Niji Festival is a new anime festival taking place at the Almond Haus Cafe in Claremont, CA on Saturday, May 17, 2025. The event, also known as nijifest, is a new queer-centric and community-focused celebration of queer media from fanfiction to anime, to BL and GL manga, and more. Attendees can expect activities such as cosplay meetups, voice actor meet and greets, local artists, arts and crafts, panels, and even an after party.
The event began as a common passion for the anime series, Sk8 the Infinity, and became a desire to bring people together and form new friendships around a shared excitement for boys love, girls love, queer representation, and everything in between. While online communities can be a great experience, nothing beats face-to-face fandom. Niji Festival is intended to be a safe space for people to bring friends, discover new communities, and dork out over their favorite things without judgment.
Attendees have the option of $15 general admission or $35 premium admission which includes exclusive merch and one drink ticket for a themed drink. Community sponsorships of $150 are available for those able and interested in helping support the event, and comes with access such as line skips and special badge art.
Voice actors who will be attending 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), and Brian Beacock (Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Bungo Stray Dogs; Yumichika Ayasegawa, Bleach).
Special guests include content creator Daniel Duenas, and cosplayers Funhilde, Captain.Leftovers, Zombi3cos, and Matthew_aizel.
The themed drinks available for purchase or redemption with a drink ticket for those with a premium admission ticket include:
- 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
For the latest updates on the event, please visit their Instagram @nijifestival.
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Neil Bui
I'm a self-proclaimed "professional dork." I've always been drawn to the creative and imaginative worlds found in comic books, video games, and other forms of entertainment, and I believe that these stories and characters have the power to inspire and bring people together. Through Dorkaholics, I've had the opportunity to attend conventions, interview some of my favorite artists and creators, and connect with a community of like-minded individuals who share my passion for all things dorky. When I'm not writing about the latest pop culture trends, you can usually find me playing video games, reading comic books, or exploring new fandoms. I'm thrilled to be able to share my love of pop culture with the world through Dorkaholics, and I hope to continue to inspire and entertain fellow dorks for years to come.
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