The Midwest's largest anime, manga, and Japanese culture convention is set on returning to the outskirts of Chicago in Spring 2024, and the highly demanded hotel blocks have already been opened prior to ACen's 2024 foray. For those who are planning on attending, whether this be a yearly outing or a first-time experience, Anime Central 2024 has announced that attendee registration for their upcoming convention is now open to the public. Registration remains open online until the convention, and there are on-site purchase options, but the Anime Central team does mark down the registration cost in advance.
All ACen 2024 attendees must have some membership in order to participate in the convention. These memberships are conventiongoers' tickets to the event and grant access to the show floor, Artist's Alley, exhibitor hall, ACen-exclusive programming, and other events. All who express an interest in visiting Anime Central submit a registration; those who have attended ACen in previous years past can view and update their past registration to ensure that all information is up to date.
The Full Weekend Membership will be sold at its lowest price - $65.00 USD - prior to November 1, 2023. From November 1st to January 1st, there will be a slight increase in cost, raising this price to $70.00 USD. From early January to early April 2024, ACen Full Weekend Memberships will slightly see their price jump up to $75.00 USD. If there's an interest in purchasing a Full Weekend Membership anytime after April 2, 2024, they will cost $85.00 USD each. Single Day Passes for Anime Central 2024 are also available; Friday Only and Saturday Only will cost $55.00 USD each, and a Sunday Only Pass will run at $45.00 USD. Anime Central accepts both credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) as a valid form of online payment. If there's an interest in buying any ACen membership at the convention itself, the organization will accept cash, card, or money orders. All memberships can be purchased online here.
All membership purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable. Groups of 20 people or more are eligible for a $5.00 USD discount per person upon purchase with the exception that group tickets are paid in full online only. Those who identify as a Professional (librarian, teacher or school club sponsor, convention runner, industry professional) are eligible to purchase a membership for $45.00 USD. This reduced price also applies to those who work as Public Service Members (law enforcement, fire, EMT, etc.), and specialized rates require proof of valid employment identification.
Anime Central will take place from May 17 to May 19, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. ACen attendees can look forward to more guests, exhibitors, vendors, artists programming, panels, dances, gaming, and other signature convention attractions when anticipating what the 2024 event has to offer. All future announcements regarding ACen 2024 can be found on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.