Ready for Colorado Anime Fest 2025?

I missed it last year, but this year I get to go back to Colorado Anime Fest! Happening again at the Marriot Tech Center hotel on March 21-23, they continue the road to try and be one of the best anime conventions in the region. So what can be expected?

First and foremost, to be included. One of the core tenants of COAF is for people to be accepted and welcome. They want people to enjoy the cosplay, the panels and the Maid Cafe. They want people to browse the exhibitor hall and not feel judged for their fandom (which you should never be). And foremost, they want you safe, which is reflected by the zero tolerance policy for bullying or harassment.

Now that you know you are welcome, what are you actually going to do? If you want to look for yourself you can see the whole schedule here. As for contests there are a few. You have the traditional AMV and Cosplay contests. They have also introduced a Voice Acting contest run by Dorah Fine who has been a number of shows and video games. Speaking of video games there will be hosted tournaments in the gaming room (Evergreen DEF).

For the adults in the room you can grab a drink at the Anime Bar, the Cosplay Cabaret, and a host of other 18+ panels that start a little after 10 PM. For the parents bringing their kids you can head with them to the Blue Bell room for child friendly events and you might even meet a Snorlax!

After missing a year I am really looking forward to this convention. It has grown from the little convention at the Renaissance that looked like it was trying to imitate a big brother to its own thing entirely. Here is having a great weekend!

NDK 2024 - This Weekend!

NDK is directly around the corner. Located at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention center again, we are still traveling way out to the airport. So lest go over what you need to know.

Parking

First off, parking. I am not going to sugarcoat it, parking need help. There are three options.

The first is parking at the hotel itself. This can run as high as $33 for self parking or $48 for valet per day.

Next up is parking / taking the A Line to the 61st and Pena station. The pro on this is it is probably the cheapest option. The con is the shuttle that goes back and forth from the hotel runs only every 30 minutes on the 20 and 50, and only holds 14 people. And this is 14 normal people, size may vary for large cosplay people.

The third option that has a direct way to the hotel is to park at USAirport Parking. They have partnered with NDK and using this QR code you can part there for $8.80 per day. And there is shuttle that can take you “TO” the convention for no cost, but getting back to the parking lot will cost $15 per person. This means if you are car pooling the cheaper option is to park at the hotel. I appreciate what the NDK is trying to do here. They are trying to solve a bad parking situation at the hotel they have chosen to hold the convention at. But this option just makes it more expensive to visit the convention this it already could be. The shuttle runs Friday 4 - 10 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 10 PM, and Sunday 10 AM - 6 PM.

Your last option is using SpotHero to try and get cheaper parking at one of the other airport parking lots in the area, but then you are on your own for getting to the hotel from the parking lot. When I checked the cheapest location was listed as $8 but it was 2 miles away.

Food

OK, you made it to the convention. You have been running around for a while, seen a few panels and browsed artist alley and the exhibitors hall. Now you are getting hungry. NDK has the NDK Cafeteria setup next to the dealers areas, and out side there will be food trucks again. If you are looking for a more traditional dining experience you can check out the hotel’s offerings. I would advise bringing a snack and keep it in your bag. Not bringing a bag? That is your choice, but I always advise at least bringing a small bag to hold a water bottle and some snacks. If you want to eat away from the convention center / hotel you are either walking about 2 miles one way or giving up the parking spot you may not be able to get back.

Events

OK, that is enough doom and gloom. NDK did go all the way to the Gaylord for a reason. This hotel allowed them to expand and have much more space. There is going to be a lot of what you are used to that makes NDK worth attending. The Itasha Car Show is going to be setup outside again, which makes for a great entry to the convention. Main Events is going to be be hosting Queen D as she makes her return with not one, but two showings of “Queen D’s Royal Revue Show 18+” on Friday and Saturday. There is also 12 voice actors, 4 Cosplay guests, and one professor attending this year. And if you want to stay up until Sunday morning you can attend the Masquerave! If you want to review the full panel list to plan your weekend you can find the schedule here. One note I want to make is I think the Cosplay contest is earlier this year then previous years.

Now I am still looking forward to NDK. I have hopes that the convention will be great. That they can get the cons of being further out from the heart of the city overpowered with pros. This is the third (?) year at the Gaylord I believe, and I can only hope that the people that had bad experiences last year can come this year and have good experiences. Here is hoping, and see you all this weekend.

Colorado Anime Fest 2023 Cosplay

Another year another convention filled with cosplay. This year was a little different though. Instead of being on the floor I was honored with the chance to photograph the judging for the cosplay contest which can be found here. As a result the floor photos are a bit sparse, but enjoy nonetheless!

NDK 2022 - Masks Required

NDK is this weekend folks! In response to raising COVID transmission rates over the summer the staff at NDK has instituted a mask mandate for all staff, volunteers, and attendees that are 2+. More information in regards to this can be found here: NDK & COVID–19

This means I need to figure out a good way to keep my super active 3 year old from taking her mask off every 2 minutes. Any one have a suggestion?

Fan Expo Denver 2022 - Photos From the Floor

After parsing my way through all the photos from Fan Expo Denver I finally have all the photos up and ready for browsing! The full gallery can be found here.

Colorado Anime Fest - Photos from the Floor

Another Colorado Anime Fest is history. And I will say that they did not disappoint this year. The attendees were hungry from a convention and the cosplay was absolutely top notch this year. Check out the photos on our COAF 2022 Gallery page or on Facebook!