WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reopened the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for large events on Tuesday. It's the first time the convention center opened its doors since it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the ceremony, Bowser announced that Ben's Chili Bowl will be the newest addition. The new Ben's is located inside the District Eats area at the convention center. Co-founder Virginia Ali and the whole Ben's team were on hand for the big announcement.
On top of that, the locally owned vendor, Shop Made In D.C., is also getting a store in the convention center.
The reopening comes just in time to welcome two major conventions back to D.C. in August.
Otakon, a celebration of all things Asian pop culture, including anime, manga, movies, music and video games, is headed to the convention center from August 6 to 8.
The convention was founded in 1994 and moved to D.C. from Baltimore in 2017.
For more information on Otakon, visit the event's website here.
Later this month, Awesome Con, Washington D.C.'s Comic-Con, takes over the convention center from August 20 to 22.
Guests for the convention in 2021 include Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd celebrating the second 35th anniversary of Back to the Future (because 2020 didn't count), Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito from The Mandalorian, and Lord of the Rings fans will get a chance to meet Pippin (Billy Boyd) for a special celebration of every Hobbit's favorite meal, Second Breakfast.
Here's where you can find more details and get tickets.