Anime convention postponed in effort to avoid schedule conflicts with Portland Pride
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A yearly anime, cosplay and gaming convention that would have come to Portland this weekend has been delayed.
WasabiCon announced last Friday that its 2025 show has been postponed to Saturday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 20, “due to circumstances beyond” the control of organizers. The convention was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20.
After several years of hosting the convention at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, Green Mustard Entertainment — the entertainment and event production company behind WasabiCon— moved it to the Hilton Portland Downtown in 2022.
“When we renewed our contact, the host venue moved us back one week and — as we got closer to the dates — this impact became more and more apparent with our convention now happening at the same time as Portland Pride downtown,” Green Mustard CEO Tom Croom said in an email.
Portland Pride was previously held during Pride Month in June, but was moved to July in 2023 due to scheduling conflicts with other downtown events.
Croom told KOIN 6 that his team had been working to reschedule the event and update their contract, but the Fourth of July holiday postponed those talks. Organizers informed exhibitors and partners on the new date “the moment” they reached an agreement with the hotel, according to the CEO.
WasabiCon has had several iterations in the Rose City, along with its sister shows in Jacksonville, Fla. and New Orleans. The Portland installment debuted as Newcon PDX in 2012 and sparked another convention — Anime PDX.
In 2018, Green Mustard acquired both events and renamed them Fandom PDX. It was finally rebranded to WasabiCon three years later. The convention hosted nearly 6000 people at its peak in 2023, according to organizers.
Attendees and vendors who purchased tickets for the upcoming event can request refunds through Aug. 1. Others will have their tickets automatically transferred for the November convention.
“This means you now have more time to finish working on your cosplay and perfect that panel you planned on presenting,” WasabiCon said.