Anime Boston Cancelled Over Coronavirus Breakout

Anime Boston is one of the bigger conventions out there for fans to attend, but guests can cancel their plans for the event this year. The convention was slated to take place in early April, but the event has confirmed it won't be taking place next month due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement went live through the event's official website the other day. Anime Boston said it was left with no choice after President Donald Trump labeled the outbreak a national emergency.

"As you may be aware, Governor Charlie Baker recently announced a ban on all gatherings of 250 people or more in Massachusetts. This ban is set with no current end date, until the governor announces otherwise," the event confirmed.

"With Anime Boston 2020 scheduled for less than four weeks from now, it is highly likely this ban will still be in place. Given the uncertainty around these new circumstances, we have no choice but to cancel Anime Boston 2020."

The event's executive board did weigh thee option of postponing the event, but Anime Boston said rescheduling wouldn't give the event a chance to provide the sort of service it wants to for fans.

"Our executive board has reviewed the possibilities of postponing the 2020 convention for later in the year. After careful consideration, we have decided it would not be feasible to reschedule Anime Boston 2020 and meet the same high standards you have come to expect from us. We are a completely volunteer organization and all of the preparation is done in our personal time. Retooling the convention for later this year would be extremely difficult to achieve, given the need to coordinate the availability of the Hynes Convention Center, Sheraton Boston hotel, other hotels, guests, and exhibitors. One of the possible options we were given was in December, which would take away preparation time for Anime Boston 2021 and cause it to suffer in quality as well," the announcement reads.

Currently, you can read up on the event's website for refund instructions and cancellation details regarding partner hotels and more. Anime Boston did confirm its plans for 2021 do remain unchanged, so fans who wanted to attend the convention this year can hopefully arrange time to visit the anime festival next year.

Do you think this cancellation will be the first of many for anime fans? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!