If you’ve been following me for any length of time then it shouldn’t come as a shock to you that I love Christmas. And with that knowledge it should be clear that Holiday Matsuri ranks among my favorite conventions.
This was my second HolMat, the first being in 2019 just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic started. And now following the pandemic (still technically in the pandemic and numbers rising after the holiday season) things were different as they now are with every con.
Read on to find out my personal thoughts.
Pro: Weather
Whose genius idea was it to hold a convention in December in Orlando, FL? Because coming from cold Charlotte, NC, the warmer Orlando is so nice. It truly feels like a vacation and it gives a fantastic opportunity to wear some warmer weather cosplays in the middle of the cold season. It was sunny and in the 70s the entire weekend and so it wasn’t so hot that it was uncomfortable, but warm enough that you didn’t feel the need to sew a cape to match your cosplay.
I took the opportunity to wear a swimsuit I've in my closet for a while for Ochaco Uraraka (see the post linked), shoutout to @paoimages for taking the time to take some stunning pictures of me!
I also did an entire MHA Bakusquad genderbend swimsuit group, that was super fun and getting to splash around a bit in the morning with friends was ga fantastic experience.
Con: Food
As always, the food offered by the venue on-site was extremely overpriced. I didn’t buy anything from any of the stores or restaurants. The food also isn’t anything special and so the price you’re paying for is really just it being already there.
On Saturday AM a friend did have an extra free breakfast at the hotel breakfast restaurant (limited to the cold food) and they brought me with them. It was all delicious, but without my friend I’d have paid way too much for the buffet, especially considering I couldn’t eat any of the hot food excepting toast.
Another downside to food is that the Popeyes down the road completely ran out of chicken. I know that isn’t the cons fault, but according to the attendees in the Facebook group this is a consistent issue for this particular location which sucks. Ah well, I suppose I won’t get Popeyes in future years.
Pro: Venue
HolMat has one of the better venues for cons in my opinion. This is because the venue provides so much to attendees. Not just the convention center, but the fact that it takes place at a resort too. This allows for it to have the hotel con feel but also provide stunning photo locations such as the pool, rocks, foliage, hycube, and more. As a photographer I only shot during daylight hours this year, but in following years I’d like to try to work with the hycube for a shoot. It’s a unique location that offers such a different experience compared to the rest of the venue.
Con: COVID-19 Protocols
I’m going to start this out by saying that I know that, in the state of Florida, they cannot require vaccines or negative tests for attendees, at least from what I've been told. And I went to this con fully aware. Due to this I spent hardly any time on the con floor itself and instead nearly all of my time outside or with a friend in their room.
However after the con it was shared that voice actress guest Lucie Pohl felt sick prior to the con and still attended. She was only on the con floor on Friday and she tested negative for COVID-19 until Saturday, but it’s disappointing considering that, to my understanding, she had symptoms the days prior. It would have been nice if Holiday Matsuri would have, after learning that Pohl was feeling unwell, canceled her appearance. Even if it hadn’t turned out to be COVID and just a con crud, after two years of masking, rigorous hand washing, and a lack of exposure to viruses, immune systems are more susceptible than in prior years.
To sum it up, quite frankly I’d have appreciated more COVID protocols, though with the current protocol restrictions I’m not sure what HolMat could have done.
Good news for me as a side, but I did test negative for COVID-19 after the con.
Pro: Food Truck Location
In 2019 the food trucks were way out behind the pool, this year they were just outside the convention center by the front. This was a vast improvement to the previous year’s location as it prevented the herds from making their way out to the pool and through the photographers trying to work. Plus less people got lost and more people were aware of the food trucks, so I’m sure the business was better this year as well.
Con: Programming Scheduling
I ran one panel at HolMat, a learn about posing panel that was scheduled for late night on Saturday. It was a baffling time, I feel it would have done much better Friday midday before a lot of people had photoshoots.
Also on the topic of programming and schedules, the app was well behind the current program as I had been accepted for another panel but ended up canceling it weeks prior to the con due to convention schedule changing and it still showed up in the app during the event itself. So rather disappointing there. I know that many others who had to cancel panels had similar issues as well.
Overall, HolMat 2021 was a great con and I can't wait to return again!