| Manifest (Melbourne Anime Festival) | |
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Venue | Melbourne Showgrounds |
| Location(s) | Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Inaugurated | 2000 |
| Most recent | 2013 |
| Attendance | 9,000 as 2011[1] |
Melbourne Anime Festival, colloquially known as "Manifest", was a three-day fan convention held in Melbourne, Australia. It focused on the art of anime and manga, East Asian culture, and its associated fandoms. Manifest was held at the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne until 2009, when it moved to the Melbourne Showgrounds. It was held in August each year. Following the 2013 convention, Manifest closed.
Manifest was run by the not-for-profit organisation MAFI (Melbourne Anime Festival Inc.) and staffed entirely by volunteers. The organising committee held regular meetings to plan and organise the event, and was made up of 30-75 people. In addition, more than a hundred individuals volunteered their time on the event weekend to help run the convention.
Manifest was originally held at the University of Melbourne until 2009, when it moved to the Melbourne Showgrounds. On 1 December 2013, it was announced that Manifest would not be running again in 2014 due to financial and staffing issues.[2]
| Dates | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 11–12 October 2001 | Melbourne University Old Arts Building Melbourne, Australia[3] | |
| 10–11 August 2002 | Melbourne University Melbourne, Australia[4] | |
| 8–10 August 2003 | University of Melbourne Economics and Commerce Building Melbourne, Australia[5] | |
| 14–15 August 2004 | University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Melbourne, Australia[6] | |
| 23–25 September 2005 | University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Melbourne, Australia[7] | |
| 22–24 September 2006 | University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Melbourne, Australia | 3,500 (estimated)[8] |
| 14–16 September 2007 | University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Melbourne, Australia | 4,400 (estimated)[9] |
| 26–28 September 2008 | University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Melbourne, Australia[10] | 4,800 (estimated)[10] |
| 21–23 August 2009 | Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia[11] | 6,750 (estimated)[11] |
| 20–22 August 2010 | Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia[12] | |
| 26–28 August 2011 | Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia | 8,900 (estimated)[1] |
| 17–19 August 2012 | Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia[13] | |
| 16–18 August 2013 | Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia[14] |