CarrierCon returned to the USS Hornet, Sea, Air, & Space Museum over the March 21-22 weekend, drawing an estimated 2,000 fans of anime, gaming, comic books and VTubers to the sold-out event. Aside from bringing fans of these hobbies together, CarrierCon has the added purpose of promoting the USS Hornet’s museum and history.
As the museum tends to attract older visitors, CarrierCon continues to be a prime event for attracting younger people to the historic aircraft carrier.
“One of the reasons we like to do events like CarrierCon is to get a whole different group of people to come and see the ship,” Chief Experience Officer Russell Moore said. “The folks that have a direct connection to the ship are getting very old now… we are always looking for ways to get younger people interested.”
This year’s CarrierCon took place across two days, to help with crowds and to allow for more programming.
Many cosplayers are attracted to CarrierCon for its unique venue, which offers its attendees the opportunity to photograph against authentic backdrops that wouldn’t normally be found at conventions held in hotels.
“People really love to come here and just basically take cool pictures in their costumes with this incredible backdrop that we have—and it’s real. You can touch it,” Moore said. “We’re a ship from World War II all the way up to the 1970s, and so it’s very easy for this to have a sort of a grungy science fiction look or a punk look or a steampunk look.”
Maeve, a cosplayer from Southern California who goes by “bo.bakatan” online, echoed Moore’s sentiment.
“It really gives a unique opportunity to those who cosplay IP involved with ships and planes,” Maeve said. “You come up here, there’s raptors on the deck and there’s like all these really unique, historic elements that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to take cosplay photos at. It’s a really unique convention. I recommend, if anybody does have the opportunity, that they come and see it.”
While CarrierCon aims to attract new visitors, some attendees have long-standing connections with the Hornet or Alameda.
Joe, also known as “Joestar Cosplay,” is a fellow cosplayer who was at the event with Maeve. Joe has been visiting the Hornet since he was a child.
“I remember my first costume competition I ever entered, I was actually 10 years old, in a Minecraft costume—and I came here for Halloween. I walked on stage and I almost won,” Joe recalled.
He said he also participated in an overnight program at the Hornet while he was a Boy Scout.
Similarly, cosplayer and photographer Jorsaga, lived in Alameda for six years before moving away two years ago. However, she comes back to visit Alameda during CarrierCon. This was her third time attending the event. She said cosplay gives her a chance to meet and catch up with friends over a hobby they love.
“You are so busy with work and your daily life, and we (my friends) are not living in the same location,” Jorsaga said. “It’s very nice to have an event together.”
The sentiment is not exclusive to attendees—CarrierCon also attracts vendors and artists for the same reasons. Casandra Monroe is an illustrator who owns Choi Tokki (meaning “Top Rabbit” in Korean), where she sells her original art prints and stickers.
Monroe traveled from Sonoma County to set up her booth in CarrierCon’s Artist Alley. Monroe also expressed interest in the convention because of the novelty of the venue and its history.
“I can’t think of anything else that’s like that. That’s really special in itself,” Monroe said.
Monroe, who grew up in Illinois, also said she enjoys going to conventions because it gives her a chance to travel and said she has been trying to learn more about the Bay Area.
“I would like to know more about Alameda,” Monroe said. “The places I go to, I don’t just go just to do conventions. I do want to come back and explore the places.”
She added that she enjoys the community and connection aspect of attending conventions the most. “No matter what your life circumstances, keep creating. That’s the part that’s going to get you out of whatever funk you’re in. Co-create with other people. We’re all supposed to be working together,” she said.
The convention is also becoming popular with VTuber fans and meetups in particular, a feature they started in 2025.
Before CarrierCon existed, the USS Hornet hosted an independently operated anime and comics convention called KrakenCon. When KrakenCon moved on, the museum staff wanted to continue holding conventions, so they came up with CarrierCon, which is fully created and run by the USS Hornet.
The next major event at the USS Hornet will be for Memorial Day, May 25. The next CarrierCon is scheduled for March 20-21, 2027.
The USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Vicky Nguyen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Vicky-Nguyen.
