How late is too late for an anime convention?
Apparently, 1 AM is perfectly reasonable.
MiraiCon is heading to Coral Springs, Florida, October 16–18, 2026, and this three-day celebration of anime, gaming, cosplay, and Japanese pop culture has no intention of calling it an early night.
Taking place at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center, MiraiCon has a schedule that stretches well beyond the usual daytime convention hours. Friday and Saturday programming continues until 1 AM, with concerts, panels, performances, cosplay, and activities for fans who aren’t ready to head back to their hotel rooms.
The guest lineup is pretty impressive, too.
Voice actors J. Michael Tatum, Brittney Karbowski, Leah Clark, Brandon McInnis, Jessie James Grelle, and Risa Mei are among the announced guests. Fans of My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Black Butler, Demon Slayer, and other anime series will recognize plenty of their work.
K-pop fans have something to look forward to as well. Andrew Choi, whose credits include KPop Demon Hunters, is scheduled to appear Saturday and Sunday for autograph sessions, photo opportunities, panels, and a Saja Boys sing-along.
And then there’s cosplay.
MiraiCon has both craftsmanship and runway competitions, giving costume makers and performers different opportunities to show off their work. The craftsmanship competition takes place Saturday, while Sunday’s runway contest puts character portrayal and stage presence in the spotlight.
The convention also includes cosplay meetups, workshops, gaming, concerts, and an Artist Alley featuring independent creators selling original artwork and handmade merchandise.
One interesting detail about MiraiCon’s Artist Alley is its policy against AI-generated artwork. The convention specifically reserves that space for art and merchandise created by human artists.
That’s a meaningful distinction for attendees who enjoy meeting the people actually making the illustrations, prints, stickers, and other artwork they’re purchasing.
MiraiCon takes place October 16–18, 2026, at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center, 11775 Heron Bay Boulevard, Coral Springs, Florida 33076.
Convention hours are Friday from noon to 1 AM, Saturday from 10 AM to 1 AM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Tickets are available in single-day and weekend options, with additional VIP packages.
Three days of anime, music, cosplay, and gaming can make for a pretty packed schedule, especially when the evening programming keeps going long after dinner.
Just make sure you get some sleep somewhere along the way.
Those 10 AM Saturday activities are going to arrive awfully quickly after a 1 AM Friday night.
Beam Me Up Scotty
Old punk rocker from Miami who still smells faintly like comic shops and poor financial decisions.
