Message from the President & Con Chair

April 27, 2020

We are very sad to announce that we must join the countless other events around the world and announce the cancelation of Otakon 2020. While we had been clinging to the last bits of hope that our later dates would allow us the potential to hold an event, on April 17th it was announced that our venue, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, would be converted into an Alternate Care Facility. After discussing the timelines with the Convention Center staff and Destination DC, even in the most optimistic scenario that the facility is not needed to be used they would still be in the move-out/clean up process by the dates of our event.

We know this is not the news you wanted to hear. For those of you who may not know, Otakon, is run, planned, staffed, and organized by an ALL volunteer organization. As our staff have been trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, we have also continued planning, and holding out hope that Otakon 2020 would still happen. All of the best things that make up our community are needed more than ever right now. We need fandom, we need inclusion, we need acceptance, we need family and friendship, we need creativity and escape; we need FUN! We held out hope as long as we could that we could be all of that this year. Please know that this decision breaks our hearts as much as it does yours.

So, we are at least happy that we can announce our dates for next year:

Otakon will return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, August 6-8, 2021