Here is my review of my time at JAFAX 2026.
Convention Type
Anime
When and Where
June 5th-7th at DeVos Place
Things to Do/See
Attend panels, photos/autographs, vendor hall, artist alley, gaming area that included console, arcade, indie developer games, board games, and table top, fandom meetups, cosplay contest, sumo wrestling, weapon lessons at the swordsmanship dojo, swordsmanship museum, manga library, video game tournaments, Pokémon challenges throughout the event, Doorbusters game show
Guests
Voice Actors: Alex Organ, Casey Mongillo, Jason Douglas, Jeremy Inman
Musical Guests: Toxinesis, ChiRi Girls, LOWKE, STRATZ
Cosplay Guests: Pink Opal Cosplay, Cerkl Creations, LeviathanBlaze
Pros
Held in one central location at DeVos Place
Program booklet was very informative with who, what, where of all the events, panels, and guests.
Since it was the 30th anniversary of JAFAX, there was an exhibit of memorabilia from the past events. It was cool to see the history behind the event and how it evolved over the years.
Over 100 artists/crafters and over 40 vendors in the Vendor Hall and Artist Alley room. The layout of the Vendor Hall and Artist Alley was more of a compacted version (space-wise) compared to previous years. Aisles seemed evenly spaced out and did not seem cramped during high traffic times.
Also, I appreciated that JAFAX included a very soft lanyard that was comfortable to wear all weekend. Little touches like that make a big difference in the long run.
The gaming setup was impressive, with free-to-play gaming for everything. Console gaming featured retro gaming to current gaming with multiple choices of games to choose from at most of the gaming stations. There were more indie developers to show off their game demos compared to last year.
Multiple demonstrations of combat exhibitions from the Grand Rapids Sumo Club and the Swordsmanship Academy throughout the weekend.
Doorbusters closing game show where contestants won prizes that included JAFAX 2027 badges with a hotel stay, and various donated items from the vendor hall. One attendee won a Switch 2. This year, JAFAX introduced a raffle to give attendees a chance to win more prizes. Very cool.
I must note that I appreciate the comedy and charisma from the dueling hosts Wes and Chris during the game show. They are very entertaining, each year. Plus, the artwork for the “doors” is very cool and unique.
Cool Cosplay – Check out the GALLERY.
Cons
The placement of the voice actor guests booths was close to an entrance into the covention hall. This could lead to a congested area for attendees attempting to enter into the convention hall. I hope that JAFAX will move the location of the voice actor booths further into the convention hall and away from the main entrance, next year.
Do I recommend attending the event?
Yes. I’ve never had a bad time attending JAFAX and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There is plenty to see and experience at JAFAX.