News
Comic Market 100 Drew 170,000 Attendees Across 2 Days
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The Comic Market (Comiket) 100 event in Tokyo drew about 170,000 people across both days, with the organizers limiting the number of attendees due to the current COVID-19 situation. Only about 85,000 attendees were allowed per day, with only about 10,000 circles (collaborative creative groups) allowed to participate per day.
Comic Market 99 had allowed around 55,000 participants per day when it was held on December 30-31. Two Comiket staffers were diagnosed with COVID-19 on January 4. The staff later reported that four more people linked to the event tested positive for COVID-19.
Comiket 97 in December 2019 drew 750,000 attendees across four days, an all-time high in the convention's history. Comiket 97was only the second time in the convention's history that it ran for four days (the first time being in the prior Comiket 96). The convention will mark its 47th anniversary this December. It initially ran several times a year, before settling in its current semiannual schedule in the 1980s.
Comiket 100 took place this past weekend on August 13-14. It started at 10:30 a.m. instead of the usual 10:00 a.m.
The event had previously planned in January to use part of Tokyo Big Sight itself to check for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and to take temperatures. The staff had said they thought attendees would need to prove they've had three vaccination shots (so including a booster shot) in order to be able to attend. The event then dropped the requirement for proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test in June, but still made mask wearing indoors mandatory, except when eating or drinking (though the event prohibited talking during meals). The event also took attendees' temperatures prior to issuing them wristbands for entry.
Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web