AGF 2026 (Animate Girls Festival) in Ikebukuro, Nov 7–8: tickets, face-ID entry and what foreigners need (as of 2026-09-23)

AGF 2026 (Animate Girls Festival 2026) takes place on Saturday November 7 and Sunday November 8, 2026 at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo — the main hall needs a ticket (from ¥800), while the stage shows in the Fountain Plaza are free to watch.

The main venue, where companies sell goods and exhibit, is open 9:00–17:00 each day, and there are four ticket types priced ¥800–¥3,000 (tax included). Of the four, the only one open for applications on September 23 is the General ticket (¥1,800) lottery, which closes on September 24 at 23:59 JST. E-tickets use face recognition and require two accounts (CLUB animate and MOALA), a registered face photo and a smartphone with a data connection on the day. Of the four tickets, the one you can buy without any account is the paper Evening ticket, printed at a 7-Eleven (official site and animate ticket, checked 2026-09-23).

This page collects what an overseas visitor needs — when, how much, how to buy and what to bring — using only the organiser's official site, the animate ticket sales pages and the organiser's press releases, each checked on 2026-09-23. For the rest of Ikebukuro's fan district, see our Ikebukuro Otome Road guide.

AGF 2026 at a glance (checked 2026-09-23)

A naming note: "AGF" is also the name of coffee maker Ajinomoto AGF, which is again the festival's special sponsor in 2026 (visitors receive free AGF® coffee sticks). Searching "AGF2026 animate" gets you to the right event faster.

The four tickets: prices and entry times

All prices include tax, and e-tickets add a system fee. You cannot choose your entry slot or queue number — both appear on the ticket after it is issued (official ticket page).

• Fast, General and Afternoon: one ticket per person per day. Evening: up to three per person per day (three per transaction)
• Everyone from elementary-school age up needs a ticket. Preschool children enter free but cannot buy anything
• There is no ticket booth at the venue. First-come tickets left over are sold online on the day, and the Evening ticket switches to the ¥1,000 day price from 0:00 on November 7
• You can add a paid audio bonus (¥1,500 each, a choice of three titles) when you buy
• The JTB hotel package bundled with a Fast ticket was sold by lottery in July–August and is finished

Deadline calendar from September 23

How to buy AGF tickets from overseas

Tickets are sold through animate ticket. Before you can apply for an e-ticket (Fast, General or Afternoon), four steps must be finished — the application cannot be completed otherwise (official "how to use e-tickets" page):

1. Register for CLUB animate. Sign-up includes SMS verification. Japanese mobile numbers starting 090, 080 or 070 work; for a non-Japanese mobile number there is an "international SMS verification" route, which the CLUB animate FAQ describes as available for "some regions only"
2. Create a MOALA account with an email address you will still be using in November 2026
3. Register your face photo in MOALA. On the day, a camera matches your face against this photo. The photo cannot be changed for a year, so take it with the same glasses and fringe you will have at the event
4. Link CLUB animate and MOALA on your animate ticket My Page

Foreign nationals must register their real name in the alphabet exactly as it appears on an official ID such as a passport; nicknames and aliases are refused. Payment is by credit card or cash at a 7-Eleven counter. The animate ticket FAQ lists "in principle JCB / VISA / MASTER / AMEX", but it does not say whether cards issued outside Japan go through.

Enquiries are by email only, and the official site states that messages in any language other than Japanese cannot be answered.

The one no-account ticket: Evening

The Evening ticket is sold on animate ticket without membership or log-in, is a paper ticket and skips face recognition. You pay, print it at a 7-Eleven store in Japan, and you can buy up to three at once for friends. The catch is time: entry starts at 15:00 or 15:35, the main venue closes at 17:00 and new entry stops at 16:30, so you get about two hours at most. Popular booths can sell out or close their lines, so if a limited item is the goal, an e-ticket slot is the safer bet.

Missed out? The official resale

Every resale or transfer outside the official resale is banned — even a family member holding a letter of authorisation cannot enter on your ticket. The official resale trades at face value. Buyers do not need CLUB animate, but must complete identity verification (eKYC) and a face photo in MOALA, and pay by credit card (debit and prepaid cards included). Sellers need a bank account in Japan. Evening tickets and JTB-package tickets cannot be listed.

What to bring and how entry works

• Your valid passport (the original). AGF 2026's accepted IDs include a passport and a residence card; copies, photos of ID and student cards are refused. Staff check ID at random, at check-in and inside
• A smartphone with a live data connection (latest Safari on iOS or latest Chrome on Android). Screenshots or printouts of the e-ticket are refused, so sort out mobile data before the day
• Check-in is at Sunshine Plaza on the 4th floor of the World Import Mart Building, and the queue is outdoors — bring rain gear and a warm layer
• After check-in you cannot leave the queue until you enter, so use the toilet first
• After the face check, staff fasten a wristband on your right wrist. Same-day re-entry is allowed until 16:50, with the wristband and a face check at each area entrance
• Suitcases, large luggage and wheeled bags are not allowed (walking aids and oxygen equipment are exempt). Strollers may come in as they are, though there is no stroller parking and aisles can be hard to pass when crowded; wheelchairs may enter too — there is a wheelchair-accessible multipurpose toilet, and staff will guide you to elevators between floors (per the official FAQ). The main venue has no coin lockers, no bag storage and no ATM — use lockers elsewhere in Sunshine City or nearby
• No eating inside; only drinks with a cap are allowed. Moving between areas involves a lot of stairs, so wear comfortable shoes

