# Anime Boston

Anime Boston is an annual three-day anime fan convention held in the spring in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Anime Boston was created and is run by the New England Anime Society, Inc., a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization.

## Programming

The convention features a number of events which include a masquerade, an anime music video contest, video programming rooms, an artists' alley and art show, karaoke, game shows, swap meets, Anime Unscripted, video games, RPGs, and a LARP.

## History

The first Anime Boston was held in 2003 at the Boston Park Plaza, as was the 2004 convention. By Anime Boston 2005, the convention had moved to the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel. Since then, the convention has continued to be held at the convention center and adjoining hotels with attendance seeing steady growth to 14,339 people (or 35,224 turnstile) in 2008. That year also saw Japanese rock stars The Pillows finish up the east coast leg of their American tour at Anime Boston. In 2009, the convention saw the attendance rise to over 15,000 people for the first time, and the attendees who got tickets at the convention for the concert got to see Kalafina for their first-ever North American performance. Attendance jumped again to over 17,000 attendants in 2010. Nobuo Uematsu made an appearance at the convention, with the Video Game Orchestra, a Boston-based 90-piece orchestra that performs video game music with an orchestra, choir, and rock band.
In 2011, the Boston Phoenix selected Anime Boston as the city's "Best Nerd Gathering", beating out contenders such as New England Comic Con and PAX East. The convention won the award again in 2012. In 2012, Anime Boston celebrated its tenth year. In addition to its events, a museum of the convention's history was displayed; photographs and memorabilia such as mascot costumes and previous t-shirt designs, from each of the past years created the museum's exhibits; some of Anime Boston’s guests from previous years also submitted letters of congratulations. Held on the same weekend as Easter, its attendance reached a total of over 20,000 attendees. An attendance cap was announced for weekend memberships for the 2015 convention due to overcrowding concerns, despite this AB plans on being at the Hynes Convention Center through 2026. Anime Boston 2020 and 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anime Boston returned as an in-person event in 2022, although with fewer guests present.

