First 100 customers · Los Angeles
How to get your first 100 customers for an anime cosplay rave in Los Angeles
To win your first 100 attendees for an anime / cosplay rave in Los Angeles, go where the anime-EDM and cosplay crowd already gathers instead of buying ads. The highest-fit communities are LA-local anime and rave Facebook/Discord groups (SoCal raver, LA anime, convention after-party crowds), r/LosAngeles and r/aves plus r/anime / r/cosplay, and the massive cosplay and Headliner-style EDM communities on Instagram/TikTok and Discord. This audience is passionate and hyper-shareable — seed a few key Discords and cosplay influencers and your first event can sell out for free.
The 13 communities, ranked by fit
| # | Community | Why it fits | Engage | Self-promo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SoCal / LA rave & EDM community Discords discord · Thousands of members | LA's rave scene lives on Discord, where ravers share events, carpools and meetups; these servers are the single best place to reach EDM-loving attendees who'll cross over to an anime-themed rave. | 9/10 | moderate |
| 2 | SoCal Ravers / LA EDM event groups facebook group · 50K-150K members | Huge, active groups where LA ravers discover and discuss events; a cosplay-rave twist stands out in the feed and the audience is primed to buy tickets to novel parties. | 9/10 | moderate |
| 3 | LA anime & convention community Discords (Anime Expo / con after-parties) discord · Thousands of members | LA hosts Anime Expo and a dense con scene; con-goers actively seek after-parties and meetups, making these servers a perfect, in-market audience for an anime rave. | 8/10 | moderate |
| 4 | r/aves reddit · 500K+ members | The core rave subreddit where the culture, fashion (kandi, cosplay-adjacent outfits) and events live; an anime-rave concept fits the ethos and the crowd loves themed nights. | 8/10 | moderate |
| 5 | r/LosAngeles and r/LAlist (local events) reddit · 1M+ members | Locals look here for unique things to do; a well-framed event post or 'weekend things to do' inclusion reaches LA attendees, though direct promo must be handled carefully. | 7/10 | strict |
| 6 | r/cosplay and r/cosplayers reddit · 1M+ members | A rave that celebrates cosplay gives this community a reason to dress up and show off; partner with LA cosplayers as featured guests to reach their local followings authentically. | 7/10 | strict |
| 7 | LA cosplay & anime influencers + #losangelescosplay / #animerave instagram · LA-local + niche reach | Cosplay is intensely visual and shareable; co-hosting with LA cosplay creators and posting hype Reels drives ticket sales and gives the event instant credibility with their fans. | 8/10 | permissive |
| 8 | r/anime and r/anim-LA / SoCal anime communities reddit · Millions of members (broad) / smaller local | Broad anime fandom plus any SoCal-specific anime communities surface superfans; best used to find collaborators and local meetup organizers rather than for direct promotion. | 6/10 | strict |
| 9 | LA anime / cosplay / J-culture Meetup groups meetup · Local, recurring | Existing LA anime and cosplay meetups gather your exact audience in person; partnering or announcing your event there converts engaged local superfans into early ticket buyers. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 10 | LA cosplay community & cosplay buy/sell groups facebook group · 10K-50K members | Local cosplayers who invest in costumes want events to wear them to; an anime rave is a fresh stage, and these groups are full of people ready to attend and share. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 11 | Eventbrite + Fatsoma (event listing & discovery) directory · LA event-goers | Anime and cosplay raves are a fast-growing Eventbrite category; listing there captures people browsing for LA nightlife and themed events with high purchase intent. | 7/10 | permissive |
| 12 | Anime-EDM / 'weeb rave' artist & fan Discords (e.g. anime-remix DJ communities) discord · Thousands of members | There's a dedicated anime-EDM scene (anime-remix DJs and 'weeb rave' fans); these niche servers are the most on-target audience of all and a source of DJs and street-team support. | 7/10 | moderate |
| 13 | TikTok anime-rave / cosplay-event niche (#weebrave, #cosplayparty) tiktok · Millions of viewers | Recap and hype clips of cosplay raves spread fast on TikTok; geotagged LA content plus event hashtags builds anticipation and sells tickets to a young, trend-driven crowd. | 8/10 | permissive |
FAQ
Where do LA anime, cosplay and rave fans gather online in Los Angeles?
In SoCal raver and LA EDM Facebook groups and Discords, in anime-convention and cosplay community servers, on r/aves, r/cosplay and r/LosAngeles, and around LA cosplay influencers on Instagram and TikTok. Niche anime-EDM 'weeb rave' Discords are the most on-target of all.
What's the fastest way to get the first 100 customers for anime cosplay rave events?
Tap the existing passion. Seed the key SoCal rave and anime Discords and Facebook groups, co-host with a few LA cosplay influencers as featured guests, list on Eventbrite, and post hype Reels/TikToks with event hashtags. This audience shares relentlessly, so a strong concept plus the right partners can sell out event one for free.
Do I need an ad budget?
No. These are organic communities and free event-listing tools a founder with zero audience can engage for free. Influencer co-hosts, Discord/Facebook seeding and shareable video are enough to fill your first event.
Are these communities specific to Los Angeles?
It's a mix. SoCal raver groups, LA anime/cosplay Discords, local Meetups and r/LosAngeles are LA-local; r/aves, r/cosplay, r/anime and the anime-EDM 'weeb rave' communities are niche-global, so the same playbook works in any city you expand to.