JAFAX | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Anime, Manga, Gaming [1] [2] |
Venue | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place |
Location(s) | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 1996 |
Attendance | 3,500 in 2016 [3] |
Organized by | JAFAX [4] |
Website | http://www.jafax.org/ |
JAFAX is an annual three day anime convention held during June/July at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The convention's full name stands for Japanese Animation Film and Art Expo. JAFAX was previously a two-day event held at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan and was organized by the university's anime club (Otaku No Anime) and tabletop gaming club (AltReal). [2] [5] [6]
The convention typically offers anime screenings, an artist alley, dance, fashion shows, game shows, guest speakers, maid cafe, masquerade, music video contest, panel discussions, tabletop gaming, vendors, and video games. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Charity events in 2016 included the 100 Tables Project and a Blood Drive. [4]
The event was started in 1995 by Rob Grimes, to spread anime in West Michigan. [2] [5] JAFAX for its first two years was held at the Kendall College of Art and Design, before moving to Grand Valley State University. [2] No convention was held in 2015 due to outgrowing the space available at Grand Valley State University, the search for a new venue, and organizational changes. [8] The event was free until moving in 2016 to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place. [4] [7] [9] [10] [11] Registration experienced issues and the convention shared its hotel with several weddings. [10] JAFAX 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [12] [13] [14] [15]
Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
---|---|---|---|
June 22-23, 1996 |
Kendall College of Art and Design Grand Rapids, Michigan | 150 [16] | |
June 21–22, 1997 | Kendall College of Art and Design Grand Rapids, Michigan | 350 [17] | |
June 27–28, 1998 |
Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 500 | Robert DeJesus [18] |
June 19, 1999 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 750 [19] | |
June 24–25, 2000 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 800 | Robert DeJesus [20] |
June 24–25, 2001 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 900 | Steve Bennett, Robert DeJesus, and Doug Smith. [21] |
June 22–23, 2002 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 1,300 | Steve Bennett, James Dawsey, Robert DeJesus, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, and Doug Smith. [22] |
June 21–22, 2003 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 1,500 | James Dawsey, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [23] |
June 26–27, 2004 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 2,200 | Michael Coleman, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Newton Ewell, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Kevin Lillard, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [1] [24] |
June 25–26, 2005 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | Michael Coleman, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Trevor Devall, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, and Jan Scott-Frazier. [25] | |
June 24–25, 2006 [26] | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | ||
June 24–25, 2007 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 2,500 [27] | |
June 21–22, 2008 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Mundee Lewis, Joseph Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, Bruce Lewis, and David G. Wilson III. [28] | |
June 27–28, 2009 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | Mark Crilley, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Mundee Lewis, Joseph Onyskow, Jeremy Robinson, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, and David G. Wilson III. [29] | |
June 26–27, 2010 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,000 | Tiffany Grant, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [30] |
June 25–26, 2011 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,200 | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Kyle Hebert, Michael House, Dan Houser, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [31] |
June 23–24, 2012 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,500 | Mark Crilley, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jeremy Robinson, Salia, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, and David G. Wilson III. [32] |
June 22–23, 2013 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,800 | Yunmao Ayakawa, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Comfort Love, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, David G. Wilson III, and Adam Withers. [6] [33] |
June 21–22, 2014 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 5,500 | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Darrel Guilbeau, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Chris Rager, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, Lisle Wilkerson, and David G. Wilson III. [34] |
June 24–26, 2016 |
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel &
DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | 3,500 | 2D6, James Dawsey, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Brittney Karbowski, Comfort Love, Jake Paque, Tyson Rinehart, David G. Wilson III, and Adam Withers. [3] |
June 16–18, 2017 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Kristie Good, Kyle Hebert, Dan Houser, Andrew Love, Comfort Love, J. Michael Tatum, David Vincent, and Lex Winter. [35] | |
June 29 - July 1, 2018 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Zach Aguilar, Justin Briner, Clifford Chapin, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Todd Haberkorn, Comfort Love, Lex Winter, and Adam Withers. [36] | |
June 7-9, 2019 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Steve Blum, Luci Christian, Cherami Leigh, Comfort Love, Jamie Marchi, Lex Winter, and Adam Withers. [37] | |
June 24-26, 2022 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Tia Ballard, Jillian Coglan, Samurai Dan Coglan, Caitlin Glass, Jerry Jewell, Tyson Rinehart, and Lex Winter. [38] | |
June 9-11, 2023 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Aaron Campbell, Sean Chiplock, Kohei Hattori, Cherami Leigh, Katriel Paige, and Lex Winter. [39] |
JAFAX | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Anime, Manga, Gaming [1] [2] |
