# Animefest

Animefest is the oldest anime convention in the Czech Republic, Europe.
Animefest was held for the first time in 2004. It was and still is organised by Brněnští Otaku (translated as Brno otaku), at first a free group of otaku. As time went by, the convention became too large and for better organisation, a civic association Brněnští Otaku was founded in 2007. Animefest is one of the two largest conventions held in the Czech Republic, having around the same number of visitors as Advík, which is held in Prague, in July. Animefest holds Anime Music Video competition, the main prize of it being a plush doll of Totoro. This competition is held yearly since the first year of Animefest and because of that it is considered the main event of the year for most of Czech AMV creators. From 2010 to 2016, cosplay contest at Animefest is part of EuroCosplay event. Since 2017, group cosplay contest is qualifier for Clara Cow's Cosplay Cup. Since 2018, Animefest cosplay contest is part of European Cosplay Gathering (Extreme Cosplay Gathering). Since 2024, Animefest cosplay contest is part of World Cosplay Summit. Animefest is the official selection for the Czech Republic for the European K-Pop dance contest, an international event organized by Comicon and hosted by Etna Comics, in Italy.

## History

| Date | Location | Visitors | Guests |
| 8–9 May 2004 | Art cinema Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 250 | - |
| 7–8 May 2005 | Art cinema Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 350 | - |
| 6–7 May 2006 | Art cinema Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 450 | - |
| 5–6 May 2007 | Art cinema, Scala cinema Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 800 | - |
| 10–11 May 2008 | Scala cinema, B. Bakala hall Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 1000 | - |
| 8–10 May 2009 | Scala cinema, B. Bakala hall, hotel International conference centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 1200 | - |
| 7–9 May 2010 | Scala cinema, B. Bakala hall, hotel Continental Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 1300 | Yuji Nunokawa and Kunihiko Ryo |
| 6–8 May 2011 | Scala cinema, B. Bakala hall, hotel Continental Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 1600 | - |
| 4–6 May 2012 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 2000 | Jonathan Clements |
| 10–12 May 2013 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 2500 | Toshiyuki Kubooka, Eiji Matsuo |
| 9–11 May 2014 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 3300 | Jonathan Clements, Vlad G Pohnert |
| 1–3 May 2015 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 3700 | Shappi |
| 29 April–1 May 2016 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 4300 | Andrew Osmond, Sycra Yasin, Nsio |
| 19–21 May 2017 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 5500 |
| 18–20 May 2018 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 6000 | Reika Arikawa, Natalia Batista |
| 24–26 May 2019 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 7200 | Tetsuro Shimaguchi, Maul Cosplay, Hellyon White |
| 20-22 May 2022 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 8500 | |
| 5-7 May 2023 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 11500 | Mika Kobayashi, Tetsuro Shimaguchi, Yaya Han, Fenix Fatalist |
| 24-26 May 2024 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | ± 13800 | Tetsuro Shimaguchi, Taryn, Yaya Han, Kei LaVonne |
| 23-25 May 2025 | Brno Exhibition Centre Brno, The Czech Republic | | |
Due to regulations related to COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021 edition of Animefest had to be cancelled.