After the cancellation of New York Comicon 2020 earlier this year, Anime NYC will follow suit and will be cancelled for 2020 due to COVID-19.
In an official statement on the official website and on their social media this morning, they confirm that it will not hold the event this year in order to maintain safety of the fans.
After tremendous deliberation, #AnimeNYC is cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A thank you to the Javits Center, the anime industry, and all the fans who love to celebrate with us – and we'll see next Nov 19-21, 2021. https://t.co/VnZC7hAC02 pic.twitter.com/WLxM0fpdQI
— Anime NYC (@animenyc) August 17, 2020
For those who already bought tickets, they will be offer on rolling over tickets to next year’s convention or full refunds. For Hotel reservations, they will be automatically refunded.
While this is unfortunate, it cannot be helped. They did mention that they will be holding a something in place of it before the month of November. Likely to hold a virtual event like how New York Comicon held the Metaverse panels on Youtube.
It only goes to show how serious the COVID-19 pandemic really is. It has been 5 months since March that we have been locked down and to take the necessary precautions. Some have followed steps of caution and achieved a good level of safety. Others have thrown caution to the wind and now it has come to bite back. It has affected all of us. It is sad that otakus here in New York won’t be able to see another Anisong Live concert or meet famed veterans of the industry. But for the sake of safety, it had to be done. So in order for next year’s convenetion to happen, it is up to all of us to do our part in stopping this pandemic.
So be safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, and be cautious. Here is hoping Anime NYC 2021 will happen.
