Camaraderie Shines Bright at ACen 2025

This past weekend in Chicago, we attended the Anime Central Convention, or ACen as it’s known to the fandom. It’s one of the biggest anime cons in the Midwest, and features the most cosplay we've seen at a single convention. But it's also noted as one of the friendliest cons out there, and its community has continued to grow. ACen consistently sells out as fans from all over the Midwest and the country show up in droves, and it's this sense of community that shines brightest to me the more I get to know ACen through attending each year.

Last year I wrote an article about bringing my mother to ACen, which would seem ill-advised to some, as it does tend to trend on the racier side, but it provided the perfect atmosphere for an outsider to be welcomed into the weird world of anime. My mother and I explored the con with reckless abandon, asking newbie questions and engaging with all that comes with the convention. Artwork, cosplayers, furries, home made craft goods: everything. My mother took the time to jump into learning and interacting with all of it, if anything just to ask questions, and everyone took time to include her and answer them.

This year, I saw even more of that same community spirit throughout the weekend that really made me stand back and admire how much this group of fans really cares for one another. I stumbled into a group of cosplayers calling themselves the Cosplay Medics. It was a couple who were dressed as old timey World War I medics, with a giant flag raised high in the sky so they were easier to locate. I managed to flag them down and stopped to ask them their story.

“Last year, we were cosplaying and our costumes kept coming apart, and of course there’s a booth that will help you repair your costumes -- but we had to keep traveling all the way back, so we decided to set up a kit and go around the con fixing people’s cosplay on the go. I have heavy duty gear, cordless glue gun, duct tape, etc., and my partner has lighter gear like sewing kits, buttons, super glue, and other things. So we just now enjoy the con, and when people come up to us, we help repair their cosplays. We paid for all of this, but just want to help out!”

But it doesn't end there. At Saturday night's Synergy dance party, a couple had set up a station for dancers who needed a reprieve from the action, so they were providing mellow music, free bottles of water, sandwiches and chips to anyone who needed it. They were there out of the goodness of their own hearts, using their own money to help those a little too partied out, to catch their breaths and recover a little. 

These kinds of stories are really what make fandoms come together as communities. The con itself was one of the best, with sold out days filled with Beyblade tournaments, KPOP dance tutorials and fight choreography, but the spirit of togetherness is what brings everyone here. One of my friends personally lost their phone on the show floor, and in no less than 20 minutes had the phone been turned in to customer service by a friendly patron.

This is a con where you are surrounded by like-minded individuals who are more than willing to share what they have, whether it be a drink or a space to talk. Come to ACen for the sights but stay for the breadsticks.

A lot like Olive Garden, when you’re here you’re family.

Check out our cosplay gallery from the convention here.