Cultural festival · Honolulu, Oahu · 10 AM – 9 PM
Kawaii Kon 2027
Hosted by Kawaii Kon
Date
What to expect
Kawaii Kon is an annual anime and Japanese pop-culture convention founded in 2005 by Gamers Evolution Expo, LLC (Stan Dahlin, Marlon Stodghill, and Scott Richardson). It launched at the Ala Moana Hotel with roughly 2,000 attendees and relocated to the Hawaii Convention Center in 2007 as it outgrew the hotel. The convention now draws more than 20,000 attendees across its three-day run each year.
The event fills the Hawaii Convention Center with a dealers room, an artist alley featuring independent creators, panels, cosplay competitions, voice actor guests, live concerts, esports, and tabletop gaming. A Cosplay Cafe staffed by costumed volunteers serves drinks and snacks on-site.
Program highlights
- Founded 2005; moved to Hawaii Convention Center by 2007
- Three-day convention drawing more than 20,000 attendees per year
- Dealers room, artist alley, voice actor guests, and live concerts
- Cosplay Cafe staffed by costumed volunteers on-site
Plan your visit
Food & vendors: Cosplay Cafe serving drinks and snacks (staffed by costumed volunteers); food vendors in the exhibit hall
Parking & access: Venue parking will be very limited or unavailable at HCC due to ongoing construction; public transit via Skyline rail and TheBus serves stops near the Hawaii Convention Center. Normal HCC garage rate is $15/entry when available.
Plan your weekend on Oahu
While you’re out for Kawaii Kon, see who else is open — and meet the makers and farmers behind Hawai‘i’s markets.
Farmers markets this weekend
What’s worth a trip this weekend
One email a week: the makers worth seeking out, pop-ups, and Hawai‘i cultural events worth planning around.
Sources: source; source; source. Dates and times can change — confirm with the organizer before you go.