Last year Los Angeles’ Anime Expo Sports betting site B Sports was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the organizers shifting focus to a 2021 event. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation’s Ray Chiang has now announced that the event will not go ahead in LA this year either, with the organization planning another “Anime Expo Lite” online event instead, as reported by Anime News Network.
“With the continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it is apparent that we will not be able to safely hold a physical show this July for Anime Expo 2021,” the statement by Chiang reads. “Anime Expo Lite will return on July 4th weekend! While we know that nothing can ever fully replicate the magic of in-person events, we recognize that online communities have long been an integral part of Anime Expo’s culture Come from. Anime Expo has been streamed since 2017 and will continue to be part of the experience.”