We can’t believe another Animazement weekend has come and gone! Returning home to relative quiet only makes us miss the noise and chaos of the convention even more! We’re all tired, but it’s that good kind of tired: the kind that comes after a weekend well spent, full of adventure, unique experiences, and fun with friends, both new and old. 

And it’s the friends– you, our attendees – that make Animazement such a special place. We welcomed over 12,000 of you to Raleigh this year. People traveled from across the country, and even from abroad! Year after year we’re told by guests and outside observers alike how unique the community at Animazement is. You all support each other and take care of each other, from the most experienced cosplayer to the child putting on a costume for the first time and getting to do what the “big kids” do. Participants in the Masquerade and our other contests sincerely cheer for each other and celebrate the success of their competitors. We always say Animazement is a family, and every year you show us why that sentiment remains just as true now as it was when we were just a convention of a few hundred nerds watching anime together.

As always, we ask you to please take a moment to fill out our Feedback Form.  This will help us continue to improve your experience at Animazement.  Tell us what you liked and how we can do better. 

We’re also so glad you all enjoyed the stamp game this year! We’ll definitely be bringing it back next year (even though Culture Alley lost their stamp, you know who you are).  We think our staff enjoyed stamping your conbooks almost as much as you all enjoyed hunting down each stamp. 

We want to thank all of our volunteers, from the staff who worked hard the whole weekend, to our fantastic AZ Bee volunteers. This convention would be impossible without all of your hard work, especially the bees, who were always available to fill in the gaps where we needed help and who always did so with enthusiasm and a smile! You are at the core of our AZ family and we’re so grateful to see your smiling faces year after year.

And thank you to all of our attendees. Get some rest, share your amazing pictures of the weekend, and then start dreaming of next year.  It’ll be here sooner than we think!