Katsucon

Katsucon got its start in 1995 as a roughly 500-person gathering at a Holiday Inn in Virginia Beach, and it's since grown into one of the East Coast's largest anime conventions, drawing well over 15,000 attendees a year. It's called the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland home since 2010 — a venue known for its towering 19-story atrium. Traditionally held over Presidents Day weekend in February, Katsucon is especially known for its cosplay culture and masquerade (it's hosted the U.S. preliminary round of the World Cosplay Summit), along with staples like the Japanese Culture Institute, a formal ball, and karaoke.