was almost all artists selling wares. In the lobby space were more guest tables which rotated in and out over the weekend. The main events room hosted events like the Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest, Cosplay Pageant, Cosplay Drag Show, Otaku Cabaret, and after parties. Two panel rooms held events like "Digital discrimination + sex workers rights" and "Sexy Mouth Noises for Beginners". A social lounge and tattoo maid cafe rounded out the event space.
Creators After Dark fell on the same dates as Weebcon, April 3-5, which made for an interesting weekend. Weebcon is mostly an all-ages anime convention while Creators After Dark is anime-adjacent but clearly for adults. Having attended both over the weekend presents an opportunity to highlight the differences. With Weebcon you know what you're getting. The anime convention formula is pretty well established: vendor hall, artists alley, voice actors, maybe some international guests, maid cafe, gaming room, etc. An 18+ con like CAD has some of these elements, but there is a much greater focus on fetishes and spicy content creators.
I recorded video at both events in preparation for two cosplay music videos and the numbers were telling. In the three partial days I spent at Weebcon I recorded with just 41 people. In the two partial days at CAD I recorded with 50 even though it's a smaller convention with an arguably less attractive hotel and convention center. At times I was struggling to keep up with the number of people with whom I wanted to record.
Even though the convention space wasn't ideal for photography - shooting inside a hotel isn't the most aesthetically pleasing location - the collection of attendees and guests made it all worthwhile. My cohorts in the cosplay photography community had similar experiences with their social media posts from CAD easily outperformed those from Weebcon. It goes to show that the size and location of an event don't necessarily indicate the quality or level of interest in the event.
What was most interesting to me was the perceived difference in the attendees. While CAD certainly had a more mature audience, it wasn't just because of the adult content. CAD had friendlier and more engaging attendees who were more socially mature. I don't say this to insult the Weebcon attendees, but I consistently find that sex workers and people close to that community are typically very friendly. They will say hello and ask your name. You can have an easy-going conversation without any hint of judgement. They are more open about their lives, interests, and activities. Almost everyone I saw at CAD was smiling, laughing, socializing, and having a great time. It's a refreshing experience in comparison to Weebcon where it seems like the attendees are younger, more awkward, wary of strangers and less skilled at socializing. It felt more like hanging around high school students. This is all just my opinion, of course, but if you ask me which con was more fun and better for content creation, CAD wins by a landslide.
On the flip side, however, creators at CAD were also more business-minded. They were there to network with like-minded creators and to produce content. At times it seemed like a competition to out-lewd each other and skirt the legal limits of public exposure laws. It's a real life experience of what we see online - content creators and influencers trying to reach an audience and generate interest in their revenue-producing platforms. It can be hard to know if the smiles are genuine or if they are a product of business-related acts which drive the income on which they rely. Much more could be said about this side of content creation, but that's a conversation for another article. Suffice it to say I've seen enough of what goes on behind the scenes of spicy content creation to limit my interactions to a surface level.
All in all, Creators After Dark was a tightly choreographed collection of adult themed entertainment, operated and guested by veterans of the content creator realm. Although small in size, it more than made up for it with the number of guests and engaging activities. I would estimate this con to be under 1,000 attendees and yet it hosted guests with massive online followings like Jessica Nigri, Lily Lou, and Dare Taylor. I swear they had over 100 content creator guests, which is a significant portion of the entire attendee count.
If you are interested in attending an 18+ con, definitely give Creators After Dark a try. Additionally, take a look at TsumiCon. They have two 18+ events which are more anime related - one in Las Vegas, NV and the other in Houston, TX.
Thanks to everyone who took a moment to shoot with me. Be sure to check out the creators on social media. I'll update this article with a link to the cosplay music video once it's finished.
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