A new anime festival is coming to Southern California on May 17! Niji Festival, also known as “nijifest,” is a new, queer-centric, and community-focused anime festival. Held at Almond Haus Cafe in Claremont, California, this festival will have live music, panels, special guests, local artists, an event-exclusive drink menu, and an afterparty.
Inspired by a shared love for the sports anime Sk8 the Infinity, nijifest was created as a way to celebrate all things LGBTQ+ anime in a safe space.
What to Expect from Nijifest 2025
“Online spaces are great, but squealing over fan fiction and art face-to-face is so special,” according to a nijifest press release. “Niji Festival is a safe space where people can bring their friends, discover new communities, and geek out over their favorite things without judgment.”
General admission tickets are $15, while premium admission tickets are $35 and include merchandise and a drink ticket. Also, sponsorship opportunities are available for $150 and include special perks such as line skips, special badge art, and more!
There will be an event-exclusive drink menu:
- The Niji: Passionfruit tea with rainbow jelly and strawberry bits
- Green Yuri Drink: Jasmine green milk tea with regular boba and rainbow jelly
- Sk8 the Infini-tea: Butterfly pea flower tea and lemonade with red strawberry popping boba and bits
- Les-be-friends: Rose milk tea with coconut lychee jelly and mango popping boba
- Later, Slime Boy: Brown sugar milk tea with regular boba and rainbow jelly
- Shin Souka Souka: Almond milk tea with egg pudding, regular boba, and crystal boba
Of course, no anime festival is complete without special guests! Voice actors from Sk8 the Infinity, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Mobile Suit Gundam will be signing all day and participating in panels. There will also be guest cosplayers. Special guests include:
- Ry McKeand (Miya Chinen, Sk8 the Infinity; Pica, One Piece)
- Howard Wang (Langa Hasegawa, Sk8 the Infinity; Xie Lian, Heaven Official’s Blessing)
- Matt Shipman (Reki Kyan, Sk8 the Infinity; Rin Itoshi, BLUE LOCK)
- Brittany Lauda (Renee Costa, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury; Yuzuriha Ogawa, Dr. STONE)
- Brian Beacock (Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Bungo Stray Dogs; Yumichika Ayasegawa, Bleach)
- Daniel Duenas
- Funhilde
- Captain.Leftovers
- Zombi3cos
- Matthew_aizel
More Event Details
Where: Almond Haus Cafe
909 W Foothill Blvd
Claremont, CA
When: May 17, 2025, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tickets: $15 General Admission, $35 Premium Admission; purchase here.
Website: https://www.nijifest.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nijifestival/
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