Animate! Raleigh Returns Downtown After Convention Center Fire Repairs

Thousands of cosplayers, anime fans, and animation enthusiasts descended on 500 S Salisbury St this weekend as Animate! Raleigh opened its doors Friday evening for the first time since a December fire at the Raleigh Convention Center disrupted prior planning and forced repairs at the downtown venue.

The three-day convention, produced by GalaxyCon under the official banner "GalaxyCon Presents ANIMATE! RALEIGH," was expected to draw roughly 10,000 people per day through Sunday. Doors opened Friday at 4 PM, with the exhibit hall running through 9 PM that night. Saturday brought the convention's longest stretch, running 10 AM all the way to 1 AM, with the exhibit hall open until 8 PM. Sunday's schedule runs 10 AM to 7 PM, with the exhibit hall closing at 5 PM.

Programming spans voice actors, featured creators, pro wrestlers, cosplay guests, tattoo artists, cosplay competitions, cosplay wrestling, tabletop and video gaming, and an After Dark track for evening programming. GalaxyCon's event page bills the gathering as "an ANIMATION CELEBRATION" featuring "3 days of anime, animation, cosplay, and more."

The return to downtown carries added significance given what lies ahead for the convention center itself. WRAL reported that this marks the last year attendees will see the venue in its current form, with Raleigh moving forward on a $387 million expansion that will add 300,000 square feet to the facility, rebranding it as the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. Architectural renderings of the project have already been unveiled.

GalaxyCon has been anchored in Raleigh since 2017, and organizers have committed to staying. WRAL reported that organizers announced GalaxyCon and Animate! will remain in Raleigh through 2031, keeping the convention a fixture at the convention center well into the expanded facility's lifespan.

Tickets remain on sale at the GalaxyCon site. Attendees can reach the event team at animate@galaxycon.com or by phone at (954) 231-0574. A full schedule, floor plan, parking information, accessibility resources, and hotel booking through the Animate! portal are available through the event's official pages.