Heads up, but this is exclusively going to be a positive post about KaraokeCon. Also, unfortunately, KaraokeCon 2026 is already sold out, so you won't be able to get any tickets for it anymore. This will mostly be for those who actually are going to KaraokeCon in the Netherlands, so that they can somewhat get an impression of what KaraokeCon is like, but it's also for those who want to know a bit more about how my life is going I guess.
Anyway, for a while, I've been thinking about how to talk about KaraokeCon, what to say, but, well, I think I should mainly just wing it. I feel like every experience is different, but mine has been quite life changing, to say the least. Now, to be fair, it isn't because of KaraokeCon directly that my life has changed, but I do have to reckon that it sped up the process quite a bit.
Learning about KaraokeCon
Let's start at the beginning. Back in 2023, things were getting tense at home. My mom had breastcancer, which sucked, but, well, that's life, sometimes it sucks, sometimes it blows, but the in-betweens are what makes life worth it. Anyway, I already was very into karaoke, I've also signed up for various karaoke-based Discord servers (mainly the Performous development server, the Asgard Sings! server and the UltraStar / Vocaluxe / Performous community server). I was already busy timing songs, and I wanted to see what people wanted to see timed. I've been posting my timed songs to the USDB, and being able to fulfill requests was nice.
Anyway, it was around this time that I got a PM from Asgard Sings!, this was in October of 2023, the 10th to be exact. At first, I wasn't sure if I should do this, after all, this wasn't just some convention. It was basically a group of people staying at a hostel. I talked about it with my parents, and, well, my mom at the time told me to consider it. I'm not sure if it was already clear by that point, but she was already dying, with no chance of getting better I think.
The thing she told me was this. I don't exactly know the words she said, but it was something like, it's a lot of money, I believe € 150 at the time, but she said to not let that decide whether I should go or not. This was a lot of money, but it was also going to be a once in a lifetime experience. After all, this was the first edition of KaraokeCon. My main worries though was that my mom was going to die while I was at the con, but she said that I shouldn't let that decide my enjoyment either.
On Saturday, the 11th of November 2023, my mom passed away. It wasn't completely unexpected, the day before, she had a wedding with the father of my youngest brother, and it was then that we all knew she wasn't going to make it for long. I'm not gonna trauma dump here, because the things that happened still haunt me to this day, but, well, while I'm glad that she gets to rest, I still miss her. I don't think I'll stop missing her, but, well, I guess that's life.
But anyway, a few weeks later, I decided, fuck it. My mom's not there anymore, and, well, she wanted me to live my life. That's the one thing she worried about, that I wasn't taking full advantage of life. So, on November the 20th of 2023, I took the plunge, and emptied my bank account. Just kidding, but I did lose a big chunk of money. No, let me rephrase that. I invested €150 into something that would eventually become a recurring thing.
The days leading up to it
I remember being invited for the WhatsApp group. I mainly remained quiet, only posting a bit. I felt like I did need to be a bit more active, but I mainly kept myself in the background.
I don't remember a lot from that period. I was still grieving my mom. I literally had days where I didn't sleep at all, and whenever I did manage to sleep, I would occasionally dream of my mom. I feel like I didn't allow myself to grief a lot, after only a week I showed up at work again, because I had to do something. Plus, I really wanted to help organize the company's end of the year party. I think I only really cried in my dreams.
As the days progressed, I kept getting more and more anxious. This wasn't something I've done before, staying at a place, all alone, knowing nobody, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I felt like this was going to be a one-off thing.
I remember being very nervous. I packed my stuff, loaded my luggage into my dad's car, since my dad was going to stay the weekend at a relative of his. I remember eating okra soup for the first time. Not exactly my thing, but it still tasted really good. If you want something different, I recommend trying it out at least once.
Anyway, evening fell, and we were heading towards Someren, where the event was taking place. We arrived around 9 PM at De Hoof. It was dark, we weren't sure where we needed to go. So, I'm not gonna say names, but the first one I met was the brother of one of the organizers. He actually guided me to where I needed to be.
I was terrified, I knew exactly nobody there. I mean, sure, I did somewhat know one person, but I haven't actually talked to him directly by that point. All I knew was that he organized karaoke at various events, including AnimeCon and Abunai in the Netherlands (I didn't go to Abunai until this year, so I only knew him from AnimeCon).
Anyway, after picking a room in a quiet area, I headed back downstairs. I was feeling nervous, that's the only thing I remembered from the check-in period. It was dark, or rather, the lights were darkened (hey guys, if you're reading this, don't forget to darken the room next year!). The DDR was being readied, and everybody either had coffee or some other kind of beverage. I decided to caffeinate myself.
I talked a bit with some of the people, but only briefly, like, how did you know about this event. Most people knew about it thanks to some other thing, I'm not sure what it was. I felt really out of place, because I got in through some Discord server.
