Diving into Anime Paradise: ColossalCon South 2023
In a fusion of anime magic and water park excitement, ColossalCon South 2023 crashed upon Austin, Texas, bringing a tidal wave of Japanese culture fandom and creativity. Set within the tribal and upscale confines of the Kalahari Resorts Indoor Water Park, this year’s ColossalCon South was a wonderful experience mixing the traditional anime convention with a vacation hot spot for the summer.
Nestled within the convention center section of Kalahari Resorts, ColossalCon South transformed a typical anime convention into a unique convention experience.
The water park setting of Kalahari also breathed new life into the cosplay scene, inviting attendees to blend their favorite characters with swimwear creatively. Cosplayers embraced the challenge, wearing cosplays that seamlessly fused anime aesthetics with aquatic attire. With the outdoor and indoor water park close by, walking the convention and seeing popular panels was easy, then jumping to the pool wearing the swimwear-centered cosplays.
At night, attendees enjoyed multiple musical performances, including the wonderful Kazha, which featured a live band playing their most popular rock songs such as Daybreak. In addition to the long line formed at the door before the show, groups of people gathered on the main stage as the first couple of songs were sung. The crowd grew until the very last song was played, luckily Kazha performed an additional night which brought in a new wave of guests.
With its dynamic fusion of anime enjoyment, exhilarating water park adventures, live music, and the forging of new and past connections, ColossalCon truly showed what is possible for an anime convention. From creative cosplay spectacles to intellectual panels, ColossalCon South had a remarkable blend of excitement, education, and entertainment.