Anime Expo 2026 Closes Record Run With 422K Fans Across Downtown L.A.

Downtown Los Angeles spent the July 4 weekend living at con speed. Anime Expo 2026—the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation’s 35th edition—spilled far past the Los Angeles Convention Center into Crypto.com Arena, The Novo, Peacock Place, L.A. LIVE, and a closed stretch of Figueroa Street, turning the whole campus into one continuous anime district.

When the turnstiles stopped spinning, SPJA tallied more than 422,000 visits from fans representing over 65 countries. Organizers estimate the four sold-out days injected upwards of $115 million into local hotels, restaurants, and businesses—an unmistakable flex for a scene that still gets called niche outside otaku circles.

Programming matched the footprint. More than 1,400 hours of panels, premieres, concerts, cosplay showcases, and industry stages kept halls packed from morning openers through late-night Main Events. Booths and stages from Crunchyroll, MAPPA, Aniplex of America, KADOKAWA, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and a long list of peers sat shoulder-to-shoulder with independent creators, while title moments like the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 arena screening and a wave of Witch Hat Atelier cosplay gave the weekend its memeable landmarks.

SPJA CEO Ray Chiang framed the milestone as both celebration and promise: thirty-five years of spotlighting Japanese animation talent, with no intention of slowing down. The next chapter is already on the calendar—Anime Expo returns July 2–5, 2027, with badges expected to go on sale early next year for anyone still recovering from this one’s scale.

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