Nemacon

The North East Manga & Anime Convention, better known as Nemacon or NemaCon, is an anime convention held in Middlesbrough, England. Its inaugural convention, on 19 and 20 June 2010, was the first of its kind in North East England.

History
The origins of Nemacon can be dated back to 2008 as the "Tokyopop ReCon". The event took place at the local branch of Borders bookshop at Teesside Park, Stockton-on-Tees, who co-organised it along with manga publisher Tokyopop. 200 people attended, most of whom were dressed in cosplay. The following year a similar event took place solely organised by Borders, with support from Viz Media, another manga publisher. However, attendance was limited because of health and safety concerns. Because of demand, Nemacon was created and it was decided to hold it at a larger venue. The first Nemacon was held on 19 and 20 June 2010, at Middlesbrough Town Hall and Middlesbrough Central Library.

Cosplay
A "cosplay masquerade" involved people showing off their best cosplay outfits. The makers of the best male and female costumes are crowned "Prince and Princess of the Nemacon Cosplay Masquerade".

Lolita
At the first meeting, Nemacon also presented events concerning Lolita fashion. There were two fashion shows: the "coordinates show", featuring any type of Lolita fashion, and the "brand and handmade show", featuring a mixture of Lolita branded clothes and handmade coordinates. A "Lolita lounge" included workshops and a tea party.

Other events
Nemacon hosted other events including drawing masterclasses, presentations on Japanese culture, anime screenings, a video game section sponsored by video game retailer Game, and a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament.

There was also a "skit competition" which involves people acting out a two minute scene or "skit" based on their favourite anime or manga and "Choosing Your Fursona", an event for members of the furry fandom.