What you can enjoy without a ticket

• Exhibitor stages in the Fountain Plaza (Alpa B1), 10:20–20:00 both days. The atrium around B1–3F is free standing room. The seated priority area needs a pass handed out by each stage; some passes are handed out at booths inside the main venue, which then requires an entry ticket
• Free live stream on ABEMA (no sign-up needed), with archives until 18:00 on Friday November 13
• Eve-of event on Friday November 6, 17:30–20:00 (planned), in the Fountain Plaza — free to watch; the seated area is allocated by CLUB animate lottery (closes October 4)
• AGF2026 free rest spot at animate Theater on November 7, open to anyone
• The animate Ikebukuro flagship store shows the stages (Nov 7–8) and the eve-of event live on its 1F in-store screens. An 18TRIP × AGF2026 campaign also runs November 7–15, with a limited-time display of stand-up panels on the store's 6F

Rules inside: goods, trading, cosplay and photos

• Entry does not guarantee that you can buy goods or join booth events; items run out and lines close early. Payment methods differ by booth, so check each booth's own announcements
• Visitor gifts near the main entrance, first come from 9:00 each day: one original shopping bag per person (Nov 7: STPR Family; Nov 8: Disney Sparkling Stars / Break My Case) and one set of two AGF® coffee sticks per person (random from 36 flavours)
• Trading goods is allowed only in the trading area in Blue AREA — no money may change hands, one hour maximum, standing only
• To attend in cosplay you must register for "acosta! – AGF2026 special edition". The main venue has no cosplay photo area; acosta! participants may enter the main venue free from 15:35. Heavy cosplay make-up can make the face check fail. General Japanese cosplay etiquette is in our cosplay rules for visitors
• Follow each booth's photo signs and staff instructions. Live-streaming from the venue is banned, and blur other visitors' faces before posting

Getting there

The venue is Sunshine City, 3-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo; our Sunshine City page covers the complex itself.

Times are to the Sunshine City entrance; the check-in point on the 4th floor of the World Import Mart Building is a further walk inside. To plan the rest of your day, try our one-day Ikebukuro itinerary, and for everything else on in Japan that month, see Japan events in November 2026 (Japan-Event).

FAQ

When and where is AGF 2026?

AGF 2026 is on Saturday November 7 and Sunday November 8, 2026 at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The main venue is open 9:00–17:00 each day (last new entry 16:30), and a free eve-of event runs on Friday November 6, 17:30–20:00 (planned), in the Fountain Plaza (Alpa B1). Checked on the official site, 2026-09-23.

How much are AGF 2026 tickets?

Tax included: Fast ¥3,000, General ¥1,800, Afternoon ¥1,000 and Evening ¥800 (¥1,000 on the day). E-tickets add a system fee. Everyone from elementary-school age needs a ticket; preschool children enter free but cannot buy anything.

Can foreigners or overseas residents buy AGF tickets?

Yes, through animate ticket. E-tickets need a CLUB animate account (with SMS verification — non-Japanese mobile numbers can use international SMS, available for "some regions only") and a MOALA account with a registered face photo, and your name must match the alphabet spelling on your passport. Of the four ticket types, the only one you can buy without an account is the paper Evening ticket, issued at a 7-Eleven. Enquiries are answered in Japanese only.

Can I use my passport as ID at AGF 2026?

Yes. AGF 2026's accepted IDs include a passport and a residence card. It must be the valid original — copies, photos of ID and student cards are refused. Staff check ID at random at check-in and inside the venue.

Can I enjoy AGF 2026 without a ticket?

Yes. The exhibitor stages in the Fountain Plaza (Alpa B1) run 10:20–20:00 both days and the standing area is free. ABEMA streams them free, with archives until 18:00 on November 13. The seated priority area needs a pass handed out by each stage.

Are there same-day tickets for AGF 2026?

There is no ticket booth at the venue. If first-come tickets are left over, they are sold online on animate ticket on the day. The Evening ticket costs the ¥1,000 day price if bought from 0:00 on November 7.

Not yet confirmed

• Whether credit cards issued outside Japan are accepted by animate ticket (not stated officially)
• Which countries and regions CLUB animate's international SMS verification supports
• Whether a non-Japanese address can be registered for CLUB animate
• Whether the official resale's identity check (eKYC) can be completed with a passport or other non-Japanese ID
• Payment methods at each booth (cash only, or cards and e-money)
• Whether there is any English signage or English-speaking staff (not stated on the official site; the enquiry desk is Japanese only)

Sources (checked 2026-09-23)

• Animate Girls Festival Executive Committee — Animate Girls Festival 2026 official site (overview, tickets, e-ticket guide, cautions, FAQ, check-in guide, access, official resale, stages, eve-of event, trading area, beginner's guide, in Japanese): https://agf-ikebukuro.jp/s/agf2026/
• animate ticket — General ticket page: https://animate-ticket.com/events/304 · Fast ticket page: https://animate-ticket.com/events/303 · FAQ: https://animate-ticket.com/faqs
• CLUB animate — FAQ (SMS verification, overseas phone numbers): https://www.club-animate.jp/faqs/view
• Animate Holdings Co., Ltd. press releases via PR TIMES (August 3, 2026: stages and paid bonuses; September 1, 2026: visitor gifts and collaborations): https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000008730.000016756.html · https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000008884.000016756.html

--- Update log: 2026-09-23 published (official ticket information, cautions and FAQ; animate ticket sales pages; organiser press releases).