Katsucon Pipe Burst

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At Katsucon, one of North America’s largest anime conventions, an unexpected incident forced an immediate evacuation. A pipe carrying waste water in the building’s ceiling over the artist alley unexpectedly burst.

Artists’ enclaves form an essential element of significant conventions such as Katsucon. These areas see artists jetting in from various corners of the globe, eager to display and sell their creations directly to the enthusiastic crowd who are most likely to appreciate and purchase them.

Setting up a booth and transporting all your merchandise to conventions can be costly, and unfortunately, some less fortunate artists whose work was situated near ruptured water pipes had their artwork damaged.

Waste water pipe leak wreaks havoc at Katsucon

A major rupture occurred in an overhead sewer line at the Katsucon level of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland, causing a deluge from above onto the floor below.

Due to an unfortunate incident, we ended up closing an hour ahead of schedule. The entire venue reeked of sewage. It remains uncertain what measures they’ll take to address it by tomorrow. I sincerely hope that the vendors affected will be adequately compensated, as their inventory suffered damage.

— Swan Drawn 🦢🎨💙 Katsucon J14 (@swandrawn) February 15, 2025

Based on accounts from various artists and attendees at the event, there was a constant sewer-like odor at the convention. However, this matter didn’t seem to be investigated thoroughly prior to the rupture of the pipes.

Affected artists, needing to act swiftly, shifted their exhibits from various perspectives in response to the leak.

Here’s the video I took, absolutely wild

— 👾 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. (@inv4d3r_crybaby) February 15, 2025

Artist Hua Xuan shared multiple images on their Instagram Story, depicting the aftermath, placing them just below the explosion site.

Despite managing to preserve some of their artwork, it was necessary to take down the entire setup due to the leak for a thorough clearance.

At Katsucon, it turns out the unpleasant odor came from water leftover from the kitchen’s dishwasher, not sewage as some might have thought. Given this, it’s understandable why attendees were commenting on the less-than-pleasant smell.

On the evening of February 14, the incident necessitated a swift evacuation and closure of the alleyway for cleaning purposes. However, they anticipate reopening it again during the same day, specifically on February 15.

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2025-02-15 20:18