Crunchyroll Expo 2020 is Cancelled. 2021 Planned for August 6-8

For those who are planning to attend this year’s Crunchyroll Expo, we would like to share to you some bad news as the highly anticipated anime convention is cancelled this year. The 2021 convention is planned for August 6 to 8.

Joseph Luster of Crunchyroll stated the following:

Sad news for everyone looking forward to this year’s Crunchyroll Expo. The physical event has been canceled to place an emphasis on the health and safety of fans, attendees, exhibitors, guests, and staff members. The decision was ultimately made due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 virus, and those who purchased hotel rooms should have already received an email about the cancellation and refunding of the booking. 

Additional details regarding the ticket transfer and refund process will be available at the CRX website later this week. Crunchyroll Expo exhibitors should be hearing from the team directly this week, but feel free to reach out to your regular CRX contacts to discuss the next steps.

As disappointing as this may be, the good news is we now have Crunchyroll Expo 2021 to look forward to. The dates have been set for August 6-8, 2021 at the San Jose Convention Center, so stay tuned for more, and stay safe out there! 

This isn’t the only anime or cosplay convention that got cancelled. In fact, Anime Expo and San Diego Comic Con have also announced the cancellations of their events for this year.

About Crunchyroll Expo

Crunchyroll Expo is created and presented by Crunchyroll, the largest anime streaming company in the world. Crunchyroll Expo brings anime fans together for 3 days of exhibits, screenings, panels, and guest appearances by some of the biggest personalities in the US and Japan.

San Diego Comic Con Cancellation

The reason for this cancellation of SDCC is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Although it is very sad that this highly anticipated entertainment and comicbook convention won’t be taking off this year. This decision is definitely for the best. Next year’s Comic-Con is scheduled to July 22-25, 2021 at the San Diego Convention Center.

To quote their statement: “Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, they had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”

Aside from Comic-Con, its related conventions WonderCon Anaheim is cancelled and its 2021 run will be on March 26-28, 2021 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

This isn’t the only convention that announced cancellation this year. In fact, big expos like E3 and AnimeJapan have also cancelled this year due to the current pandemic.

Attendees who have already purchased batches for this year’s SDCC can request for a refund or transfer their badges to next year’s convention. Emails will sent to attendees in regards to the refund processing.

The organizers of SDCC is also planning for a major renovation of Balboa Park’s Federal Building which is expected to be completed for the grand opening of the Comic-Con Museum, slated for Summer 2021. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this has also affected this development.

About San Diego Comic-Con

From the beginning, the founders of the show set out to include not only the comic books they loved, but also other aspects of the popular arts that they enjoyed and felt deserved wider recognition, including films and science fiction/fantasy literature. After one more name change (San Diego’s West Coast Comic Convention, in 1972), the show officially became the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in 1973 with the fourth annual event. In 1995, the non-profit event changed its name to Comic-Con International: San Diego (CCI).

The show’s main home in the 1970s was the fondly remembered El Cortez Hotel in downtown San Diego. In 1979, Comic-Con moved to the Convention and Performing Arts Center (CPAC), and stayed there until 1991, when the new San Diego Convention Center opened. Comic-Con has been at home in that facility for over two decades.

With attendance topping 130,000 in recent years—in a convention center facility that has maxed out in space—the event has grown to include satellite locations, including local hotels and outdoor parks. Programming events, games, anime, the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, and the Eisner Awards all take place outside of the Convention Center, creating a campus-type feel for the convention in downtown San Diego.

Source: Crunchyroll