Venue | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place |
Location(s) | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 1996 |
Attendance | 3,500 in 2016 [3] |
Organized by | JAFAX [4] |
Website | http://www.jafax.org/ |
JAFAX is an annual three day anime convention held during June/July at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The convention's full name stands for Japanese Animation Film and Art Expo. JAFAX was previously a two-day event held at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan and was organized by the university's anime club (Otaku No Anime) and tabletop gaming club (AltReal). [2] [5] [6]
The convention typically offers anime screenings, an artist alley, dance, fashion shows, game shows, guest speakers, maid cafe, masquerade, music video contest, panel discussions, tabletop gaming, vendors, and video games. [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Charity events in 2016 included the 100 Tables Project and a Blood Drive. [4]
The event was started in 1995 by Rob Grimes, to spread anime in West Michigan. [2] [5] JAFAX for its first two years was held at the Kendall College of Art and Design, before moving to Grand Valley State University. [2] No convention was held in 2015 due to outgrowing the space available at Grand Valley State University, the search for a new venue, and organizational changes. [8] The event was free until moving in 2016 to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place. [4] [7] [9] [10] [11] Registration experienced issues and the convention shared its hotel with several weddings. [10] JAFAX 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [12] [13] [14] [15]
Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
---|---|---|---|
June 22-23, 1996 |
Kendall College of Art and Design Grand Rapids, Michigan | 150 [16] | |
June 21–22, 1997 | Kendall College of Art and Design Grand Rapids, Michigan | 350 [17] | |
June 27–28, 1998 |
Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 500 | Robert DeJesus [18] |
June 19, 1999 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 750 [19] | |
June 24–25, 2000 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 800 | Robert DeJesus [20] |
June 24–25, 2001 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 900 | Steve Bennett, Robert DeJesus, and Doug Smith. [21] |
June 22–23, 2002 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 1,300 | Steve Bennett, James Dawsey, Robert DeJesus, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, and Doug Smith. [22] |
June 21–22, 2003 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 1,500 | James Dawsey, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [23] |
June 26–27, 2004 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 2,200 | Michael Coleman, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Newton Ewell, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Kevin Lillard, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [1] [24] |
June 25–26, 2005 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | Michael Coleman, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Trevor Devall, Nickey Froberg, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, and Jan Scott-Frazier. [25] | |
June 24–25, 2006 [26] | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | ||
June 24–25, 2007 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 2,500 [27] | |
June 21–22, 2008 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Mundee Lewis, Joseph Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, Bruce Lewis, and David G. Wilson III. [28] | |
June 27–28, 2009 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | Mark Crilley, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Amy Howard-Wilson, Bruce Lewis, Mundee Lewis, Joseph Onyskow, Jeremy Robinson, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, and David G. Wilson III. [29] | |
June 26–27, 2010 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,000 | Tiffany Grant, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [30] |
June 25–26, 2011 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,200 | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Kyle Hebert, Michael House, Dan Houser, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, and Doug Smith. [31] |
June 23–24, 2012 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,500 | Mark Crilley, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jeremy Robinson, Salia, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, and David G. Wilson III. [32] |
June 22–23, 2013 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 3,800 | Yunmao Ayakawa, James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Comfort Love, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, David G. Wilson III, and Adam Withers. [6] [33] |
June 21–22, 2014 | Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan | 5,500 | James Dawsey, Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Darrel Guilbeau, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Joseph Onyskow, Kristene Onyskow, Chris Rager, Jan Scott-Frazier, Doug Smith, Lisle Wilkerson, and David G. Wilson III. [34] |
June 24–26, 2016 |
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel &
DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | 3,500 | 2D6, James Dawsey, Dan Houser, Amy Howard-Wilson, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Brittney Karbowski, Comfort Love, Jake Paque, Tyson Rinehart, David G. Wilson III, and Adam Withers. [3] |
June 16–18, 2017 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Emily DeJesus, Robert DeJesus, Kristie Good, Kyle Hebert, Dan Houser, Andrew Love, Comfort Love, J. Michael Tatum, David Vincent, and Lex Winter. [35] | |
June 29 - July 1, 2018 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Zach Aguilar, Justin Briner, Clifford Chapin, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Todd Haberkorn, Comfort Love, Lex Winter, and Adam Withers. [36] | |
June 7-9, 2019 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Steve Blum, Luci Christian, Cherami Leigh, Comfort Love, Jamie Marchi, Lex Winter, and Adam Withers. [37] | |
June 24-26, 2022 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Tia Ballard, Jillian Coglan, Samurai Dan Coglan, Caitlin Glass, Jerry Jewell, Tyson Rinehart, and Lex Winter. [38] | |
June 9-11, 2023 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan | Aaron Campbell, Sean Chiplock, Kohei Hattori, Cherami Leigh, Katriel Paige, and Lex Winter. [39] |