Anime NYC Powered By Crunchyroll today announced its 2020 event has been cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, the second largest Japanese popular culture convention in the U.S., was scheduled for November 20-22 in the Javits Center in New York, NY. Its 2020 edition has been cancelled entirely, and its next installment is now scheduled for November 19-21, 2021.
Anime NYC Powered By Crunchyroll was to celebrate its fourth year this year and set to bring together over 50,000 passionate attendees, premiere screenings, celebrity guests, and major Japanese entertainment brands including Crunchyroll, Aniplex of America Inc., Bandai Namco Arts, Bluefin, Funimation, GKIDS, HIDIVE, Kinokuniya, Kodansha, Sentai Filmworks, SUNRISE, VIZ Media and Yen Press. In previous years, the event has played host to guests such as producers and directors Yoshiyuki Tomino, Eunyoung Choi, and Fumihiko Sori; voice actors Aoi Yuki, Rie Kugimiya and Setsuo Ito; and musical guests Aimer, Guilty Kiss and Luna Haruna.
“After tremendous deliberation, we feel postponing until 2021 is the only right decision we can make,” said Anime NYC Show Director Peter Tatara. “We look to create an exciting, inviting, safe, and healthy celebration for New York’s anime community — and there’s no way to currently achieve this without putting this same community at coronavirus risk.”
All attendees who purchased tickets to Anime NYC will have the option to roll their tickets over to 2021 or receive refunds. Likewise, all exhibitors will have the option to move their booths to 2021 or be refunded. Attendees and exhibitors should all look for email communications in the next 72 hours with additional details.
Due to the continued COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, cities and states across the U.S. have limited large gatherings and begun to use convention centers, themselves, as virus testing sites and hospitals. Anime NYC is only the latest large event to postpone, and most conventions, conferences, and other major events across the U.S. have cancelled throughout 2020’s spring, summer, fall, and winter months.
While Anime NYC 2020 won’t physically take place, the team behind Anime NYC looks to present alternative and online programming and events before November 2021. Last month, Anime NYC launched the Anime News Network Connect presented by Anime NYC project, which features ongoing online anime events together with industry partners. Anime NYC will have more announcements, too, around additional ways it looks to celebrate the anime industry and anime fandom while physically remote.
For updates and more information, see animenyc.com or follow the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @animenyc.
