ABSTRACT
The first fan convention that the author ever visited was Animecon in 2005, a festival devoted to 'manga' and 'anime'. From the entire country, fans had come to a hotel in the Dutch town Almelo to celebrate their joy for fiction. Two other types of space are similar to fan conventions in how they mediate existing narratives: locations visited during what has become known as 'media tourism' and the locations of theme parks. Fan conventions have been an important stage for fan practices inspired by existing texts the last decennia. Fans meet up at these venues to socialize, discuss fictional content in panels, attend video screenings, play games or buy merchandise. The affective space of the convention is a social construct that is defined by the visitors and staff and the location itself. For many fans, meeting up with friends and making new ones is one of the main reasons to go to a fan convention.
