Attention SoCal residents and readers, ANIME Impulse is returning to Orange County for Labor Day Weekend, August 31 to September 1, at the Anaheim Convention Center from 11 AM to 7 PM PST. Known as North America’s fastest-growing anime and pop culture convention and ranked as a top 5 must-attend event by local attendees, industry veterans, and fans, ANIME Impulse is a celebration of all things anime, manga, video games, and fandom. It is considered a place for like-minded people to meet and inspire creativity within the pop culture community, with a Vendor Hall and Artist Alley for all attendees to enjoy. You can read about my previous experience with ANIME Impulse from 2023 here! Read it and tell me in the comments if I should repeat anything this year!
Weekend tickets, for Saturday AND Sunday, are still available for purchase at the cost of 40 USD! Please note, that if you purchase an ANIME Impulse OC ticket, you will also have FREE access to K-PLAY FEST! OC, Sneaker Expo OC, and Collectors Expo OC! According to the IMPULSE UNIVERSE website, K-PLAY! FEST is the first K-POP Festival for all fans of K-pop and K-culture to enjoy. There, fans can explore trading areas, meet K-pop creators, enjoy random dance sessions, and be their own number-one fans! The Sneaker Expo is the marketplace for all things streetwear, vintage, and collectibles, which originally started as a place to celebrate one’s passion for shoes. There, fans can buy, sell, and trade exclusive streetwear merchandise. Meanwhile, the Collectors Expo brings together trading card enthusiasts by providing a safe space and dynamic platform for collectors to come together, trade, and share their passions for collecting. For the price of 40 USD, you can attend all four of these events this weekend!
As a weekend celebration incorporating numerous points of pop culture, ANIME Impulse makes its appearance in four cities throughout the year. Last year, in 2023, ANIME Impulse took place in Los Angeles County in early January, San Diego in March, the Bay Area in July, and ended its convention tour in Orange County, California. This year, ANIME Impulse started its 2024 convention tour in Los Angeles County, to Seattle, Washington in May, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in early August. Now, they are scheduled to return to Orange County, California for the third portion of their convention tour and are set to conclude their tour in the Bay Area in mid-October! That’s a total of five individual events! What a tour!
Are you a convention lover and are already planning for 2025? Fear not, as of now, the AI staff have already announced their 2025 dates and locations! In 2025, ANIME Impulse will take place in Los Angeles County on February 15-16, the Bay Area on July 26-27, and return to Orange County on August 30-31!
Will we see you at ANIME Impulse this weekend? Leave a comment below and tell us what you’re most excited about! Will you plan to attend the ANIME Impulse set for the Bay Area? Tell us in the comments, and share with us what you’re most excited about!
ANIME Impulse often partners with Asia-Pacific cultural festivals such as K-Play!, Sneaker Expo, and food markets—meaning visitors get more than a convention
With exciting guests, vibrant cosplay, huge gaming zones, and incredible shopping, this event is shaping up to be the ultimate celebration of anime culture in SoCal.