Thousands of anime fans are expected to descend on Warm Springs/South Fremont Station next month as BART brings back its Let’s Glow! anime festival for a second year, this time with over 100 artists, a fleet of anime-wrapped cars, and a virtual pop concert. The free event runs from 4 PM to 9 PM on September 19, and organizers are betting it will top last year’s surprise turnout.
BART is framing the festival as a celebration of anime, art, music, cosplay, and transit fandom, inviting fans to join thousands of others at the station, according to a post from BART announcing the event. The 2026 edition builds on the inaugural festival, which drew more than 4,000 attendees in 2025, according to Bay Area Rapid Transit. This year’s programming expands well beyond last year’s footprint, with an Artist Alley featuring more than 100 creators, an itasha exhibit showcasing over 50 anime-wrapped vehicles, a wotagei fan-dance workshop led by performance group SanFlare, and a virtual concert produced by Neon Shrine featuring J-pop VTuber cover artists.
Come celebrate anime, art, music, cosplay and transit fandom with thousands of fellow fans. Let’s Glow! pic.twitter.com/qefwW0l6WI
— BART (@SFBART) August 14, 2026
A Marketing Bet on Gen Z Riders
The anime push is not just a fun weekend distraction — it is part of a deliberate strategy to win over younger riders as BART works to recover from pandemic-era declines in weekday commuter fare revenue. BART built its anime outreach project after internal analysis found that nearly half of Gen Z in the United States watches anime, identifying younger riders as key to the system’s long-term ridership recovery, per the Fremont Patch’s reporting on the transit agency’s rationale. The strategy echoes tactics used by transit systems in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, which have long relied on cute mascots to build public affinity and brand loyalty starting at a young age, according to Oakland North’s coverage of BART’s marketing approach…