Taiyou Con, One of Arizona’s Oldest Anime Conventions, Reaches Record Attendance
Taiyou Con has come a long way from its beginnings inside a Mesa hotel. What started as a small gathering of anime fans with just 13 vendors has grown into one of Arizona’s oldest anime conventions, filling the Mesa Convention Center with anime, cosplay, voice actors, gaming, artists, vendors, music, food, and entertainment.
That growth reached another milestone in 2026 when Taiyou Con recorded its largest attendance to date. It was the second time in just a few years that the convention set a new attendance record, following a previous record in 2022. For an event that once fit inside a handful of hotel rooms, the continued growth reflects both the evolution of Taiyou Con and the anime community that has grown around it.
Taiyou Con’s Early Years in Mesa
Before moving to the Mesa Convention Center, Taiyou Con was held at the Hilton Hotel in Mesa near the US 60. The convention was considerably smaller in those days, with much of the event fitting into spaces that would be difficult to imagine accommodating Taiyou Con today.
The vendor area consisted of just 13 vendors inside a small hotel ballroom. Artist Alley tables were set up throughout the hotel lobby, while a few meeting rooms were converted into spaces for panels and other convention programming. Even the cafe was incorporated into the hotel itself, taking over the hotel restaurant for the event.
It was a much simpler version of Taiyou Con, but many of the pieces that define the convention today were already present. Attendees could shop, discover artists, attend panels, participate in activities, and spend a weekend surrounded by other anime fans. As the convention attracted more attendees, however, it became clear that Taiyou Con needed more room to grow.
Moving to the Mesa Convention Center in 2015
In 2015, Taiyou Con moved to the Mesa Convention Center in Downtown Mesa. The move represented one of the biggest changes in the convention’s history and gave the event room to expand well beyond what had been possible inside a hotel.
With dedicated convention facilities, Taiyou Con could grow its vendor and Artist Alley areas, offer more programming, welcome more attendees, and make better use of different spaces for different parts of the event. Instead of adapting hotel ballrooms, restaurants, meeting rooms, and lobby space to function as a convention, Taiyou Con now had a venue designed to accommodate large events.
The move also established a long-term connection between Taiyou Con and Downtown Mesa. Over the years, the Mesa Convention Center has become part of the convention’s identity, with the event continuing to find new ways to use the venue and its surrounding spaces.
The Taiyou Con Japanese Festival Begins in 2019
One of the biggest expansions came in 2019 with the introduction of the Taiyou Con Japanese Festival in the courtyard of the Mesa Convention Center. The festival expanded the experience beyond the traditional indoor convention environment and gave attendees another area to explore throughout the weekend.
The festival has since become part of the larger Taiyou Con experience, including food and drinks available for attendees to purchase. It provides a different atmosphere from the vendor halls, panels, gaming areas, and other indoor activities while still being connected to the convention.
Adding the Japanese Festival also demonstrated how Taiyou Con had evolved since its hotel years. The event was no longer simply trying to fit more programming into additional rooms. Taiyou Con was developing different experiences within the convention, giving attendees more ways to spend their weekend.
Record Attendance in 2022 and Again in 2026
Taiyou Con reached a major milestone in 2022 when the convention recorded its highest attendance at the time. After years of expanding at the Mesa Convention Center, the new record demonstrated how far the event had grown from the days of 13 vendors in a hotel ballroom.
Just four years later, Taiyou Con did it again. The 2026 convention reached a new record attendance, surpassing the previous high set in 2022 and establishing another milestone in Taiyou Con’s history.
The modern convention is significantly different from its earliest years. Attendees now have an entire weekend filled with voice actors, cosplay, panels, gaming, vendors, Artist Alley, entertainment, food, music, and other activities. While the size of the convention has changed, Taiyou Con has continued to focus on creating a fun anime convention experience in Arizona.
Growth has also allowed Taiyou Con to experiment with new ideas. Some become annual traditions, while others continue to evolve as the convention looks for new ways to make the weekend more enjoyable.
Bringing Music Throughout Taiyou Con
The record-setting 2026 event also marked the beginning of the Taiyou Con Resident DJ program. Rather than limiting music to an individual performance or special event, Resident DJs provide background music throughout the convention and help create the atmosphere attendees experience while exploring Taiyou Con.
The program is designed around DJs who can become familiar parts of the event by returning year after year. As attendees move around the convention, shop, meet friends, or simply spend time between activities, the Resident DJs provide a continuing soundtrack to the weekend.
At the same time, Taiyou Con began another DJ initiative that connects the convention directly with local students and the Mesa community.
Taiyou Con Joins the Mesa Community College DJ Curriculum
In 2026, Taiyou Con officially became part of the Mesa Community College DJ program and curriculum. The convention provides MCC DJ students with an opportunity to take the skills they have developed during the semester and apply them in front of a live audience as part of their performance test.
The relationship also creates a rotating element within Taiyou Con’s music programming. While attendees may see the convention’s Resident DJs return year after year, the Mesa Community College lineup changes as new students move through the program. Each year can therefore introduce attendees to different local talent while bringing something fresh to the background music heard throughout the convention.
For Taiyou Con, the program is also a natural extension of its long relationship with Mesa. The convention has spent years growing in the city, and working directly with Mesa Community College gives local students a real event environment in which to demonstrate what they have learned.
From 13 Vendors to One of Arizona’s Long-Running Anime Conventions
Taiyou Con’s growth is perhaps easiest to understand by looking back at where it started. Thirteen vendors once filled the entire vendor area. Artist Alley occupied the lobby of a hotel. Panels took place in a few meeting rooms, and the convention cafe operated out of the hotel’s restaurant.
The move to the Mesa Convention Center in 2015 created room for something much larger. The Japanese Festival followed in 2019, Taiyou Con reached record attendance in 2022, and another attendance record arrived in 2026 alongside new programs such as the Resident DJs and the convention’s involvement with the Mesa Community College DJ curriculum.
Those milestones tell the story of a convention that has continued to change without losing sight of why it exists. Taiyou Con remains a place for people to spend a weekend enjoying anime, cosplay, gaming, music, food, artists, guests, and the community surrounding them.
What’s Next for Taiyou Con?
Setting another attendance record doesn’t mean Taiyou Con is finished evolving. Each year creates opportunities to improve existing parts of the convention, introduce new experiences, and give both first-time and returning attendees more to discover.
The scale may be different today, but the basic idea that brought people together during Taiyou Con’s hotel years remains at the center of the event. What once occupied a small ballroom and a few hotel rooms has grown into a much larger anime convention experience in Downtown Mesa.
For one of Arizona’s oldest anime conventions, reaching record attendance in 2026 is another chapter in a story that has already spanned years of change and growth—and there is still plenty more ahead.