Holiday Matsuri 2021 Florida Anime Convention

Located in Orlando Florida, Holiday Matsuri is an anime convention and vacation destination wrapped up in a convenient package. With two world class theme park resorts nearby (Walt Disney World and Universal Studios) it’s easy to combine two vacations into one. I can’t think of a better place to be in the month of December than smothered in the balmy subtropical weather.

If you're reading this article post-COVID, try to recall the ever-changing situation that was the pandemic. Mandates were constantly in flux and fears and anxieties both real and imagined were rampant. This variant is over, but look out for the next one. Lock down. Wear a mask. Get a shot. Flatten the curve. Florida was among the states with the least restrictive measures throughout the pandemic. For some there is something attractive about going to a convention where there are less COVID restrictions. Wearing a mask gets uncomfortable and isn't ideal for photoshoots. At the same time, not wearing masks makes some people uncomfortable and afraid that such events would cause the virus to spread. Judging by how busy the convention was, there were plenty of people willing to take the risk. I have it on good authority that Holiday Matsuri staff were not particularly worried about COVID, but they needed to satisfy the concerns of domestic and international guests. Thusly, masks were required while indoors. While some people did contract COVID-19 at the convention, it wasn't a super spreader event (and neither was Anime NYC).

Enough about the pandemic, though. A convention like this is all about fun and it seemed like everyone came out to Holiday Matsuri like it was a family reunion. I recognized so many people and met even more for the first time. The weather was great and everyone was in good spirits. The bitter delays and cancellations made the coming together again all that much sweeter.

I split a room with some fellow photographers, so that helped keep the costs down. It was still expensive because I stayed four nights and I indulged in the amazing breakfast buffet a few times. It's one of the best I've seen anywhere.

Any kind of Uber rides to and from the airport can be expensive given the distance to the resort and the presence of toll roads. I was fortunate that my family travelled to Florida with me and we had a rental car. If you want to park a car at the resort be sure to book a room under the Holiday Matsuri room block since you get a special $12/day rate and a guaranteed parking spot. Otherwise the parking garage fills up and there's really no where else to park. The resort is a solitary destination with no public parking areas, no convenience stores, or anything like that. You can't even walk to it since the surrounding roads are basically all highways with no sidewalks. Plan ahead. Although I could have applied for a press badge, I bought a regular 3 day pass. Sometimes it's just easier to buy one instead of having to meet certain requirements as press. I don't recall specifically what the requirements for Holiday Matsuri are, but I believe you have to cover at least one event. I covered zero events 😄.