Crunchyroll is teaming up with Museum of the Moving Image to host a free live watch party of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the tenth iteration of the annual anime celebration and awards show, at the Museum’s grand Redstone Theater in Astoria, New York on Saturday, May 23. There will also be a gallery screening program on view from May 15 to October 12.
Opening at 3:00 a.m. EST, the Museum will host a 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards free live watch party for New York audiences, starting with the pre-show at 4:00 a.m. EST. The main event follows 5:00 a.m., but fans are encouraged to visit as soon as doors open in order to view the gallery program, enjoy refreshments, and take photos in cosplay before the livestream begins. The event will be free and open to the public, and MoMI and Crunchyroll members get RSVP access, with more details to be announced soon.
The screening program is titled Anime’s Ascendant Decade, and it’s presented in the Museum’s Jane Henson Amphitheater. The program will feature full episodes from Crunchyroll Anime Awards–nominated and -winning series from 2017 to the present. Each episode will play on continuous loop in the gallery for a two-week period, and the selected anime will be announced on the Museum’s website. What’s more, the Museum will present a mural-size artwork by Japanese manga artist Acky Bright.
The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards will be held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on Saturday, May 23, with Sony Music Solutions Inc. and Dempsey Productions supporting Crunchyroll in the execution of the event. A pre-show will be held on May 23 at 5:00 p.m. JST, followed by the live ceremony at 6:00 p.m. JST. Fans can vote every day through April 15 on the Anime Awards Official Website, Crunchyroll, and MyAnimeList. GRAMMY-winning artist The Weeknd will present the Anime of the Year award at the awards show.
