Break out your costumes: Anime Milwaukee, the city's biggest fandom event, returns this weekend

Anime Milwaukee has come a long way from its beginnings as a college anime club. In the 13 years since it was founded, the convention has ballooned into the city's largest fandom event, drawing more than 10,000 attendees each year to the Wisconsin Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel. Officials now estimate Anime Milwaukee's economic impact in the city at more than $3 million.

The convention returns this weekend, running Friday, Feb. 11, through Sunday, Feb. 13. Attractions include a sprawling vendor hall, game rooms, a manga library, a costume masquerade and costumed combat chess, where attendees act as the chess pieces. That's on top of guests including voice actors like Lizzie Freeman, Morgan Berry and Ciarán Strange, and cosplayer VJ Daguru. (You can see Anime Milwaukee's guest lineup here).

On-site registration opens at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Event programming begins at 11 a.m. on Friday. A weekend ticket is $70 for an adult and $15 for kids.

Guests must provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test in order to enter.