Anime Weekend Atlanta

I went to Anime Weekend Atlanta for the first time back in October, 2023 and it has become one of my favorite cons.  I would say the majority of the attendees have been in cosplay, so as a photographer, it’s great to see that many cosplayers and each day was spent taken many photos.  It was also one of the few cons where it is easy to make new friends as well.  The overall atmosphere is super positive between the staff and attendees.

This was the last year that was held at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center, Cobb Galleria and the Galleria Garden.  Next year, it will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center which is home to Momocon.  It will also be held in December which may be the new substitute for Holiday Matsuri.  Holiday Matsuri had several issues over the years and it was the last year held at the beautiful Orlando World Center Marriott.  This year, with Holiday Matsuri being held at the Orlando Convention Center, many have discussed going to AWA instead.  Personally, I will be attending AWA.

It's a very popular convention; each day was very crowded and the great weather did allow the crowd to spread outside.  The few times I did go inside, the crowd was intense.  It was a moving crowd, but there was definitely patience needed if you wanted to move from one side to the other.  I wanted to shoot at the walking bridge multiple times, but the timing never worked out with cosplayers and the crowd.  Unfortunately with the move to the new location, it was one shot I was not able to get.