Atlanime Fest is coming back to Atlanta for its second year, Oct. 15-18.
Atlantime Fest is a celebration of Black identity and expression through anime, according to a press release. The festival grew out of an event called Trap Sushi, originally founded by Tolden “Troop” and Stephanie Williams in 2020. The first Atlanime Fest was held in 2025.
“Atlanta has always been where culture gets remixed. We grew up on Dragon Ball Z and Naruto the same way we grew up on the music coming out of this city,” Troop Williams said in the release. “For a long time, Black fans didn’t have a space that felt like ours. We started Trap Sushi to fix that, and Atlanime Fest is what happens when that community grows up.”
This year’s headlining host is comedian Funny Marco, along with co-host Pudgieee. Performers include Slim Jxmmi from Rae Sremmurd, Cochise, Domani, DRAM, Duke Deuce, and more. This year also features new installations such as a Black Animators Panel, a streetwear-meets-anime fashion show, a podcast taping, and a content creator incubator for 10 lucky creatives.
“Year two is about scale and representation,” said Elijah Watkins, CMO and managing partner of Atlanime Fest, in the release. “We’re putting Black animators who have worked on some of the biggest titles in anime in front of the next generation. We’re investing in creators through our Content Creator Incubator. And we’re bringing fashion, gaming, music and sports into one weekend. Atlanta is the Southern destination where urban music and anime collide, and we want the whole country to know it.”
A gaming tournament and mixer will take place on opening night, Oct. 15, from 7-11 p.m. at Monday Night Garage. Oct 16 will feature panels, a live podcast taping, and a fashion show, also at Monday Night Garage.
Oct. 17 marks the main day of the festival, taking place from 1-8 p.m. at Underground Atlanta. Oct. 18 is being billed as Community Day, and will feature a celebrity soccer game at Underground Atlanta from 2-4 p.m. and a closing day party from 5-9 p.m. at Monday Night in West Midtown.
