The third anime convention of the year was filled with an unexpected twist—one that raised my expectations even higher in an area I’m already very familiar with!

By the time I publish this article, there’s one thing I can definitely tell you: I’m already very familiar with the city of Ocala as a whole. It all started way back with Ocala Comic Con in 2023. Since then, I’ve attended at least four events there in total—and five if we’re counting repeat yearly ones. So what is this anime convention I’m talking about? Well, it’s Ocala Anime-Fest, another anime con from OurCons—the same awesome group behind Sarasota Anime-Fest, which I attended (the second one) on December 6, 2025. Held at the Hilton Hotel in Ocala, this was my second time visiting that hotel, with the previous visit being for OGPokeCards (OG Con) on August 30 of last year. Not only that, but I was also pleased to cosplay as Kaito from Vocaloid—my first brand-new cosplay since Len Kagamine’s for Sarasota Anime-Fest. So far, he’s been the best and my favorite to cosplay! I can’t wait for more cosplay in the future!

Ocala Anime-Fest 2026 came out of nowhere! Just as I was about to finalize my entire calendar for my 2026 anime convention plans in 2025, it suddenly popped up, bringing me a ton of great excitement. Hilariously, though, right after I moved my base from Ocala to Tampa, Ocala starts lighting up my otaku radar again—after a few years of barely anything happening there except Ocala Comic Con and Brick City Anime Festival (both of which I’ve already attended). Nonetheless, I was utterly pleased to learn that the Horse Capital of the World now has another anime con to check out.

Another interesting part is that this year marked the first inauguration of Ocala Anime-Fest. This anime con in Ocala is completely brand new and still so young. So just knowing that I was able to attend its very first year gives me yet another cherished memory and another personal achievement that I’m really happy to have experienced. So, how did this newcomer do? What great magic did this anime con have in store for me?