Short answer: Yes. The Anime Festival will continue.
At the general meeting of Anime Kultur e.V. on 7 February 2026, a majority vote was passed to continue the event. However, what we currently cannot guarantee is a return to the Kongress Palais Kassel. The press release published without prior consultation by Kassel Marketing GmbH unfortunately triggered a dynamic that turned our carefully developed concept into an economic risk that was too great to justify.
In line with the resolution of our members, we are working on continuing the festival with a new concept and are also reviewing alternative options. If you would like to support us, visit us from 17 to 19 July 2026 at the Anime Messe Babelsberg at Filmpark Potsdam. This event represents exactly what we as an association stand for. Stay informed via our Discord server or newsletter.
As we already communicated on 8 February via our Discord server, at the beginning of February we were engaged in positive discussions with Kassel Marketing GmbH regarding a further edition at the Kongress Palais Kassel.
On 2 February, we had a constructive phone call with the management. On this basis, we received two concrete date options for 2026 and 2027 on 7 February. During our general meeting on the same day, at which these exact dates were to be voted on, we were informed of the press release published on 3 February stating that the Anime Festival Kassel would not continue.
This announcement was made without consultation with us. At that time, discussions and date coordination were already well underway.
We were later told that the timing of the publication had been unfortunate and that the press release had already been drafted in January, when no new concept had yet been presented. Nevertheless, it remains incomprehensible to us why the public was informed that the festival had ended while discussions about its continuation were taking place in parallel.
Equally regrettable is the fact that the statement has not been corrected to date. Within a very short time, the news spread throughout the community. For an event of this scale, trust and planning reliability are essential. Under these circumstances, our planned concept was no longer economically responsible.
We invested around €500,000 per year to continue and rebuild the festival in Kassel after the end of the Connichi tradition. We were fully aware that growth takes time. A new event does not establish itself overnight. For three years, we invested, built, and continuously developed the project.
As a result of the situation that arose, we decided to rethink the concept and also consider alternative locations. The Anime Festival will continue to exist, possibly in a different location and in a new format.
Over the past few days, many questions and critical comments have been discussed online. We would like to address some of these points transparently and provide further context.
Why was the park not used and why was there no traditional summer event?
We were informed early on that if the adjacent park were actively promoted or opened as part of the event, we would have to bear all additional costs for cleaning, waste disposal, landscape maintenance and additional infrastructure such as toilet facilities. For a young event with uncertain visitor development, this additional economic risk was not justifiable. Therefore, we were unable to officially integrate the park.
When selecting dates, we also had to take other major events into account. Various time periods were reviewed and tested. Every decision came with its advantages and disadvantages.
Why did the event appear smaller or differently structured in its first year?
In the first year, the Kongress Palais was not fully available to us, as part of the space had already been rented out elsewhere. We only received this information after the date had been announced. As a result, we had to reorganise areas and repurpose rooms at short notice. This first impression caused long-term damage, even though the situation was not our responsibility and we would not have considered renting the venue under those circumstances.
Why was there no maid café or traditional catering?
The catering rights were held by the neighbouring H4 Hotel. We had no direct influence over beverage sales or traditional catering. In order to offer Japanese food at all, we had to pay an additional corkage fee.
In the second year, the disco was deemed economically unviable by the catering partner, which is why no regular beverage sales took place there. Once again, this decision was not within our control as the event organiser.
A maid café would have required us to rent additional space from the hotel, source all food through the hotel and assume the full economic risk, while simultaneously receiving no revenue from sales. Under these conditions, this was not feasible.
Are the ticket prices too high?
The Anime Festival had an annual total budget of approximately €500,000. To give you an idea of the structure, here is a rough breakdown:
This amount must be refinanced through ticket sales and exhibitors. If fewer visitors attend, the risk is distributed across fewer shoulders. That is the economic reality behind every convention.
We work on a voluntary basis. None of us profits personally from this. Our goal is to deliver a high-quality and, above all, safe experience.
Why not organise a significantly smaller event without guests of honour?
Guests of honour account for around 12 per cent of the total costs. Eliminating them entirely would only marginally reduce the financial risk.
Anime Kultur e.V. was founded to bring Japanese culture authentically to Germany. For us, this includes artists from Japan who actively shape this culture. This cultural exchange is part of our identity.
A purely commercial event without a programme does not reflect our standards. At our event, admission is paid for an unforgettable programme experience.
The Anime Festival will continue. We are taking the time to rethink it and establish it on a solid foundation. As soon as we have concrete information, you will hear it through our official channels (Newsletter). For guidance: Official information about the Anime Festival is always communicated directly by us via our own channels. If no statement has been published by us, there is generally no final decision yet. If you have any questions or uncertainties, you are welcome to contact us directly at any time.
If you have questions or would like to get involved, feel free to join our Discord server. We are fans just like you. We continue to evolve and want to create an event together with you that our community truly deserves.
Thank you for your support, your passion and your trust.
Your team at Anime Kultur e.V.