## Event history

Since 2005, Anime Boston has been held at the Hynes Convention Center. The 2003 and 2004 events were held at the Boston Park Plaza.
| Dates | Atten. | Guests |
| April 18–20, 2003 | 4,110 | John Barrett, Steve Bennett, Chris Beveridge, Jerry Chu, Ted Cole, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Tiffany Grant, Mark Hildreth, Charlene Ingram, Hiroki Kanno, Mark C. MacKinnon, Jamie McGonnigal, Scott McNeil, Kirby Morrow, Kristen Nelson, Lorraine Savage, Brad Swaile, and David L. Williams. |
| April 9–11, 2004 | 3,656 | Michael Coleman, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Crispin Freeman, Lauren Goodnight, Hilary Haag, Carl Gustav Horn, Lex Lang, Monica Rial, David L. Williams, and Dave Wittenberg. |
| April 29 – May 1, 2005 | 7,500 | Greg Ayres, Johnny Yong Bosch, Tim Buckley, Svetlana Chmakova, Emily DeJesus, Mohammad "Hawk" Haque, Dan Hess, Melissa Fahn, Yoko Ishida, David Kaye, Dave Lister, Cynthia Martinez, Scott McNeil, Daisuke Moriyama, Ananth Panagariya, Chris Patton, Monica Rial, Brianne Siddall, Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, and Dave Wittenberg. |
| May 26–28, 2006 | 9,354 | Greg Ayres, Christopher Bevins, Steve Blum, Svetlana Chmakova, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Richard Epcar, Shuzilow.HA, Clarine Harp, Mohammad "Hawk" Haque, Jonathan Klein, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Vic Mignogna, Ananth Panagariya, Carrie Savage, Sumi Shimamoto, Michael Sinterniklaas, Michael "Mookie" Terracciano, Kari Wahlgren, Tom Wayland, and David L. Williams. |
| April 20–22, 2007 | 11,500 | Greg Ayres, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Christopher Bevins, Luci Christian, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Robert DeJesus, Emily DeJesus, Yasuhiro Imagawa, Hiroshi Iwata, Bettina M. Kurkoski, Mike McFarland, Grant Moran, Junji Nishimura, Brina Palencia, Michael Sinterniklaas, Kenji Terada, Tom Wayland, David L. Williams, and Travis Willingham. |
| March 21–23, 2008 | 14,339 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Aaron Dismuke, Todd Haberkorn, Luv and Response, MC Frontalot, The Pillows, Monica Rial, Michael Sinterniklaas, Brad Swaile, Tokyo Pinsalocks, Tom Wayland, and David L. Williams. |
| May 22–24, 2009 | 15,438 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Bespa Kumamero, Video Game Orchestra, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Yuki Kajiura, Kalafina, Misako Rocks!, Veronica Taylor, Tom Wayland, David L. Williams, and Travis Willingham |
| April 2–4, 2010 | 17,236 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Emily DeJesus, Jessie James Grelle, Clarine Harp, Reni Mimura, Carli Mosier, MyM, Christopher Corey Smith, J. Michael Tatum, Nobuo Uematsu, Video Game Orchestra, and Tom Wayland. |
| April 22–24, 2011 | 19,136 | Mari Iijima, Girugamesh, STEREOPONY, Brina Palencia, Greg Ayres, Christopher Ayres, J. Michael Tatum, Richard Epcar, Sean Schemmel, Spike Spencer, Trina Nishimura, Tom Wayland, MC Frontalot |
| April 6–8, 2012 | 22,065 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Caitlin Glass, Kanako Ito, Shotaro Kaizuka, MINT, Haruko Momoi, Carli Mosier, Tsutomu Narita, Takamasa Sakurai, Keith Silverstein, Michael Sinterniklaas, Christopher Corey Smith, Karen Strassman, Dethklan, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Kirk Thornton, Tom Wayland |
| May 24–26, 2013 | 21,825 | Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres, Zach Bolton, Christopher Bevins, IBI, Tomohiko Ito, Shinichiro Kashiwada, Yasuhiro Koshi, Lauren Landa, Cherami Leigh, David Matranga, ORIGA, Bryce Papenbrook, Raj Ramayya, Dethklan, Monica Rial, Rachel Robinson, Stephanie Sheh, Micah Solusod, Yousei Teikoku, Kari Wahlgren, Shinichi Watanabe, Tom Wayland |
| March 21–23, 2014 | 24,798 | Yuu Asakawa, Greg Ayres, Linda Ballantyne, Jessie James Grelle, Kyle Hebert, Wendee Lee, Toby Proctor, JAM Project, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Dethklan, Yuko Minaguchi, Trina Nishimura, Dai Satō, Patrick Seitz, John Stocker, Cristina Vee, Tom Wayland |
| April 3–5, 2015 | 26,475 | Greg Ayres, Christine Marie Cabanos, Richard Epcar, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Lauren Landa, Cherami Leigh, LiSA, Manami Matsumae, Mona Marshall, Cassandra Lee Morris, Haruo Nakajima, Yoko Shimomura, Michael Sinterniklaas, Ellyn Stern, Akira Takarada, Koki Uchiyama, Tom Wayland (Cancelled) |
| March 25–27, 2016 | 26,975 | Yukiko Aikei, ALI PROJECT, Greg Ayres, Toshio Furukawa, Todd Haberkorn, Kyōhei Ishiguro, Shino Kakinuma, Carrie Keranen, Erica Lindbeck, Masao Maruyama, Max Mittelman, Tony Oliver, Monica Rial, Nano Ripe, Patrick Seitz, Eric Vale, Hiromi Wakabayashi |
| Mar. 31 – Apr. 2, 2017 | 25,848 | Greg Ayers, Bryson Baugus, Johnny Yong Bosch, Robbie Daymond, Sandy Fox, Toru Furuya, Kyle Jones, Hirokatsu Kihara, Roland Kelts, Lex Lang, Cherami Leigh, Masahiko Minami, Shingo Natsume, Lisa Ortiz, Okamoto's, Wakana Okamura, Brina Palencia, Puffy AmiYumi, Michelle Ruff, Christopher Sabat, Patrick Seitz, LeSean Thomas, Naokatsu Tsuda |
| Mar. 30 – Apr. 1, 2018 | 25,229 | Asaka, Greg Ayres, Christopher Bevins, Flow, Jessie James Grelle, Hirokatsu Kihara, Amanda C. Miller, Yuji Muto, Monica Rial, Rachel Robinson, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Michihiko Suwa, Kaiji Tang, J. Michael Tatum, Hideyuki Tomioka, Kaoru Wada, Kazuki Yao. |
| April 19–21, 2019 | 25,615 | Greg Ayres, Johnny Yong Bosch, Leah Clark, Kara Edwards Richard Epcar, Billy Kametz, Yoichi Kato, Kenji Kodama, Yuri Lowenthal, MIYAVI, Naohiro Ogata, Lisa Ortiz, Tara Platt, Michelle Ruff (Cancelled), Tara Sands, Yoko Shimomura, Ellyn Stern, Goh Wakabayashi |
| April 10–12, 2020 | Cancelled | None |
| April 2-4, 2021 | Cancelled | None |
| May 27–29, 2022 | 29,849 | ASCA, Greg Ayres, Griffin Burns, Ray Chase, Robbie Daymond, EyeQ, Lauren Landa, Brittany Lauda, Kayli Mills, Max Mittelman, Matt Shipman, Keith Silverstein (Cancelled), Suzie Yeung |
| April 7–9, 2023 | TBA | Greg Ayres, Dante Basco, Christine Marie Cabanos, Adam Gibbs, Erika Harlacher, Christina Kelly, Jason Liebrecht, Emi Lo, Quinn Lord, Eric McEver, Brandon McInnis, Sarah Natochenny, Paranom and Aztech, Keith Silverstein, John Swasey, J. Michael Tatum, Annie Wild, Shiu Yoshijima |
| March 29–31, 2024 | TBA | Greg Ayres, Babybeard, Kira Buckland, Hayden Daviau, Maile Flanagan, Yuya Hirose, Hizaki, Kaya, Alyssa Marek, Kristen McGuire, Casey Mongillo, Queen Bee, Natalie Rial, Zeno Robinson Michelle Ruff, Alejandro Saab, Kaho Shibuya Jack Stansbury, Tsunomaki Watame (Hololive) Yuki Watanabe, Cristina Vee, Yukana |
| May 23–25, 2025 | TBA | Anairis_Quiñones, Kaiji_Tang |
| April 3–5, 2026 | TBA | TBA |

## Mascots

The mascots for Anime Boston are A-chan and B-kun. A-chan has long blue hair and she typically wears a dress. B-kun has orange hair and red eyes. Their outfits often change to match the convention's theme for the year.