Remember when finding anime conventions meant desperately scrolling through forum posts or hearing about an amazing event after it already happened? Those dark days are behind us. In 2025, keeping track of anime expos, cosplay gatherings, and Japanese pop culture festivals has never been easier—if you know where to look.
Finding and tracking conventions can be challenging, especially with events ranging from massive gatherings like Anime Expo with its 125,000+ attendees to intimate local meetups where you can actually have conversations with guests without shouting. Fortunately, there are numerous tracking tools available to help ensure you never miss registration deadlines or guest announcements.
1. AnimeCons.com
Best for: Comprehensive anime-specific convention tracking
Standout features: Interactive worldwide map, calendar view, filtering options
Mobile availability: Yes, dedicated app
If you’re looking for the most established and comprehensive resource specifically for anime conventions, AnimeCons.com should be your first stop. Operating since 2003, this veteran platform has become the go-to hub for tracking anime gatherings worldwide.
What makes AnimeCons.com particularly valuable is its laser focus on anime events. Unlike more general convention trackers, every listing here is relevant to anime fans, saving you the time of filtering through unrelated events. The site provides several approaches to finding conventions:
- Schedule listings showing upcoming events chronologically
- Calendar view for visualizing the convention landscape by month
- Interactive worldwide map for discovering events by location
- State-by-state breakdowns for US-based conventions
The filtering options allow you to narrow down events by location, making it easy to find conventions within your travel range. Each listing typically includes essential details like dates, venue, and website links, with many also featuring attendance statistics from previous years.
Beyond just listings, AnimeCons.com offers a news section that keeps you updated on major announcements, guest reveals, and occasionally even addresses controversies within the convention community. This additional context helps you make more informed decisions about which events to attend.
The platform claims to track over 25,000 conventions through its parent site FanCons.com, ensuring you won’t miss even smaller regional events that might fly under the radar of less specialized trackers.
2. FanCons.com
Best for: Tracking conventions beyond just anime
Standout features: Filtering by genre, extensive database, community submissions
Mobile availability: Yes, dedicated app
While AnimeCons.com focuses exclusively on anime events, FanCons.com expands its scope to encompass the broader world of fan conventions, including comic, gaming, sci-fi, and general pop culture events. This broader approach makes it perfect for fans with diverse interests or those attending multigenre conventions that feature significant anime content alongside other fandoms.
FanCons.com’s greatest strength lies in its robust filtering system. Users can sort events by:
- Convention type (anime, comic, gaming, etc.)
- Year and date range
- Geographic location
This flexibility is invaluable for planning your convention schedule across different types of events. The site’s claim of tracking over 25,000 conventions makes it one of the most comprehensive databases available.
Like its sister site AnimeCons.com, FanCons.com offers multiple viewing options including schedules, calendars, and interactive maps. The platform also maintains news and blog sections to keep you informed about significant developments in the convention world.
A particularly useful feature is the ability for users to submit new conventions to the database, helping ensure that even newer or smaller events get visibility. The site’s policies regarding listed events have evolved over time to maintain accuracy and ethical standards, with updates announced through their news section.
For anime fans who also enjoy related fandoms like manga, gaming, or J-pop, FanCons.com offers the perfect balance of specificity and breadth.
3. Mobile Apps for Convention Tracking
Best for: On-the-go planning and at-convention navigation
Standout features: Personalized schedules, interactive maps, real-time updates
Notable options: AnimeCons app, Guidebook, official convention apps
The revolution in convention tracking has undoubtedly been mobile apps, which transform your smartphone into a powerful tool for discovering, planning, and navigating anime conventions. Several approaches exist in this space:
Official Convention Apps
Major events like Anime Expo, Anime NYC, and Comic-Con develop their own dedicated applications that serve as digital companions for attendees. These apps typically offer:
- Personalized schedule creation for planning your day
- Interactive venue maps for navigating massive convention centers
- Real-time updates and announcements for schedule changes
- Guest information and exhibitor listings
- Offline access to essential information when convention center Wi-Fi inevitably fails
The Anime Expo Official app, for example, has become essential for navigating North America’s largest anime convention, helping attendees manage the overwhelming number of panels, screenings, and events during the four-day celebration.
