Otafest

Otafest
Status	Active
Venue	University of Calgary
Location	Calgary, Alberta
Country	Canada
First held	1999
Attendance	4,135 in 2011
Official website	http://www.otafest.com/

Otafest is an annual anime convention held in mid-May (previously held in June and September), at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The first Otafest was held 1999 and has expanded each year, including a move in 2009 to include a mini-convention called Otafest LITE.

History

Otafest Event history

Dates	Location	Atten.	Guests
July 3–4, 1999	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	700[1]
June 17–18, 2000	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	900	Yasuyuki Ueda.[2]
September 15–16, 2001	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	700[3]
May 24–26, 2002	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta[4]
May 24–25, 2003	University of Calgary Science Theaters Calgary, Alberta[5]
May 15–16, 2004	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta		The 404s.[6]
May 21–22, 2005	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta		Jonathan Love.[7]
May 21–22, 2006	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta[8]
May 19–20, 2007	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	2,709	The 404s.[9]
May 16–18, 2008	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	4,278	The 404s, Mohammad "Hawk" Haque, Dr. Antonia Levi, Jonathan Love, Midnight Taiko, Ananth Panagariya, Dave Rathnow, and Shin Ken Kai Nobara.[10]
May 15–17, 2009	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	4,361[11]	The 404s, Johnny Yong Bosch, Mohammad "Hawk" Haque, Bob the Chair, Dr. Antonia Levi, Midnight Taiko, Ananth Panagariya.[12]
May 21–23, 2010	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	3,697[13]	The 404s, Michelle Ruff, Todd Haberkorn, Scott Ramsoosair, Synaptic Chaos Theatre, Midnight Taiko, Dave Rathnow & Shin Ken Kai Nobara, Thwomp, Pinko Polkadotsu.
May 20–22, 2011	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	4,135[13]	The Fool, Midnight Taiko, Dave Rathnow & Shin Ken Kai Nobara, Sun Ergos, Synaptic Chaos Theatre, Thwomp.[14]
May 18-20, 2012[15]

Otafest LITE Event history

Dates	Location	Atten.	Guests
November 14, 2009	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	900[16][13]
November 13, 2010[13]	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta	800[17][13]
November 12, 2011[18]	University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta

Mandate

Otafest Mandate

"At Otafest, our goal is to provide participants with a rich and diverse experience of the many elements found within modern and traditional Japanese culture.

As a patron you will find yourself lost in the diverse nature of our festival’s programming; be it the varied artists of many artistic mediums attending the event to display their work, the vast amount and variety of Japanese media showings, the large vendor room selling Japanese merchandise of a diverse nature, or the highly interactive performance events encouraging you to be inclusive within them you will find that our festival has something for you.

Otafest is not a mere festival aimed at giving an audience a set experience, rather it is a festival aimed at encouraging our patrons to become a part of the experience. We encourage this involvement through our commitment to promoting amateur artists by providing them with opportunities to develop and showcase their artistic and cultural expressions within the Otafest community, as well as through our creation and implementation of interactive playgrounds in the form of special events that allow the patron to become an active part of the festivities. We welcome a diverse crowd of all ages to share in our festival, and invite you as a patron to take part in the inclusivity and participatory nature of our yearly event."^[19]

References

1. ^ "Otafest 1999 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/452. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
2. ^ "Otafest 2000 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/451. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
3. ^ "Otafest 2001 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/58. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
4. ^ "Otafest 2002 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/268. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
5. ^ "Otafest 2003 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/80. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
6. ^ "Otafest 2004 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/490. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
7. ^ "Otafest 2005 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/752. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
8. ^ "Otafest 2006 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/945. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
9. ^ "Otafest 2007 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/1306. Retrieved 2008-02-02. 
10. ^ "Otafest 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/1539. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
11. ^ "Otafest.com Main Page". Otafest.com. http://www.otafest.com/2009/. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
12. ^ "Otafest 2009 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/1811. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
13. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Otafest - About Otafest - Otafest Statistics". Otafest.com. http://www.otafest.com/2011/lite/index.php?p=about. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
14. ^ "Otafest 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com. http://www.animecons.com/events/info.shtml/2484/Otafest_2011. Retrieved 2011-05-25. 
15. ^ "Otafest 2012, Trigun, and Otafest 2011 numbers". June 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zw62gZDY. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
16. ^ "Otafest 2010 Main Page". Otafest.com. http://www.otafest.com/2010/aboutotafest.php. Retrieved 2010-02-15. 
17. ^ "Otafest • About". Otafest.com. http://www.otafest.com/index.php?p=about. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
18. ^ "Otafest Lite 2011!". July 2, 2011. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zw62gZDY. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
19. ^ "Otafest • About". Otafest.com. http://www.otafest.com/index.php?p=about. Retrieved 2011-06-14. 

External links

• Otafest website
• Dedicated Otaku Anime