Miles from Capitol Hill, 20,000 cosplayers descend on National Harbor for one of the East Coast’s largest anime conventions

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — This weekend, just miles from the White House and the U.S. Capitol, Washington’s culture of policy and power gives way to wigs, armor and fandom under the Gaylord’s soaring glass atrium as Katsucon, one of the largest anime conventions on the East Coast, returns for its 31st year.

The convention regularly draws more than 20,000 attendees, hitting a high of 25,140 in a single year, according to Christian Savage, a corporate officer for Katsucon Entertainment Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit staffed entirely by volunteers. Katsucon places the resort in “closed profile,” meaning only those wearing or obtaining membership badges can access the venue. The event fills National Harbor’s hotels and restaurants every February, with the Gaylord at capacity and surrounding businesses packed with badge-wearing fans. In a city better known for politics, Katsucon marks one of the largest annual gatherings of an invisible but vibrant subculture that remains hidden the other 362 days of the year.

The convention offers a packed three-day schedule including fan-run panels on anime and Japanese culture, workshops on costume construction, anime screenings, a rave, karaoke, tabletop and video gaming, and a formal masquerade ball. An Artist’s Alley of more than 175 tables showcases independent creators selling original illustrations, handmade plushies, cosplay accessories and sculptures, and a separate merchants hall features vendors selling anime merchandise, collectibles and imported goods from Japan. Even so, Katsucon’s reputation rests primarily on its cosplay culture. The Gaylord’s glass atrium, indoor gardens and reflecting pool function as a massive open-air photography studio, making it one of the premier cosplay destinations in the country.

Founded in 1995 at a Holiday Inn in Virginia Beach with roughly 500 attendees, Katsucon has grown steadily over three decades, moving through venues across the D.C. metro area before settling at the Gaylord in 2010. The convention survived a cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and returned in 2022 with vaccination and masking requirements. Alongside larger events such as Anime NYC and Otakon, Katsucon has carved out a particular reputation among cosplayers, largely because of its unique aesthetics.

The convention’s decades-long presence has made it a Washington-area fixture, drawing both first-timers and veterans who return year after year — even after last year’s pipe burst that rained sewage water on Artist’s Alley.

By early afternoon Friday, the atrium was packed with cosplayers. A Cinderella in a shimmering blue ballgown posed for photos near the reflecting pool. Meanwhile, a group dressed as characters from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which won Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Awards, posed for photographers.

The creativity ranged from elaborate armor to internet humor. “Already saw two people cosplaying Benadryl and the Hat Man,” posted attendee Phoenix (@reiwandaful.bsky.social) on social media, referring to a viral meme about allergy-medicine hallucinations. The annual Gazebo gatherings, where hundreds of fans meet to photograph coordinated group cosplays, were already underway.

Katsucon draws attendees from across the country, many of whom invest months of preparation and hundreds of dollars in costume materials on top of weekend badges ranging from $75 to $100, hotel rooms averaging $240 a night before taxes and resort fees, and travel costs. One cosplayer from Pennsylvania made the three-hour drive to dress as G’raha Tia from Final Fantasy XIV, saying he chose the character because, “He’s best boy.” Another flew in from Georgia to cosplay Coco from the Atelier series, drawn to the character’s determination. For some, it’s their first convention. For others, it’s their seventh year returning.

Amateur crafters pose alongside professional cosplayers with massive social media followings. Creators like popular cosplayer Bukkitbrown, who has nearly 550,000 followers on Instagram and 2.9 million on TikTok, share the atrium with first-time convention-goers. “I come every year,” said one local photographer. “Not to cosplay. Just to people-watch.” For others, missing it is devastating. “Four years straight I’ve attended and I couldn’t make it this time,” wrote Mike Sneddon, a regular attendee, in a social media post, lamenting being unable to travel to Maryland this year.

By Sunday night, the armor will be packed away, the wigs stored carefully in plastic bins, and National Harbor will return to its winter quiet, until next February, when the cosplayers return. But for many attendees, the annual flood of flowing gowns, bastard swords and EVA foam at Katsucon, just outside the nation’s capital, remains a reminder that Washington is more than just politics.