After 17 years in downtown Baltimore, Otakon bids a fond farewell to the Inner Harbor. Two years ago, Otakon announced they would be moving to Washington DC at the Walter E. Washington convention center. This is our fourth year covering the premiere east coast anime convention. While Otakon has had their ups and downs in the past few years, this year was heartfelt and bittersweet for so many attendees. We arrived in Baltimore early Thursday morning into BWI. Not sure where the Uber / Lyft pick up point was, we took the light rail into downtown Baltimore and hiked all the way up to the Radisson to get some needed rest after our red eye.

Matsuri Festival by Eri Kagami
Otakon does have a few pre-con festivities. Though Anime Expo is hyping up 2017 to have events during day zero, Otakon has had their Matsuri Fest for the past several years. Matsuri Fest takes place at West Shore Park. This is a bit of a walk from the convention center. It is open to the public and requires no badge. It's quite common to see tourists and locals wander into the outdoor festival. There are food vendors selling snacks. There are fan groups promoting events such as LARPing and upcoming local cons. While we were there, Jason Charles Miller, an Otakon regular guest, performed a few original tunes. He's best known for performing his accoustic country ballad version of the Pokemon theme. This was a very calm and chill event to kick off the con. Granted it was hot and humid, but it kept the nearby shaved ice booth busy. We're hoping that Matsuri festival tradition continues on in DC.

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