Anime Detour

Anime Detour is an anime convention held at Bloomington, Minnesota in the United States. Anime Detour typically takes place near the end of March or the beginning of April.

Programming
Anime Detour's programming is common with those of other anime conventions. Typical events including anime music video contests, anime screenings, video games, video game competitions, cosplay, dealers' room, guest singings, guest panels, stand up comedy, and dances.

An added bonus, Greg Ayres will often DJ one or both of the friday and saturday night dances when he is in attendance.

History
Anime Detour was first held in 2004, after a 2-year period of research and planning (established June 2002), by the non-profit organization Anime Twin Cites, Inc. Initial attendance was only expected to be in the range of 400~600 participants. The staff was somewhat surprised and overwhelmed at the positive response and resulting 1,200 person attendance. Since then, Anime Detour has imposed a yearly attendance cap in order to maintain the feel of a "small" anime convention and also to control "the explosive growth of many anime conventions" with controlled growth, safety, and training being key points of annual convention planning. While the staff and organizers of Anime Detour are not opposed to it becoming one of the premiere midwest anime conventions, rivalling Anime Iowa or Anime Central, they prefer to do so in small steps, hopefully avoiding most of the growing pains experienced by conventions that undergo exponential attendance growth.