Nadeshicon
| Nadeshicon | |
|---|---|
| Status | On-going |
| Venue | Université Laval (2011-2018) Centre des congrès de Québec (2019-2023) |
| Locations | Quebec City, Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Inaugurated | 2011 |
| Most recent | 2025 |
| Next event | 2026 |
| Attendance | 3000+ in 2025 |
| Organized by | Club Animé Québec (CAQ) [1] |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Website | http://www.nadeshicon.ca/ |
Nadeshicon is a Japanese culture / anime convention held in April in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at the Centre des congrès de Québec convention center since 2019, and initially at Université Laval[2] (Laval University) in the Alphonse-Desjardins and Maurice-Pollack buildings from 2011 to 2018. The convention is run and organized by Club Animé Québec (CAQ), an extracurricular student association and nonprofit organization. It is recognized as one of the main Japanese cultural events in the city. Like most other anime conventions, Nadeshicon's events, attractions and activities include a Dealer's Room and an Artists Alley, anime screenings, panels and workshops, AMV contests, game shows, cosplay events (Masquerade, Fashion Show, etc.), and video games stations (Gaming Room). A part of the convention is also dedicated to cultural Japanese activities.
On August 18, 2023, the Administrative Council of Club Animé Québec has decided to cancel Nadeshicon's 2024 edition, citing severe understaffing for the convention's executive committee.[3]
In March 2025, Nadeshicon made a strong and memorable return to the Quebec City Convention Centre for its **11th edition**, bringing fans together under the inspiring theme **Legendary Duos**. This edition celebrated iconic partnerships from anime, manga, games, and pop culture, highlighting the bonds, rivalries, and friendships that have left a lasting mark on our imaginations. With passionate attendees, creative cosplay, engaging panels, and unforgettable moments, the 2025 edition once again showcased the strength and heart of the Nadeshicon community.
Looking ahead, April 2026 will mark an exciting new chapter as Nadeshicon returns to the Quebec City Convention Centre for its **12th edition**, this time under the theme Music of Japan. This upcoming edition will put the spotlight on the powerful role music plays in Japanese culture, from anime soundtracks and video game compositions to J-pop, J-rock, traditional music, and beyond. Attendees can expect a vibrant celebration of sound, emotion, and creativity, all coming together to create an unforgettable convention experience.
In March 2025, Nadeshicon made a strong and memorable return to the Quebec City Convention Centre for its 11th edition, bringing fans together under the inspiring theme Legendary Duos. This edition celebrated iconic partnerships from anime, manga, games, and pop culture, highlighting the bonds, rivalries, and friendships that have left a lasting mark on our imaginations. With passionate attendees, creative cosplay, engaging panels, and unforgettable moments, the 2025 edition once again showcased the strength and heart of the Nadeshicon community.
Looking ahead, April 2026 will mark an exciting new chapter as Nadeshicon returns to the Quebec City Convention Centre for its 12th edition, this time under the theme Music of Japan. This upcoming edition will put the spotlight on the powerful role music plays in Japanese culture, from anime soundtracks and video game compositions to J-pop, J-rock, traditional music, and beyond. Attendees can expect a vibrant celebration of sound, emotion, and creativity, all coming together to create an unforgettable convention experience.
Programming
Like most other anime conventions, Nadeshicon's events, attractions and activities include a Dealer's Room and an Artists Alley, anime screenings, panels and workshops, AMV contests, game shows, cosplay events (Masquerade, Fashion Show, etc.), and video games stations (Gaming Room). A part of the convention is also dedicated to Japanese cultural activities.
- Art: a Dealer's Room and an Artists Alley
- Cosplay events: Masquerade, Fashion Show, etc.
- Gaming: Video games stations (Gaming Room)
- Merchandise:
- Music:
- Panels and workshops:
- Saturday Night Dance:
- Video screenings: Anime music video|AMV
- Other attractions:
History
Nadeshicon had its beginnings with a single day celebrating Japanese culture in April 2009, which included a sushi dinner, a Japanese teacher sharing her experiences while living in Japan, and Calligraphy demonstrations. This event was held at the CAQ (Club Animé Québec) located at Université Laval and was followed the following year by the first Nadeshicon festival. In 2011, soon after CAQ became a non-profit organization, the festival was given its official name, Festival Nadeshicon, which mixes Popular Japanese Culture (ex: anime, masquerade) and Traditional Japanese culture (dance, martial arts, religion, cuisine, calligraphy, etc.).
