Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! 2026 returns in October with bigger plans

New Delhi: Riding on the spectacular success of its previous edition that drew more than 60,000 visitors, Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! 2026 is set to return to Delhi NCR this October with a larger and more ambitious plan to celebrate Japan’s anime, pop culture and business engagement with India. A detailed presentation on the upcoming edition was made during the Sunmuko Kai meeting at the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi on April 23 by Takayuki Yamanaka, co-chairman of the Mela! Mela! Japan executive committee.

The 3^rd edition event, scheduled for October 3 and 4, 2026, will be held at Pacific Mall Tagore Garden, the same venue that hosted the highly successful 2025 edition. The event will be organized during Japan Month 2026, which runs through September and October.

According to the presentation, Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! has grown within just two years into one of India’s largest Japan-focused anime events, bringing together fans, creators, businesses, IP holders, Japanese companies and cultural institutions on a single platform. The core concept of the festival is to energize India-Japan business ties through Japan’s globally admired anime and pop culture ecosystem.

The 2026 edition is being planned as a multi-format festival combining fan engagement, corporate promotion, cultural experience and business networking. The proposed content includes booths by Japanese IP holders from anime, manga, music, gaming, toys, figures, television broadcasting and digital streaming. A special stage will host anisong singers, performers, cosplay showcases, anime screenings and other live attractions.

The organizers also plan to introduce workshops around Japanese IP and “oshi-katsu” culture, while companies from different sectors will be able to display products and services before a young, highly engaged Indian audience. A dedicated B2B business-matching space is also proposed to facilitate interaction between IP holders and exhibitors, Japanese and Indian companies, and potential partners in manufacturing, distribution, marketing and collaboration.

The choice of Pacific Mall Tagore Garden is significant: Located in Tilak Nagar in West Delhi, the mall is a major shopping and entertainment destination with strong connectivity across the capital region. Its mix of international and Indian brands, retail outlets, lifestyle stores and event-friendly spaces helped the previous edition attract massive public attention.

The background to the 2026 event is the strong performance of the 2025 edition: Held on September 28 and 29 last year at Pacific Mall Tagore Garden, Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! 2025 recorded 60,350 visitors, up from 47,200 visitors in 2024, marking a growth of 27.8 percent. The number of participating IP-related companies and exhibitors also expanded sharply from 8 to 19, reflecting growing interest from brands, content owners and businesses in India’s fast-expanding Japanese pop culture space.

Last year’s edition featured a wide range of attractions, including live performances, stage shows, anime screenings, workshops, corporate exhibitions, Japanese food and cultural booths. Artists such as AKINO from bless4, Minori Chihara, Takayoshi Tanimoto, Luna Haruna, Daisuke Hasegawa, Kanapon, Orcheria and others were part of the event’s performance lineup. Stage activities included interactive company and product promotions, cosplay showcases, voice-acting experiences, Beyblade activities and a mikoshi presentation.

The film segment also emerged as a major draw, with screenings of popular Japanese anime films including Crayon Shin-chan, AKIRA and Detective Conan among a total of 10 works. The workshop section brought in high-quality industry engagement, including sessions linked to creators and experts associated with Japanese animation, including professionals connected with Makoto Shinkai’s works and Production I.G/WIT Studio.

Corporate participation was another important feature of the previous edition. Apart from IP holders, companies from automobiles, education, consumer durables, FMCG and other sectors joined the event, with several brands collaborating with popular Japanese IPs to engage Indian audiences. Japanese food and cultural booths added another layer of experience, making the event a broader Japan festival rather than a conventional anime-only gathering.

The 2025 edition also received wide media attention. The presentation noted that the event was covered by 75 media outlets, including Indian, Japanese and international platforms, and even attracted coverage beyond India and Japan, including in Taiwan and Thailand. This wider visibility underlined the event’s growing reputation as a regional platform for Japanese pop culture and business outreach.

Encouraging visitor’s survey last year:

A visitor survey from last year further highlighted the event’s strong appeal among young Indians. According to the presentation, 94 percent of visitors were below the age of 30, with 72 percent in the 15–22 age group and 22 percent in the 23–29 age group. The survey also suggested that visitors showed strong appreciation not only for anime and live performances but also for corporate exhibitions. Exhibitors reported gains in brand favorability and product or service understanding among visitors.

For Japanese companies and institutions, the event is being positioned as more than a cultural festival. The 2026 plan emphasizes branding, consumer engagement, product awareness, collaborations between IP holders and companies, recruitment opportunities involving educational institutions, and partnerships between Indian and Japanese businesses. Organizers see the festival as a gateway for companies seeking to enter or expand in India’s youthful consumer market.

The event has also been presented as an “official” platform distinct from fan-only or informal pop culture gatherings. Its format is designed to ensure fairness, public value and broad participation, while avoiding domination by any single company. The organizing structure, similar to last year, is expected to follow an executive committee model, with support and cooperation from Japanese and Indian institutions.

The presentation said the 2026 sponsorship packages were expected to be announced around mid-May, after final discussions by the executive committee. Based on the 2025 model, the event is likely to offer multiple categories for companies and organizations seeking visibility before a large and enthusiastic audience.

With India emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing anime markets and young Indian audiences increasingly embracing Japanese content, Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!! 2026 is being positioned as a major cultural-business bridge. The organizers’ call is clear: to build on last year’s momentum in the spirit of “All Japan” and create an even larger movement this year.