Animazement

Animazement is an annual convention in Raleigh, NC that celebrates the world of Japanese visual culture through anime, manga, video games, J-rock, martial arts, traditional crafts, and more! Brought to you by fans, for fans.
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About Us

Animazement is held annually in May on Memorial Day Weekend. You can find our general hours here.

Animazement is held in the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC) in Downtown Raleigh, NC.

There are lots of parking options in Downtown Raleigh, though few of these options are free. You can read up on it on our general info page.

If you want to come to Animazement, the first step is registration. Take advantage of special discounted pre-registration rates during our online pre-registration period, or purchase your badge at the door! Everything you need to know about pricing and how to register for Animazement, including an extensive Registration FAQ, is available at the link below.

The Registration FAQ answers common questions about how to buy a badge, where to pick it up, and how to apply for group discounts or financial assistance.

Attendee Registration

The main convention runs from Friday through Sunday.  However, if you purchase a Full Weekend badge, it will also get you into Thursday Night Pre-con.

Pre-con begins at 6pm on Thursday night and goes through midnight.  Find out more about what you can do at pre-con here.

Animazement brings you a weekend packed full of events, panels, concerts, shopping and so much more, all dedicated to the world of anime and all things Japan. Events range from educational glimpses into life in Japan to just plain fun panels where fans of every type celebrate their mutual love of anime. There is always something happening at Animazement! You can check out the Events tab above for more details!

A week or two before the convention, you can find our detailed schedule of events posted on our front page!

Animazement has established guidelines to ensure that everyone has a fun and safe convention experience, in a welcoming and family-friendly environment. You can read up on all of our policies here:

Attendee Policies
Photography Policies

If you still have a question after reading our policies, please email us at info@animazement.org and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions!

Want to give back to our community of fans, and help make the next Animazement happen? Become a volunteer!
Our AZ Bee volunteers can work as many or as few hours as they like, and are an integral part of what makes Animazement happen! You can find more information here:

Volunteer

Yes! Everybody is welcome to dress up as their favorite character while attending the convention. While costumes are welcome, they are not required. Our attendees wear regular jeans and T-shirts, elaborate mecha costumes, elegant goth dresses, and everything in-between. Please ensure that your outfit meets the costume guidelines in our Dress Code.

Please keep in mind that all costume props must meet the conditions of Animazement’s Props and Weapons policy. Also, please remember that all costume props must be carried and handled responsibly in the convention (that means, no horseplay).

Both of these policies can be found here:

Policies

Some panels and events contain content inappropriate for children. To attend these panels, you must be wearing a wristband. To receive one, you must provide a photo ID that shows your name, date of birth, and a clear photo. We will accept a driver’s license, state issued ID card, passport, or military ID. We will NOT accept school ID cards. Please keep in mind, if your ID is so faded or damaged that we cannot read your date of birth or clearly see your photo, it is not considered a valid ID for our purposes.

We will NOT check IDs at the panel room door.

The wristband table is open daily in the main lobby from 9:00am until 11:00pm. Some 18+ events begin as late as 1:00am, so make sure to get your wristband before the table closes.

We typically release our schedule of events in early-to-mid May. Keep an eye on our announcements and on our social media!

Yes, Animazement allows bags inside the convention. We also do NOT require they be clear bags.

Some events, like our late night dance, do have a bag size restriction. Any event with a bag restriction will be indicated in your program guide.