Garden State Anime Fest returned bigger & better than ever for its 3rd year at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on April 18-19, 2026! With multiple vendor halls loaded with anime & manga memorabilia, voice actors, gaming, artists, cosplay, scavenger hunts, maid cafe, food trucks, and so much more, this was a can’t-miss event. Let’s take a look at what made this New Jersey anime event so special, and be sure to check out our photo gallery & video recap at the end of the article.
Hosted by the creators of Garden State Comic Fest (New Jersey’s coolest comic con), you can expect to find top-tier exhibitors showcasing the best anime collectibles around. We’re talking about statues, Funko Pops, manga & comics, prop replicas, prints & posters, trading cards, video games, plushies, and tons of hand-drawn & handmade collectibles by local & regional artists. Find something unique to take home from your favorite series like Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball, One Punch Man, Naruto, Spy x Family, Pokemon, and Bleach, along with American animations like Sonic The Hedgehog, Avatar, Voltron, and Transformers.
Triple the size of previous Garden State Anime Fests and boasting record attendance, there was so much to see including the return of the Itasha car display, tabletop & learn-to-play TCG areas, console & PC gaming by AniMei Gamer Zone, and even more space for panels, programming, and meetups. All the while, as you moved between buildings, you could enjoy a variety of food trucks set to upbeat tunes mixed by DJ Juandizimo.
And we can’t forget about the special guests signing all weekend long: Linda Ballantyne, Susan Roman, Katie Griffin, Tony Salerno, and Pete Capella. These meet & greets are great opportunities to connect with the voice actors behind your favorite characters without the overwhelming crowds of larger conventions. Whether it’s Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garden State Anime Fest’s got you covered. Get an autograph, snap a selfie, record a custom voice message, or share how their roles inspired your love for anime!
What a return for this year’s Garden State Anime Fest, and they’re just getting started! Not only will it be back next year from April 17-18, 2027, but the organizers will also be hosting their flagship event, Garden State Comic Fest, this summer (June 27-28) as well as their Vineland edition this fall (November 14-15). To see more from Garden State Anime Fest, check out our full photo gallery as well as our video recap below:
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