Meeting The Team Behind Nijifest: Conventions, Representation, and Community

With the summer convention season upon us, I’m very pleased to report that I kicked it off in style. In May, I attended one of the most charming conventions I’ve ever been to: NijiFest, a queer anime convention based in Southern California. The weekend jam was packed with crafting, partying, and bonding over our favourite queer media and non-canon pairings.

Although this was only the convention’s second edition, it was extremely well run. I couldn’t help but wonder how everything came together, and who better to have the answers than the administrators themselves! I had the privilege of interviewing three of the four co-founders: Maddie, Director of Events; Chase, Director of Good Comms; and Jovi, a staff member of Chaos Creators, an events marketing company. Together, they painted a picture of the origins of Nijifest, how they pulled off this year’s festivities, and what their hopes are for the future of conventions and LGBTQ+ representation in media.

ImaginAtlas: This marks the second year of Nijifest. What motivated you all to start this specific convention? Is there a reason you chose to host it in Anaheim?

Maddie: I met the other founders, Jovi and Chase specifically, through the Sk8 the Infinity fandom in 2022. There was a strong desire to seek out friendships throughout the shared love of this anime, [and] the ship Reki x Langa (Renga) specifically. We hosted Discord events, wrote fanfictions and shared them with each other, and built a really fun community. It was a lot of fun! Ultimately, we wanted to hang out in person, but we were spread out across the United States. We had the idea to create a gathering of queer and queer-media-loving people that would be worth the travel. So, NijiFest was born!

Anaheim felt like a fun location for this year, especially with so much to do in the surrounding area for our out-of-state attendees.

Chase: Well, not only is California amazing (says the east coaster), but it felt like it organically developed into our HQ with how many connections we had [to the area]. As far as how we came to host such an event — I remember hosting exchanges, interviews, and other projects (like a whole zine) with [these two] and marvelling at how well and how smoothly it went. We all had skills that complemented each other and made these crazy cool endeavours possible. The three of us used to joke around and say, but what if we did a con? [Laughs] Here we are. We did a thing. And then we did the thing again for a bigger, gayer, second year.

Jovi: I’ve hosted an event called “Sonic EXPO” with our [fourth] co-founder, Phoenix, since 2023. When Maddie was starting to take a stab at event planning, I jumped on to help. Running a convention and getting a management team ready is a lot of work. On top of it all, not going broke the first year is really why I do what I can on Chaos Creators to make events sustainable. The reason for Anaheim was proximity to the majority of the team, and event spaces that were available! Hotel contracts can sometimes take several months to book and plan.

ImaginAtlas: The convention had approximately 1,300 guests this weekend. Were you expecting so many? Were there any challenges with accommodating them?

Maddie: We were absolutely thrilled that so many guests attended! Our original goal was to hit at least 800 people, and we were blown away when we saw that we surpassed that goal. Luckily, hosting the convention in a hotel made it so we could accommodate a large number of attendees.

Jovi: With Sonic EXPO: Atlanta being a first-year con last year, I had some scaling knowledge. So I was fully prepared (and manifested) 1,000+ attendees to have a great weekend with us. 

ImaginAtlas: I noticed quite a few independent creators discussing their original works that feature LGBTQ+ characters. Was spotlighting indie projects a goal you originally set out this year? How did you decide which panels to host?

Maddie: Yes, we wanted to highlight web comics, webtoons, and other independent creators who may not have had the opportunity to table or attend a convention [previously]. It was really special learning about the creative process behind such gorgeous projects.

Panel decisions were difficult, as we got so many incredible submissions. Ultimately, it came down to what we believed our attendees would be the most interested in, plus what we had time and space for throughout the weekend.

Jovi: Absolutely. How we came together was very much focused on literature and fanfics we sent each other. I feel the queer identity is tied to reflections in literature. Giving space to Indie projects makes paving a path easier. 

ImaginAtlas: One of my weekend highlights was the late-night drag show and the subsequent panel discussing drag and cosplay. What motivated you to shed light on the specific intersection of cosplay and drag for this convention?

Maddie: I’ve been a huge fan of Haus of Drag Cosplay for a few years, and I have gotten to know Jimmy Sherf personally. They put on such an incredible show every time, and we knew our audience would go crazy over them. Cosplay is a huge part of our community, and it was really wonderful to offer a look into how people can incorporate drag into their hobby. 

Jovi: Drag in the queer community is a way of expression, but also self-confidence. I think having key examples of people feeling bold and happy with how they look reflects on the audience.

ImaginAtlas: You also had quite a star-studded voice cast as guests this year, including Jesse James Grelle and Brian Beacock. Were you excited to learn they would be attending? Do you have any dream guests for future iterations of Nijifest?

Maddie: Of course, we were excited! Part of putting together a convention is inviting these guests and hoping they’re available, especially since we are a fresh event. It was an honour having them attend. We were also very grateful that Brian MC’d the cosplay contest. That was a lot of fun!

It’s always tough to pinpoint dream guests! We would love to know who our community would like to see at future NijiFest events.

Chase: You should have seen the DMs I sent Maddie once we confirmed our lineup. So many happy, eccentric, shouty capitals.

ImaginAtlas: What do you think is missing when it comes to current LGBTQ+ media representation? What would you like to see more of?

Maddie: I’d like to see more openly queer and trans characters fitting comfortably in the story. Yes, seeing [real world] struggles portrayed in stories is always relatable, but it is so nice when creators have their LGBTQ+ characters just exist in an amazing world that accepts them completely.

Chase: I couldn’t agree more. The more we casually include this community in the media, the more we stop making a point of pointing out these characters and just let them be a part of the creation. That would help normalize and garner acceptance, which would be a beautiful thing.

Jovi: I think once the world is comfortable [with] not [having] labels on media, it’s romance. It’s a human experience. My hope is that we’re setting a stage for more literature and media to be discussed and introduced. I look towards my other co-founders to make a world where we don’t need this to be a queer con. It’ll be a con you know to go to because you’ll be able to be your full self. Then we can have more fun themes for the event, like a murder mystery [laughs].

ImaginAtlas: With a proliferation of projects featuring LGBTQ+ characters, has there been anything you’ve read, watched, or played recently that got you excited?

Maddie: I am such a huge fan of Cinderella Boy by Punko on Webtoon! It’s a comedy BL with an enemies-to-lovers trope that is done incredibly well!

Chase: Oh. Oh. I am so sat for the next Red, White & Royal Blue movie. There is so much silliness, sweetness, and raw emotion about feelings.

Jovi: I think my summer couple is from [the] Go for it, Nakamura! [anime]. I love the goofiness and the city pop music so much. 

ImaginAtlas: If people take only one message away from Nijifest, what would you want it to be?

Maddie: You, wholly and wonderfully you, are safe and welcome here!

Chase: The world can be a frightening place, but this con — run by the queer community for the queer and queer-loving community — will always give you a place to feel loved. It’s a place we hope you can always call home.   

Jovi: Get out of the comments sections and meet lifetime friends. That’s what I did. No longer are we bound to the media we once started with. Now we’re excited to meet up, dress up, and enjoy life!