Third-Party Convention Apps
Platforms like AnimeCons.com offer their own mobile applications that essentially bring their web database functionality to your phone. These apps excel at helping you discover and track multiple conventions rather than focusing on a single event.
Convention Management Platforms
Services like Guidebook and Sched power many convention schedules and provide standardized interfaces across multiple events. Once you’re familiar with how these platforms work, you can easily navigate any convention that uses them.
The best approach is often to combine these resources—use a general tracking app like AnimeCons to discover events, then download official apps for conventions you plan to attend, giving you both breadth in discovery and depth in planning.
4. Anime News Network Convention Listings
Best for: Context-rich convention information and industry perspective
Standout features: Industry news integration, convention reports, professional coverage
Updates: Regular coverage of major conventions
Anime News Network (ANN) serves as one of the most respected news sources in the anime community, and their convention coverage adds valuable context to the raw listings found on dedicated trackers. Their conventions section offers several unique advantages:
- Industry perspective that connects events to broader anime news
- Professional reporting from conventions, including guest interviews
- Announcement coverage highlighting major reveals at each event
- Historical archives of past convention reports
While ANN doesn’t aim to be comprehensive in listing every small regional convention, their coverage of major events is unparalleled in depth. They frequently send staff to report directly from conventions like Anime Expo, Crunchyroll Expo, and Anime NYC, providing insights you won’t find in basic calendar listings.
The integration with broader anime industry news makes ANN particularly valuable for understanding which conventions might feature announcements from your favorite studios or distributors. If you’re primarily interested in attending conventions for industry news and premieres, ANN helps you identify which events are likely to feature the most significant revelations.
For international travelers, ANN’s coverage of major Japanese events like Comiket and AnimeJapan offers English-language insights into these massive gatherings that might otherwise have limited information available.
5. Official Convention Websites
Best for: Detailed planning for specific events
Standout features: Registration information, guest announcements, programming details
Examples: Anime Expo, Anime NYC, Tekko, Anime Central
While trackers and calendars help you discover events, official convention websites remain the authoritative source for detailed information about specific gatherings. Once you’ve identified conventions you want to attend, their official sites provide crucial resources:
- Registration details including ticket tiers and pricing
- Hotel booking information and room block availability
- Guest announcements and appearance schedules
- Programming information including panels and workshops
- Exhibitor and Artist Alley listings
- Cosplay contest rules and registration
Major conventions like Anime Expo, Anime NYC, and Anime Central maintain robust websites that serve as central hubs for all event information. These sites typically feature responsive designs that work across devices and are regularly updated as new information becomes available.
Many conventions now integrate social media feeds directly into their websites, allowing you to see the latest announcements without switching platforms. Some also offer newsletter subscriptions to receive updates directly in your inbox.
For conventions with complex schedules spanning multiple days and locations, official websites often provide interactive programming guides that allow you to filter by time, topic, or guest. These tools are invaluable for creating a personalized convention experience focused on your specific interests.
6. Eventbrite and General Event Platforms
Best for: Discovering local and smaller anime events
Standout features: Ticketing integration, location-based recommendations, reminder systems
Additional options: Fever, local event calendars
While dedicated anime convention trackers excel at covering established events, general event platforms like Eventbrite often capture smaller gatherings that might not be listed elsewhere. These platforms offer several unique advantages:
- Integration of ticketing and discovery in one platform
- Location-based recommendations for events near you
- Reminder systems for registration deadlines
- Reviews and attendance metrics from past events
Eventbrite in particular has become a popular platform for smaller anime conventions, single-day festivals, and specialized events like anime movie screenings or cosplay competitions. Its mobile app allows you to store tickets and receive notifications about upcoming events you’ve registered for.
Fever, another growing event platform, curates experiences including anime-themed events, often highlighting unique gatherings like anime orchestra performances, themed pop-up cafes, or special film screenings that complement the convention experience.
These general platforms excel at helping you discover the anime community beyond major conventions, including meetups, watch parties, and cultural festivals with anime components. They’re particularly valuable for finding events during gaps between larger conventions or if you’re unable to travel to major gatherings.
