SaikouCon was an annual three-day anime convention held every August at the Mountain Laurel Resort in White Haven, Pennsylvania.[3] The convention's name, which translates to "best convention" in Japanese, reflected its ambition to provide a premier anime experience. Notably, SaikouCon was the first anime convention to be hosted in the Lehigh Valley.[1][4]
SaikouCon was located at the Holiday Inn Conference Center Lehigh Valley in Breinigsville in 2013 and 2014.[1][5] In 2015, the convention moved to the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel Conference Center. SaikouCon then moved from the Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony back to Allentown in 2017, taking place at the Holiday Inn Center City.[7] The 2018 convention was held at the Econo Lodge Conference Center in Allentown.[8][9] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SaikouCon was postponed in 2020. [10][11] SaikouCon 2021 was cancelled due to a lack of programming and operational problems, leading to the convention's closure.[3][12][13]
Holiday Inn Conference Center Lehigh Valley Breinigsville, Pennsylvania
1,500
The Adarna, The Asterplace, Cosplay Burlesque, Greg Houser, League of Hot Geeks, Jessie Pridemore, Bill Rogers, Sci-Fi Photo Guys, Sonny Strait, and Marc Swint.[15]
The Adarna, Dino Andrade, Robert Axelrod, Celsius, Cloudsofsand, Cosplay Burlesque, Deprived, Foxxy, Darrel Guilbeau, Koralene, Jessie Pridemore, REAKT, Sci-Fi Photo Guys, Take Away The Ugly, and Kari Wahlgren.[17]
The Adarna, Leah Clark, Deprived, Gigi Edgley, R. Bruce Elliott, Foxxy, The Gothic Celt, Greg Houser, Koralene, The Manly Battleships, REAKT, and Oscar Seung.[18]
July 27-29, 2018
Econo Lodge Conference Center Allentown, Pennsylvania
8BIT Ambitions, The Adarna, Dolly Love, Gigi Edgley, Foxxy, Kohei Hattori, Christina Marie Kelly, Koralene, REAKT,
Stellure, TiA, and Lex Winter.[19]
8BIT Ambitions, Cosplay Burlesque, Dolly Love, Foxxy, Greg Houser, The Manly Battleships, Pine State Heroes, and WildSpice.[2]
References
^ abcdeHiggins, Tim (August 23, 2013). "SaikouCon, the first Lehigh Valley anime convention, features voice actors, animators and industry insiders". The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing Company.
^Muschick, Paul (August 30, 2015). "At local convention devoted to Japanese animation and pop culture, comic characters spring from pages to life". The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing Company.
