Kochi Anicre 2026

The Kochi Anicre Festival 2026 will be held in Kochi City, with the Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium serving as the main venue. Organised by the Kochi Anime Creator Sacred Site Project Executive Committee and co-organised by Kochi Prefecture, the two-day event is one of the centrepieces of an ongoing initiative to establish Kochi as a hub for anime creation in Japan.

The Kochi Anime Creator Sacred Site Project, from which the festival grew, was launched in January 2022 and is now in its fifth year. It originated from a collaboration between a small anime production company that started up in Kochi and Kochi Shinkin Bank, which supported its founding. The project has since expanded into a cross-sector initiative backed by the anime industry, Kochi Prefecture's Industrial Promotion Plan, and numerous financial institutions including the Shinkin Central Bank.

Attendance at the Kochi Anicre Festival has grown steadily since its inception. The 2025 edition drew 24,300 visitors over two days.

Programme

The 2026 festival will make use of multiple venues across the city, including Toyo Denka Central Park, Obiyamachi Shopping Street, Dotcom Plaza Obiyamachi, and Kinema M, in addition to the main venue at the Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium. The programme includes stage performances featuring anime creators, voice actors, and cosplayers; booths offering hands-on experience of anime production and the latest industry technologies; merchandise sales and character booths; screenings of nominated works; and a food area called "Tosa Meshi Kitchen" showcasing Kochi's local cuisine. Local government bodies will also be represented with their own booths.

On the afternoon of April 11, the Kochi Anime Creator Award ceremony will take place on the main stage at the Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium. The award is designed to discover and nurture new anime talent originating from Kochi.

On Friday, April 10 — the day before the public festival — the Ani-Tamashii Summit will be held by invitation only. The summit brings together representatives from major publishers, animation studios, and the broader anime industry for a conference on the future of anime and the role Kochi might play in its development. The programme includes activity reports and panel discussions on the Kochi Anime Creator Sacred Site Project, as well as hospitality featuring Kochi cuisine in collaboration with the Kochi Gastronomy Project.

On the evening of April 11, an invitation-only networking reception will be held for award recipients, creators, and judges, with speeches by winners and an opportunity for cross-sector exchange over a meal of Kochi's local specialties.