Then the opening ceremony started. The organizers did their talk, and I was getting more and more nervous, but then the actual event started, and I thought, screw that, let's just sing.
I remember one of my first songs being Ode to the Bouncer and Une Belle Histoire. Ode to the Bouncer was one of the songs I've timed myself, and, well, it was one of my favorite songs to do during karaoke. It used to be a voice killer, but as the years progressed, the song actually comes naturally. But anyway, after that, I had, well, fun. Sure, I didn't know a majority of the songs, but I didn't care. I had fun.
As the night progressed, I began to talk to a few people. It was... surprisingly easy. There was this one person who didn't know a word Dutch who I still greet every time I see him during events. There were also two other people, most likely friends, who I also often talk with during events. I do remember going to bed early, and with early, I mean around 4 AM, though I didn't exactly go to bed immediately.
That night, I couldn't sleep, mainly because I could still hear people talk, so, I went downstairs and continued to talk with them, leaving me with just one hour of sleep before breakfast.
After that, there's not a lot I can remember. Honestly, I don't remember a lot, just that I felt sick from the alcohol I took (I usually get bowel cramps after consuming alcohol). I did remember doing a music quiz, where I, for some reason, was able to help my team win? I don't know.
I also did two workshops, one about voice acting, one being Dungeons and Dragons. It was fun, it was really fun, and it caused me to write a story that I'm still writing.
There was one big thing that day, though. During the karaoke that day, I just had to go outside. I wasn't feeling well, and not because of the alcohol. I originally thought i was feeling homesick, but, well, eventually, when walking outside, I began to cry. I missed my mom, a lot.
It was actually the first time I cried since my mom's funeral. But it felt good. I went to the other area where it was a lot quieter. I was looking for the confidant of that year, and I was able to air everything.
After that, I was fully able to enjoy karaoke again, and it was great. Naturally, the next day, my voice was completely shot, but, well, it was all worth it.
I remember going home, already missing everyone. I met a few new people, people I'd consider friends now, some who I probably wouldn't see for another year. This experience changed my life for the good, it allowed me to be myself again.
You see, what I was missing in my life was kindred spirits, people who shared my passion for karaoke, sure, but also people who were, well just as weird as me, I guess. It didn't matter if you were a weeb or not, whether you liked girly stuff or not, I mean, I could freely proclaim I loved Precure! Nobody there judged you, because everybody had their own quirk.
My co-workers also noticed my change, I was happier, I was more open. And I began to open up more to my co-workers who I barely spoke with.
The moment the next edition of KaraokeCon was announced, I immediately jumped into it. The theme was going to be "In Wonderland", and originally I wasn't going to cosplay, or I was going to cosplay as Kokoro from Hello Happy World!.
At the start of that year, we had a pre-party, where I met a few people again. It felt like a bunch of friends just having a party, and, well, while it was overwhelming and the cats caused my allergies to flare up (and I love cats too, I really love cats), I kinda felt at home. I knew KaraokeCon was gonna be great.
What was also great was the fact that one of my closest friends was also going to be there. I was able to share the fun with someone I actually knew.
KaraokeCon 2025 was actually like coming home again. I was a lot more open that year, and, well, I did start a sort of mini-tradition, where I'd perform Omaru Polka's Po.
I also began to talk to people who were new to KaraokeCon, asking them what they thought about it, sharing my own experiences with it. it... felt great.
Once tickets for 2026 became available, I was one of the first 20 to get one. The reason why I was that late was because I was at the other area, destimulating. I love karaoke, but the constant loud noises overstimulate me. But I knew I needed to go the next year.
I also attended more cons, aside from AnimeCon I also went to Abunai for the first time, and I went the entire weekend, even celebrating my 40th birthday.
I'm gonna be honest, I miss everyone, and I can't wait for the next edition to start. Like I said, it's already sold out, and I have a feeling that future editions will also get sold out very quickly. 2026 is the first time all tickets have been sold out, so that's actually exciting.
So, what do I want to say with my long post? Well, for those who are KaraokeCon veterans, I'd say, I can't wait to see you all again, to talk to you guys, hang out and have fun, share a drink, or dance to some of the songs. Y'all are the best.
As for those who are new to KaraokeCon, welcome! It's going to be an experience, maybe not necessarily new, but, well, I guess different. There's a room to completely destim, it's so quiet someone actually fell asleep there. Everybody's gonna be open and welcoming, so you're pretty safe here.
Look, just remember to have fun. Nobody's gonna think you're crazy or different, nobody cares if you can sing or not. Karaoke is all about fun, nothing more, nothing less. Most of us are neurodivergent anyway, so you wouldn't be out of place.
As for those who are interested, like I said earlier, unfortunately it's already sold out, but maybe in the future, they'll expand it to include a few more people, so look out for that.
So yeah, anyway, that's what I wanted to share about my experience with KaraokeCon. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