7. Community-Driven Resources
Best for: Niche events and personal recommendations
Standout features: Firsthand experiences, specialized focus, peer-to-peer advice
Key communities: Reddit’s r/animecons, Discord servers, anime forums
Some of the most valuable convention information comes directly from fellow fans through community-driven resources. These grassroots efforts offer perspectives you won’t find in official listings:
- Personal experience reports that go beyond marketing materials
- Candid assessments of convention quality and organization
- Specialized recommendations based on specific interests
- Peer advice for first-time attendees
Reddit communities like r/animecons and r/anime regularly feature discussions about upcoming events, with members sharing their experiences and recommendations. These communities often create region-specific threads for conventions in particular areas, helping locals discover events near them.
Discord servers dedicated to anime conventions have become increasingly popular, with some focusing on specific events while others cover the convention scene more broadly. These real-time chat platforms allow for immediate questions and answers about registration processes, hotel bookings, and last-minute changes.
Traditional forums like the Anime Music Videos forum and convention-specific forums (such as the Anime Boston Forums) continue to serve as valuable repositories of information, particularly for long-running events with established communities.
Fan-created spreadsheets and databases sometimes emerge to track conventions with specific focuses, though the quality and maintenance of these resources can vary significantly. When using community resources, it’s always wise to verify critical information against official sources.
8. Crunchyroll and Industry Company Events Pages
Best for: Industry panels, premieres, and special announcements
Standout features: Official announcements, premiere information, studio appearances
Companies to track: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Viz Media, major studios
For many anime fans, a primary motivation for attending conventions is the opportunity to experience industry panels, premieres, and announcements. Major companies in the anime space maintain their own event calendars detailing their convention presence:
- Crunchyroll regularly publishes detailed schedules of their panels and premieres at major conventions
- Funimation (now largely merged with Crunchyroll) historically provided similar information
- Viz Media maintains an events page highlighting their convention appearances
- Production studios like Production I.G occasionally announce their participation at international events
Crunchyroll’s events page is particularly valuable, as they typically have a major presence at conventions worldwide. Their announcements detail not just which conventions they’ll attend, but specific information about:
- Premiere screenings of upcoming anime
- Panel discussions with industry figures
- Booth activities and merchandise
- Special guests from Japan
In 2023, Crunchyroll made the strategic decision to cancel their own Crunchyroll Expo event in favor of participating in a broader range of existing conventions, making their events page even more valuable for tracking where they’ll appear throughout the year.
For fans primarily interested in industry news and announcements, following these company event pages ensures you’ll know which conventions will feature content from your favorite distributors and studios.
9. Sched and Convention Schedule Platforms
Best for: Detailed programming planning at specific conventions
Standout features: Personalized schedules, detailed session information, mobile integration
Used by: Many medium to large conventions
Once you’ve decided to attend a specific convention, platforms like Sched become invaluable for navigating the often overwhelming program schedule. These specialized tools focus less on helping you discover conventions and more on optimizing your experience at events you’re already planning to attend.
Sched has emerged as a popular choice for anime convention organizers, offering features that both simplify planning and enhance the attendee experience:
- Comprehensive program listings with detailed session descriptions
- Personalized schedule creation to plan your convention days
- Filter options to find content by type, topic, or guest
- Mobile app integration for on-the-go schedule access
- Updates and notifications for schedule changes
The platform’s standardized interface means that once you’re familiar with how it works for one convention, you can easily navigate schedules for any other event using the service. This consistency is particularly valuable for attendees who frequent multiple conventions throughout the year.
For conventions that don’t use Sched specifically, many have developed similar functionality through their official websites or apps. The trend toward digital scheduling has made it significantly easier to plan your convention experience in advance, maximizing your time at events that often have simultaneously occurring programming.
10. UpcomingCons and Specialized Trackers
Best for: Alternative convention listings and specialized events
Standout features: Diverse convention types, alternative interface
Similar resources: Comic-Cons.xyz, specialized genre trackers
Rounding out our list are specialized trackers like UpcomingCons.com that offer alternative approaches to convention discovery. While not as comprehensive as AnimeCons.com or FanCons.com, these platforms sometimes catch events that might be missed by larger databases.
UpcomingCons.com aims to cover a wide range of conventions including anime, sci-fi, gaming, and comics. Its interface offers a different user experience that some attendees might find more intuitive than other trackers.
