Festivals - Japan Expo 2026 celebrates its 25th anniversary with its most ambitious edition to date, combining nostalgia, innovation, and an unprecedented tribute to Japanese pop culture

By Mulder, Paris, MK2 Bibliothèque , 04 june 2026

From July 9 to 12, 2026, Japan Expo will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, marking a major milestone for what has become the largest event dedicated to Japanese pop culture outside of Japan and one of the largest consumer trade shows in France. Organized by SEFA EVENT, this anniversary edition is designed not only as a retrospective but also as a statement of intent for the future: it will span over 154,000 square meters, with an additional exhibition hall, and aims to welcome approximately 250,000 visitors over four days.

What makes this anniversary particularly captivating is the festival’s very history. In the official press kit, co-founders Jean-François Dufour and Thomas Sirdey note that the event was never intended to be a massive convention. On the contrary, it was born out of the frustration of passionate fans who simply wanted a place to meet other enthusiasts of Japanese culture, at a time when online communities were limited to early internet forums and occasional gatherings outside manga shops in Paris. The founders even admit that if someone had predicted a quarter of a century ago that Japan Expo would still exist today—and on such a scale—they “would probably have fallen off their chairs.” This anecdote perfectly illustrates the festival’s organic evolution, as it has gradually transformed from a community-driven event into a cultural institution, all while remaining fiercely independent of the sponsorship and subsidy model that characterizes many major French public events.

The founders also reveal lesser-known moments that have shaped the event’s identity. One of the decisive turning points was the move from the CNIT in La Défense to Villepinte in 2006, after massive crowds forced organizers to turn away visitors because the venue had reached maximum capacity. According to Thomas Sirdey, many observers believed that the move to Villepinte would spell the end of Japan Expo, while the organizers simply saw the larger venue as an opportunity to allow the festival to grow. Another fascinating behind-the-scenes insight concerns the numerous trips to Japan made by Jean-François Dufour, which helped forge personal relationships within the Japanese entertainment industry and ultimately paved the way for artists, publishers, and creators who would later become regular guests. These connections continue to define Japan Expo’s reputation as a bridge between France and Japan, rather than merely a trade show.

The anniversary edition itself was designed as a celebration of these twenty-five years. One of its highlights will be a 600-square-meter immersive exhibition tracing the festival’s history through three distinct spaces. Visitors will first explore a historical section featuring timelines, collectibles, testimonials, and rare memorabilia documenting the evolution of Japan Expo. The experience will then continue in the “Heart of the Festival” area, where projections on a giant screen will revisit some of the event’s most memorable moments, as well as the making-of the anniversary film. Finally, the exhibition will culminate with a remarkable “Hall of Fame” featuring 374 reproductions of shikishi created by artists who have contributed to Japan Expo throughout its history, accompanied by exclusive illustrations created specifically for this landmark celebration.

Among the most ambitious projects unveiled for this anniversary is the production of an original animated video created in collaboration with the Japanese animation studio Transdyne. Rather than commissioning a simple promotional clip, Japan Expo assembled an impressive creative team including Nobuyoshi Habara, known for directing works such as Broken Blade and Revenge of the Gobots; B Eddie MehongB, founder and CEO of Transdyne; executive producer B Shumpei SawaB, whose career includes collaborations with B Studio PierrotB; animator B Hiroshi ShimizuB, who has worked on several films by B Studio GhibliB and numerous television productions; production assistant Chafik, who has notably worked on One Piece; and composer Umikun, active in the fields of animation, music, and video games. The creative team will also participate in a dedicated panel discussion during the festival, offering fans the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the production of this exclusive anniversary project.

This visual celebration extends beyond the exhibition thanks to a series of exclusive anniversary posters commissioned from internationally renowned artists representing different generations and artistic styles. Contributors include Alex Alice, Alexis Tallone, Elsa Brants, Hiro Mashima, Ken Akamatsu, Nobuyoshi Habara, Tsutomu Nihei, Oh!Great, Keiichi Ichikawa, Takuya Wada, Wataru Yasutake, and Itsuki Hoshi, alongside several other creators. Rather than following a single artistic direction, each illustration offers a highly personal interpretation of what Japan Expo represents, thereby creating a collective tribute that reflects the diversity of Japanese and Franco-Japanese pop culture cultivated by the festival over the past twenty-five years.

The scale of the 2026 edition lives up to this ambition. Current projections call for more than 1,000 exhibitors, 570 participants, 713 scheduled events, 16 stages and dedicated spaces, 10 signing areas, 2 meeting rooms, and approximately 605 hours of programming. Visitors will be able to attend more than 100 concerts, 170 book-signing sessions, 155 martial arts demonstrations, 76 conferences, 23 cooking demonstrations, 21 cosplay events, 20 live performances, 13 video game demonstrations, 12 screenings, and dozens of other interactive activities. According to the organizers, the average visitor in 2025 was 27.6 years old and spent an average of €202.90 on-site, underscoring just how much Japan Expo has become a major economic and cultural event while continuing to attract both longtime enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Perhaps the most revealing observation comes from Thomas Sirdey, who suggests that the festival’s greatest success lies not in its visitor numbers or international recognition, but in the emotional bond it has forged with successive generations of fans. Comparing Japan Expo to the cultural significance that Club Dorothée once held for the French public, he asserts that the convention is now part of the collective memory of an entire community. Twenty-five years after its humble beginnings, Japan Expo is no longer content to be merely a celebration of manga, anime, or Japanese culture: it has become a cultural landmark in its own right, illustrating how a project born of popular passion can evolve into one of the flagship events of European pop culture while remaining true to the enthusiasm that inspired its creation.

Check out our photos from the press conference held on June 4, 2026, at the MK2 Bibliothèque on our Flickr page

Photos and 4K video: Boris Colletier / Mulderville

With our sincere thanks to Aurélie Lebrun of the Games of Con agency