FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What’s ANIMAINE?
ANIMAINE is a celebration of animation located in Maine. Some people call us an anime convention, which is fair - but we also love video games, international animation, graphic novels - basically all forms of sequential art. Since 2015, we've been an independent non-profit organization working towards improving the public perception of animation in North America, combating piracy, and promoting artists.
ANIMAINE has been featured in Portland Magazine, The Portland Press Herald, The Chibi Project, Anime News Network, and Nerd Caliber. Sentai Filmworks chose ANIMAINE to announce new titles in 2012 and 2013, and for three years we’ve played host to Greg Ayres and the Bootleg Bomber. We were praised in 2012 for our outstanding technical work and scored an impressive 8 out of 10 for attendee satisfaction. In 2013, we set a new attendance record for the second year in a row and introduced fans to new events. We spent 2015 celebrating five years of ANIMAINE with the latest titles from Funimation and Sentai Filmworks. In 2016, we set a new attendance record - 356! Don't be fooled, though: we might be small, but we've got the guests, the anime, the games, and the fun of a convention ten times our size.
Who owns ANIMAINE?
We're a nonprofit organization with a volunteer Board of Directors as our governing body.
ANIMAINE’s Covid Policy
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Proof of Vaccination Required
All attendees are required to provide proof of vaccination.
If you are unable to present proof of vaccination, further instructions will be provided on how to proceed. Kindly revisit this page for additional information.
Thank you.
How much does ANIMAINE cost?
You can find that out on our registration page. Registration doesn’t include a hotel room, so if you want that kind of thing, check out our location page
What's up with the bathrooms?
ANIMAINE has a set of nongendered restrooms. In 2014, they were labeled "for people who stand up" and "for people who sit down." ANIMAINE's parent organization believes strongly in gender identity rights, and these restrooms are to help provide a place for attendees to feel safe. In 2015, ANIMAINE proudly adopted I'll Go With You. ANIMAINE volunteers are available to accompany individuals to spaces, like restrooms, where incidents of harassment are known to happen. We hope that the presence of an ANIMAINE ally helps remind everyone to be courteous to everyone they meet in the restroom. Equality in public accommodations is the law in Maine.
How old do you have to be to attend ANIMAINE?
Attendees need to be 13, or be accompanied by an adult (18+). Certain areas have additional age restrictions. Rooms that are marked with an 18+ symbol require a photo ID to be shown before you can enter. We strongly encourage attendees under sixteen to come in the morning or early afternoon, as all ANIMAINE events after 8PM are suggested for ages 16 and up.
Can you guys get -insert name- as a guest?
Maybe. Send us a message and we’ll see what we can do.
I’ve heard you buy bootlegs for your Bootleg Bomber event. Is that true?
Whoa! No way! There’s nothing we’d rather do than give up Bootleg Bomber, and we promise we will – as soon as we stop coming across bootlegs. The products we destroy are donated from multiple sources – mostly from fans who purchased them accidentally. ANIMAINE destroys the majority of what we are donated (we set aside a small number of items, usually because of their unusual “quality” for educational purposes). In some instances, we hand items over to law enforcement for destruction, or for use in an investigation. ANIMAINE does not purchase bootlegs, and we do not encourage fans to either.
Do you have a theme?
Yes! Our 2023 theme is Light Novels . Previous themes included Our First Year (2011), In Living Color (2012), New England Gothic (2013), A Celebration of Shoujo (2014), Get in the Robot (2015), Tastes of Anime (2016), Villains and Vengeance (2017), Shounen Adventure (2018), Strange Magic (2019), Time Skip (2022).
Do you have a theme for next year?
[to be announced] (Our real 2024 theme will be announced in November)