Similarly, Comic-Cons.xyz focuses on comic conventions, many of which feature significant anime and manga content given the increasing overlap between these fandoms. For attendees interested in this intersection, specialized comic convention trackers provide valuable additional resources.
Other niche trackers sometimes emerge for specific types of events, such as those focusing on particular regions or specialized convention types. These resources may be worth exploring if you have very specific interests or are looking for conventions in areas not well-covered by mainstream trackers.
Choosing the Right Convention Tracking Tools for You
With so many options available, selecting the right combination of tracking tools depends on your specific needs and how you engage with anime conventions. Here are some recommendations based on different attendee profiles:
For Casual Local Attendees
If you’re primarily interested in attending conventions in your local area once or twice a year:
- AnimeCons.com with location filtering
- Eventbrite for smaller local events
- Official convention websites for your region’s main events
For Dedicated Convention-Hoppers
If you regularly attend multiple conventions throughout the year across different regions:
- FanCons.com for comprehensive listings
- Mobile apps for on-the-go planning
- Industry event pages to track special announcements
- Sched for managing complex schedules
For Industry News Seekers
If your primary interest is industry announcements and premieres:
- Anime News Network for context-rich coverage
- Crunchyroll Events page for official schedules
- Official convention websites for guest announcements
For First-Time Convention-Goers
If you’re new to the anime convention scene:
- Community resources for advice and recommendations
- Official convention websites for detailed planning
- Mobile apps for navigation assistance
Tips for Effective Convention Planning
Beyond choosing the right tracking tools, here are some practical tips for making the most of these resources:
- Cross-reference information across multiple sources, especially for critical details like registration deadlines
- Set calendar reminders for key dates like registration openings and hotel block releases
- Follow official social media accounts for conventions you plan to attend for real-time updates
- Join convention-specific Discord servers for community advice and last-minute information
- Download relevant apps before arriving at conventions, as on-site Wi-Fi can be unreliable
- Check community reviews of conventions you’re considering, particularly for insights about organization and crowd management
- Use filtering tools effectively to find conventions that match your specific interests and travel capabilities
Anime Convention Tracker FAQs
How far in advance should I start tracking conventions I want to attend?
For major conventions like Anime Expo or New York Comic Con, start tracking at least 6-12 months in advance. Registration for these events often opens 6+ months prior, and hotel blocks can sell out within minutes of release. For smaller regional conventions, 2-3 months advance tracking is usually sufficient. Setting up alerts through convention trackers or following official social media accounts will ensure you don’t miss important announcement dates.
How reliable are community-created convention listings and reviews?
Community resources vary greatly in reliability. Well-established forums and subreddits typically provide accurate information, especially when multiple members corroborate details. Fan-created spreadsheets and databases may contain valuable insights but should be cross-referenced with official sources before making travel plans. Community reviews are most reliable for subjective experiences like crowd management, panel quality, and general atmosphere, while official sources remain authoritative for dates, locations, and guest appearances.
Are anime conventions and comic conventions tracked differently?
Yes, though there’s significant overlap. Dedicated anime convention trackers like AnimeCons.com focus exclusively on anime events, while broader resources like FanCons.com cover multiple convention types with filtering options. Comic convention trackers may include anime content but typically prioritize comic book guests and publishers. Multi-genre conventions often appear in both tracking systems. For events with significant crossover appeal, checking both anime and comic convention trackers will provide the most comprehensive information.
How do I track industry announcements at conventions?
The most effective approach is multi-layered: Follow company-specific event pages from distributors like Crunchyroll and Viz Media for their convention schedules; monitor Anime News Network for pre-convention announcement predictions and post-convention coverage; join Discord servers or subreddits dedicated to specific series or studios for community discussions; and use official convention apps to set reminders for industry panels. For Japanese announcements, Twitter/X has become the go-to platform for real-time updates during events like AnimeJapan.
What should I do if convention information conflicts between different sources?
Always prioritize information from the official convention website or social media accounts, as these are managed by the organizers themselves. If discrepancies exist, contact the convention directly through official channels for clarification. Remember that third-party trackers may not immediately reflect recent changes to dates, venues, or guests. For critical planning details like registration dates or hotel bookings, verify through official sources within 24-48 hours of the expected time to ensure you have the most current information.