Anime North

Anime North is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major events include a Masquerade, Dealer's Room, Artist Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming (Video and RPG), Panel Discussions, Video Presentation, Contests, and Dances. The convention is hosted at the Toronto Congress Centre, the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel and the Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel And Conference Centre, all of which are in close walking distance of one another.

Programming
Anime North in 2006 featured Kotoko, a J-pop singer, who performed songs from her newest album. Also in 2006, a ballroom dance, "Moonlight Masquerade Ball" was newly scheduled. The most popular events at Anime North include the Masquerade and the J-Idol competition. Other events include the AMV contest, guest autograph sessions, the All-Star Charity Auction, the Momiji Award (with brunch), Anime Improv, and Yaoi North. Common staples at Anime North include guest speeches, gaming tournaments, dances, art-related workshops, discussion panels, martial arts displays, model contests, Go tournaments, and similar events.

History
Anime North was founded by Toronto anime fan Donald Simmons in 1997 as a one day mini-convention with approximately 600 attendees. The original venue was the Michener Institute in downtown Toronto. In 1998 the convention expanded to two days of programming, and 1999 saw the addition of a third day of programming as well as a move to the Ramada Airport East Hotel, with attendance reaching 1,000. In 2001 the convention was moved to the airport strip near Pearson Airport and was held at the Toronto Airport Marriott (attendance 2,000) and in 2002 moved to the much larger Regal Constellation Hotel (attendance 2,800).

Shortly after the 2003 convention at the Regal (attendance 5,000), the Regal closed and the convention had to find yet another new location. For 2004 the best combination of function and hotel space available was the combination of the Toronto Congress Centre and the nearby Renaissance Hotel for additional programming. These two venues were unfortunately a 10-15 minute walk apart, although a free shuttle bus was provided to help alleviate this problem. Despite this difficulty, attendance reached a record 8,200 that year.

In 2005, the convention added a Thursday evening badge pickup for pre-registered attendees, and changed hotels from the Renaissance to the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel, across Dixon Rd. from the TCC (attendance 9,500). In 2006 actual programming was added for Thursday evenings. Approximately 12,500 people attended in 2006, the first year that attendance has broken 10,000 people. Anime North 2008 was the 12th year of the convention.

Mascot
Hoppouno Momiji, a fictional redhead with a taste for both anime and anything Canadian, serves as Anime North's dominant mascot. Her various incarnations and the original concept art in which she was conceived can be found here. Her many manifestations are used on all Anime North clothing, badges, and other wearables. She was originally created for the convention by the Japanese artist Hyi-San.