The 2025 Taipei International Comic and Animation Festival, is in full swing at Hall 1 of the Nangang Exhibition Center from Thursday through Monday. Thousands of anime enthusiasts flooded the venue on opening morning, eager to be among the first to enter. The Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association (CCPA) estimates the five-day event will generate NT$250 million (US$7.9 million) in revenue.
According to CCPA Head Su Wei-chuan (蘇偉銓), this year’s festival features 100 exhibitors across 800 booths, along with numerous activities and fan meet-and-greets. Attendance is expected to reach 480,000 over the course of the event.
In line with the Cultural Ministry’s Culture Points initiative, a cash handout program designed to encourage young adults to engage in cultural activities, over 50 vendors are allowing limited-edition merchandise purchases to be partially covered using these points. The ministry recently extended Culture Points eligibility to individuals as young as 13, enabling junior high school students to participate.
However, Deputy Cultural Minister Lee Ching-hwi (李靜慧) expressed regret during the opening ceremony, noting that budget cuts have affected anime-related promotions and overseas outreach efforts. Even the expansion of Culture Points benefits at the festival was limited. Despite these challenges, Lee remains hopeful that the festival will continue to thrive and help propel Taiwan’s anime industry onto the global stage.