Last month, Australian anime publisher Madman Entertainment confirmed that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they would be cancelling their Anime Festival festivities in Brisbane due to take place in a couple of months. While no announcement was made around the Melbourne and Perth events at that time, a statement has been issued today confirming the worst-case scenario… no further Madman Anime Festival events will take place in 2020.
Some may look at the original timeline of events and question why they have cancelled the Perth event due to take place in October 2020. I can confirm from personal experience that events and festivals such as this require a lot of staff, a lot of time and a lot of money to plan and deliver effectively. Given the complexities that COVID-19 is likely posing to all organisations typically involved in anime festival, it is understandable why this decision was made earlier rather than later.
The full statement, made public by Madman Entertainment, can be found below:
An update from the team at #AnimeFestival. 🙌 Rest assured – this page will remain active, and we’ll continue to bring you exciting #anime news and activities, #competitions, throwbacks, and more. 💖#AniFestAUS pic.twitter.com/oIxo8sUcM9
— Anime Festival (@MadFest) April 28, 2020
Full Statement from the Anime Festival Team
With tight restrictions around international travel in the foreseeable future, the increased safety measures around large gatherings, and our focus on protecting our treasured local anime community, we regretfully advise the cancellation of Anime Festival 2020 – Melbourne and Perth.
We are dedicated to event excellence – bringing you incredible guests, engaging activities, and exciting sponsors. With this in mind, we’ve decided to cancel our 2020 events rather than postpone until later in the year, so that we can bring you the very best that Anime Festival has to offer, in 2021.
If you had purchased tickets for either event, a refund will be arranged shortly.
Thanks for your support. Stay safe, and we’ll see you next year!
