Anime NYC Moves to August for 2024

Anime NYC, the second largest anime convention in the United States, is moving…to a new season. The perennial event, held in November since its inception, will take place August 23-25 in 2024.

They announced the news just a few days before this year’s convention, which was this weekend at the Javits Center. With next year’s con happening three months earlier, tickets for 2024 go on sale in December – in just two weeks.

No real reason was given for the move, only that they’ve been at capacity for November for several years, and that next year they’ll be able to take over the entire Javits Center. This is something I’ve been hoping they would do for years; it honestly never occurred to me that it was something they couldn’t do because of time of year.

Apparently the change has been in the works for a while, so presumably they intend for it to be permanent.

But what does it mean for them to move from November to August? Here are the major highlights they listed in their announcement:

• More space. As mentioned, they’ll be able to utilize the entire convention center.
• More space = more tickets and more of specific ticket types (i.e. more weekend tickets).
• More panels.
• More features. They mention specifically expanding already existing features, such as gaming, food, cosplay, music, and traditional culture.
• More fan features. This means more content specifically driven by fans.

Fans are actually divided on this news, and from my standpoint, there are both pros and cons to this decision.

First, the cons. Moving to summer means direct competition with quite a few larger, more established events. Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con are both held in July. Otakon is the first weekend in August. Fan Expo Toronto is actually the same weekend. (And it’s not very large but it is personal – Flame Con is the weekend before!) People who were previously able to attend one of these events in addition to Anime NYC will likely now have to make a choice. Not to mention what this could mean for the guest list.

Weather-wise, while some people may be appreciative of the warmer temperatures that August will bring, as a local I can tell you that August in New York City is gross. It’s sticky and humid and uncomfortable, and much of the Javits is glass, which will only amplify the heat.

Now, the crowd size is a con for me, however with more of the Javits to use, it hopefully won’t be so bad. I think the crowd right now is the perfect size, because it’s still possible to move on the show floor. I hope they still keep the attendance reasonable, and don’t try to pack the convention center the way NYCC does. Even with the entire Javits at their disposal, it is possible to sell too many tickets.

However, I am a big fan of them being able to use the entire Javits. The past couple of years, there have been two empty halls on the lower level. If they move gaming into one and maybe autographing into another, there will be more space on the floor for exhibitors. And it seems like every year they change the configuration of panel rooms, so they have a different number of rooms each time.

Basically, I’m split on this decision. I’m excited for the potential that more space will provide. I’ll do a wrap-up of this year’s convention in the next day or so, but there is so much they could do with more space. If the “entire Javits” includes the new extension, then things can really get crazy. But I am not at all a fan of the move to August. Summer is already packed, and I liked having something later in the year to look forward to.

What do you think about this news?

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary