Anime North (AN) is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Etobicoke, a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming (Video and RPG), Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances. The largest anime convention in Canada by attendance numbers and located near Toronto Pearson International Airport, AN is hosted in 6 venues: at the Toronto Congress Centre, the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel, the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel (formerly called the Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre), the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Radisson Suites Hotel and the Airport Holiday Inn Hotel (for the Friday Moonlight Ball), all of which are within walking distance of one another. Convention-run shuttle buses are available during daytime and the evening to connect the venues. Programming Anime North in 2006 featured Kotoko, a J-pop singer, who performed songs from her newest album. Also in 2006, a ballroom dance, the "Moonlight Masquerade Ball", was newly scheduled. The most popular events at AN include the Masquerade and the J-Idol competition. Other events include the AMV contest, guest autograph sessions, the All-Star Charity Auction, the Momiji Award (with brunch), Anime Improv, "Super Hardcore Anime Wrestling" (a co-production with GCW) and Yaoi North. Common staples at Anime North include guest speeches, gaming tournaments, dances, art-related workshops, discussion panels, martial arts displays, model contests, Go tournaments, and similar events. History Anime North was founded by Toronto anime fan Donald Simmons in 1997 as a one-day mini-convention with approximately 700 attendees. The original venue was the Michener Institute in downtown Toronto. In 1998 the convention expanded to two days of programming, and 1999 saw the addition of a third day of programming as well as a move to the Ramada Airport East Hotel, with attendance reaching 1,000. In 2001 AN was moved to the airport strip near Pearson Airport and was held at the Toronto Airport Marriott (attendance 2,000) and in 2002 moved to the much larger Regal Constellation Hotel (attendance 2,800). Shortly after the 2003 convention at the Regal (attendance 5,000), the Regal closed and the convention had to find yet another new location. For 2004 the best combination of function and hotel space available was the combination of the Toronto Congress Centre (TCC) and the nearby Renaissance Hotel for additional programming. These two venues were unfortunately a 10-15 minute