In 2019, following continued growth in size, Nadeshicon moved to the larger Centre des congrès de Québec convention center near downtown, where it would share the venue with the city's comic book convention, the Quebec Comiccon.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Attendance | Guests
Convention history |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 9–10, 2011 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | 660 | Richard Fournier.[4] |
| March 24–26, 2012 | Convention Centre Quebec City, Quebec | 3000+ | Richard Fournier, Maxime Chouinard, Fireflies, Léa Gabriele, Patricia Legrand, Hoshi*Furu, Pierre Nadeau, Ryoko Nakajima, Ryunosuke Yamazumi [5][6] |
| April 26–28, 2013 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | 1,000+ | Mel Gosselin, Tiffany Grant, Matt Greenfield, Komachi Montreal, Ryunosuke Yamazumi [7][8] |
| April 4–6, 2014 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | 1400 | MOON Kana, Orchestre de jeux vidéo, Christopher Macdonald, Geneviève “CelticSakura” La Haye, Marie-Claude Bourbonnais [9][10] |
| April 17–19, 2015 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | 1,832 | Mika Kobayashi, MeltingMirror, WildRose, Puissance Maximale, Luduc, Komachi Montreal [11][12] |
| April 1–3, 2016 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | Etienne Desilets-Trempe, Droo, Komachi Montreal, L'orchestre de Jeux Vidéo, Luduc, Miss Messy Mia, David Stephenson, Nienna Surion, Niq van der Aa, Ryunosuke Yamazumi [13] | |
| March 31–April 2, 2017 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, Etienne Desilets-Trempe, Droo, Mel Gosselin, Komachi Montreal, Luduc, Nienna Surion, Ryunosuke Yamazumi [14] | |
| April 6–8, 2018 | Laval University Quebec City, Quebec | Arashi Daiko, Jean-François Bibeau, Marie-Claude Bourbonnais, Club de Shinkendo de Québec, Etienne Desilets-Trempe, Droo, Komachi Montreal, Luduc, Phil Mizuno, Benyamin Nuss, Arnie Roth, Ryunosuke Yamazumi [15] | |
| March 29–31, 2019 | Centre des congrès de Québec Quebec City, Quebec | Jean-François Bibeau, Club de Shinkendo de Québec, Droo, Aya Hirano, Komachi Montreal, Luduc, Twin Cosplay [16] | |
| March 24–26, 2023 | Quebec City Convention Centre Quebec City, Quebec | 3000+ | Nana Kitade, Mae-Gwyn Cosplay, Anniechie Designs, Orchestre portable de jeux vidéo |
| 2024 (cancelled) | n/a Quebec City, Quebec | – | – |
| March 28–30, 2025 | Quebec City Convention Centre Quebec City, Quebec | 3000+ | Laura Faye Smith, Dragonmoth, Ciné-Nacho, Komachi |
| April 10–12, 2026 | Quebec City Convention Centre Quebec City, Quebec | MADKID [17] |
References
- ^ "Club Animé Québec homepage".
An extracurricular student association and nonprofit organization.
- ^ "Université Laval homepage". Archived from the original on 2013-07-23.
Quebec City's largest university.
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Nadeshicon 2011 Information". AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ [[1](https://animecons.ca/events/info/2899/nadeshicon-2012) "Nadeshicon 2012 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[2](http://www.nadeshicon.ca/archives/a2012/invites/) "Nadeshicon 2012 Guests"].
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[3](https://animecons.ca/events/info/3765/nadeshicon-2013) "Nadeshicon 2013 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[4](http://www.nadeshicon.ca/archives/a2013/invites/) "Nadeshicon 2013 Guests"].
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[5](https://animecons.ca/events/info/4198/nadeshicon-2014) "Nadeshicon 2014 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[6](http://www.nadeshicon.ca/en/archives/y2014/guests-2014/) "Nadeshicon 2014 Guests"].
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[7](https://animecons.ca/events/info/5507/nadeshicon-2015) "Nadeshicon 2015 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[8](http://www.nadeshicon.ca/en/guests/) "Nadeshicon 2015 Guests"].
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[9](https://animecons.ca/events/info/6167/nadeshicon-2016) "Nadeshicon 2016 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[10](https://animecons.ca/events/info/7991/nadeshicon-2017) "Nadeshicon 2017 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[11](https://animecons.ca/events/info/9883/nadeshicon-2018) "Nadeshicon 2018 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ [[12](https://animecons.ca/events/info/12162/nadeshicon-2019) "Nadeshicon 2019 Information"]. AnimeCons.ca. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Nadeshicon Announces MADKID Performance – Concert Information". Nadeshicon Official Website. January 17, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
External links
- "Accueil – Festival Nadeshicon". www.nadeshicon.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- Nadeshicon on Facebook (fr)
- Nadeshicon on Twitter (fr)
- "Club Animé Québec – Le club de culture japonaise de l'Université Laval". www.clubanimequebec.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-09.