While most of the country was taking a break poolside for the long Fourth of July holiday weekend, cosplayers from far and wide gathered in Downtown Los Angeles to put in the work. And it showed.
Once again, Anime Expo, the largest convention in North America celebrating anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture, took over Downtown LA from July 2-5. Headquartered at the Los Angeles Convention Center, this year’s festivities expanded into neighboring Crypto.com Arena and multiple venues throughout the L.A. Live campus, transforming the heart of the city into a destination where fandom took center stage. Organizers estimated that more than 100,000 attendees passed through the convention each day during the four-day event, making it one of the biggest celebrations of Japanese pop culture anywhere outside Japan.
A Celebration Built By Fans
Anime Expo has come a long way since its beginnings in 1991. Originally launched as “Anime Con” by members of UC Berkeley’s Cal Animage Alpha anime club, the event has grown from a grassroots gathering into North America’s premier anime convention. Despite its rapid expansion, the mission has remained remarkably consistent: bringing together fans for an unforgettable celebration of Japanese animation, storytelling, music, gaming, fashion, and culture.
Today, Anime Expo welcomes creators, studios, artists, voice actors, musicians, publishers, and fans from around the world, creating a space where longtime enthusiasts and first-time attendees can share their passion under one roof.
The annual convention is organized by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring audiences through Japanese animation and culture. Beyond Anime Expo itself, SPJA also produces anime expo chibi, a smaller convention designed for fans of every experience level, and Project Anime, a professional conference that connects convention organizers, vendors, and members of the anime industry.
Cosplay Took Center Stage
Of course, one of the strongest presences throughout the convention was the cosplay community. Fans traveled from across the globe to debut handcrafted costumes inspired by beloved characters from anime, manga, video games, comics, television, and film. The result was a convention floor packed with imagination, craftsmanship, and performances that blurred the line between costume and character.
For those unfamiliar, cosplay blends fandom with fashion, makeup, props, and performance into an art form where participants bring their favorite characters to life. Like drag, it’s rooted in transformation and self-expression, making it an especially welcoming creative outlet for many LGBTQ+ fans. With no shortage of colorful and larger-than-life anime icons to draw inspiration from, it’s no surprise Anime Expo has become one of the year’s biggest showcases for cosplay talent.
Whether attendees spent months sewing every stitch by hand or carefully assembling armor, wigs, and accessories, every look reflected countless hours of dedication. Some paid tribute to classic anime favorites, while others showcased characters from the latest hit series and blockbuster games. Everywhere you turned, another incredible costume was waiting around the corner.
Creativity Without Limits
One of the most exciting parts of Anime Expo is seeing how fans reinterpret familiar characters through their own artistic lens. Gender-swapped designs, original takes on iconic heroes, elaborate group costumes, and mashups filled the convention halls, proving there’s no single way to celebrate the characters people love.
That sense of creative freedom continues to make cosplay one of the convention’s biggest draws. It’s more than dressing up, it’s storytelling, craftsmanship, community, and performance all rolled into one unforgettable experience.
Throughout the weekend, photographer Carlos Ermac captured the magic of Anime Expo 2026, photographing fans who pushed the boundaries of gender, fashion, beauty, and fandom to create unforgettable looks that deserve to be celebrated.
Scroll through to see some of the incredible cosplay we spotted at Anime Expo 2026.
For more information about Anime Expo, upcoming events, and future programming, visit the convention’s official website and follow @animeexpo on Instagram. You can also learn more about the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation and its year-round initiatives through SPJA.
