Animate Girls Festival 2026: Record Attendance of 243,308 Visitors

The Animate Girls Festival 2026 set a new visitor record on November 7 and 8 in Tokyo. Including the free-admission events in the Ikebukuro district, organizer Animate reports 243,308 guests. Of these, 45,269 visitors entered the paid main venue at Sunshine City. The total figure therefore cannot be equated with the number of people actually in the halls.

The festival is aimed especially at a female audience interested in anime, manga, voice actors and otome games. The 17th edition was held under the theme "Decoration" and combined exhibitions and merchandise stalls in the event center with activities on the surrounding shopping streets.

88 Exhibitors and More Than 290,000 Online Participations

According to the official post-event report, 88 organizations took part with a total of 202 booths. In addition, 14 stage programs were held at the fountain plaza of Sunshine City. There, among others, those involved in the visual novel "Algorithm Prescription" presented their project. The mobile game "Hanamaru Timer" was also part of a stage program.

Animate reports 292,925 participations for the digital offerings, which included streamed stage events. This figure is reported separately from the 243,308 in-person visits and does not describe the number of people on the main venue floor.

Activities Across Ikebukuro

The event also included street decorations for STPR Family and Tsukino Talent Production, as well as a collaboration with "Tokyo Color Sonic!!". At various locations, visitors could experience exhibitions, free presentations and special activities. Numerous manufacturers used the event to present products and figures from their lines.

Some accompanying offerings continue even after the fair has closed. The official After-AGF page bundles information on the remaining activities. Nijimen mentions, among other things, a collection campaign with 49 different coaster designs from ten series, running until November 15, 2026.

With the new record, the festival ranks among the major current fandom events in Ikebukuro. At the end of October, the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival had already reported high visitor numbers. For another look at Japanese anime events, see our coverage of the Haruhi anniversary exhibition.