Still Here. Still Fighting.
A Message From the A-Kon Team
Hey everyone,
It’s been a long time. Like… a really long time. And we know—radio silence from us probably felt like confirmation that A-Kon was gone.
So let’s start with the thing everyone wants to know: We’re still here. Not dead. Not done. And it’s time to talk.
We want you to know that none of this has gone down the way that we expected or wanted. The long waits without updates, the delay in the refunds, and the time it’s taken to let you all know that we are still here hasn’t been okay. We know it, and we feel it.
We are reading all of your comments and messages, we’re catching up on emails, and we are taking your feedback to heart. We can only promise that we intend to take it seriously, continue to grow, and work to ensure that we are better in the future.
A-Kon is not dead. But it’s also not ready to come back yet.
Not until the financial side is made right. Not until we can operate with the transparency, creativity, and community-first spirit that made this con what it was.
We’re still here—tired, scarred, and deeply grateful. We still believe in the magic of this event. We still believe in the people who built it, so many of whom are still here and a part of who we are. And we still believe in doing things the right way, or not at all.
When A-Kon returns, it won’t be rushed. It will be done carefully, deliberately, and with the right people in charge.
We owe you that much.
Thank you for holding us accountable. Thank you for caring enough to still be reading this. We’re not giving up. We’re still in this.
With love and chaos,
The A-Kon Team
WE KNOW YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS
One of the greatest things about our community is how deeply invested all of you are. You want to know how it works. You want to know what is going on behind the scenes. And, you come together, stand up for each other and get involved when it matters most. We will have more to say in the coming months, but here is what we are able to share right now.
When will the next A-Kon be?
We haven’t set dates for the next A-Kon just yet—but we are planning to return.
That said, with everything we’re working through internally, we can confirm there will not be an A-Kon in 2025. We’re actively exploring possibilities for 2026, but we also want to be realistic: it may take until 2027 to come back the way we all deserve.
We know the wait has already been long, and we’re beyond grateful for your continued support. We want to come back the right way—with the creativity, community, and care that made A-Kon what it was. And we’ll keep you in the loop as we move forward.
Where are the attendee refunds for A-Kon 33?
Attendee refunds were finally issued last week. If you are owed a refund, we sent a message to the email address you used to register and it should be in your inbox now. If you don’t have one, or no longer have access to that email address anymore–please contact us. Our team is determined to get your money back into your hands. Read more about the refunds here.
Why did this happen?
Pre-registration for the next A-Kon opened as usual at the end of the 2023 con. But in the months that followed, a number of behind-the-scenes funding and administrative obstacles made it difficult to move forward as we had planned.
We pushed hard—working to resolve outstanding payments, chasing down delayed funds, pursuing new investors, and doing everything we could to keep the con moving forward. However, many of the financial decisions weren’t in our hands, and as the situation became more complicated, the more it became clear that we would need to delay the 2024 event until we could resolve them.
In early 2024 we announced the con would be delayed, and at the same time, the A-Kon Ops team and staff went into low-power mode to save money. Con operations were put on pause, essential systems like our emails, social media, and storage space were significantly reduced, and the few staff members that work year round to maintain those systems were furloughed and had to dedicate their own time to finding new sources of income for themselves and the con.
Staff and volunteers are still here, and have still been working intensely since then to do what we can: securing new money for refunds, resolving internal issues, and figuring out what it would take to kick off our next event the right way—not just quickly.
So where does that leave us?
Before we can truly get back on our feet, we need to address some of our funding challenges. Running a large convention today comes with expenses and complications that didn’t exist when A-Kon first began. It’s time to level up our approach. We’re streamlining outdated systems, refocusing our efforts, and bringing in people who carry the heart of the community to help us rebuild with purpose. In the meantime, updates may be slower and more scarce—but we’re working hard behind the scenes, we see your feedback, and your support means everything to us.
What are our plans for the future?
We want to get back to our roots. We want A-Kon to feel like home again. We’re tired of the rumors that we’ve gone corporate or stopped caring about the community. The truth is, many of us are the same people who’ve been here all along—or we were brought in by the original veteran team because we cared just as deeply. Our future plans involve taking a hard look at our location, our communication, and most importantly, restoring the sense of community that brought us all here in the first place. A-Kon has always had the heart of a community con—but we know it hasn’t felt that way in a while. So, we’ve got work to do.
