Ramencon 2026 took place from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the Century Center in South Bend, Indiana. This event was “built by fans, for fans,” in 2011 as an affordable local event. It has now become an annual staple for many anime, gaming, and pop-culture fans across Northern Indiana and surrounding areas. This years event went with a Mecha & Space theme, “Out of This World”, which was reflected on the official artwork of the event and influenced some of the cosplay.
A few fan favorite events returned such as the Noodle Idol Fest which is a showcase event featuring regional J-pop and anime-inspired idol performance groups. Another popular event is the Top Chef: Ramencon, a cooking contest where attendees face off to create meals using Popin’ Cookin’ kits( Japanese DIY mini food).
For the gamers there was a large board game library for open play or you could join in on a scheduled session. There was also free-play stations with modern and retro consoles. In between events you could peruse Artist Alley and the vendor tables.
The floor featured continuous hallway photo sessions for the wonderful cosplay that was on site and thanks to Zachary Laisure Hagedorn we can have have a brief look into some of them.
To see what cosplay conventions are coming up
be sure to check out our Cosplay Convention List!
