Now accepting applications for the Let's Glow! BART Anime Festival
The Let's Glow! BART Anime Festival returns to Warm Springs/South Fremont Station on September 19, 2026, 4pm to 9pm, for a celebration of anime, comics, gaming, and novel (ACGN) culture. We’ll announce more details on cosplay, itashas, freebie trading, stamps, exclusive merch, a detailed schedule, and more in the next few months!
In the meantime, BART is looking for artists, fan clubs, and food/boba trucks to join us at the event.
- Artist Alley: BART is now accepting applications for the Let's Glow! Artist Alley. Apply here. Applications close June 1.
- Note: We will have an expanded artist alley this year with space for approx. 100 artists.
- Artists, circles, and teams (local or traveling) of all skills, styles, mediums, and catalog sizes (small or large) are encouraged to apply. Artists will be selected to ensure a variety of styles & goods are represented, in addition to appropriateness for our event. Our focus is on promoting public transit, BART, and BART’s anime mascots, and we’ll give priority preference to artists with work that touches upon these themes.
- Fan Club tables: Run a local fan club or fan convention? We’d love to have you table at our event! Fan Club & Fan Convention Table application mid-June.
- Itashas: We will have a parking lot dedicated to wrapped vehicles (cars, bikes, mopeds, etc) managed by Dreamscape. An application form will be posted in June.
- Do you run a food or boba truck on wheels? We’re especially interested in having local vendors who can make custom food & drinks themed around our mascots or BART. Please reach out to Tom Williams at [email protected].
We have Coloring Sheets for BART Anime Mascots Mira and Jasmine and a How to Make a BART costume guide!
- Coloring Sheet: Jasmine (Caltrain costume) by nackoyo (PDF file)
- Coloring Sheet: Mira (BART costume) by nackoyo (PDF file)
- Zine: How to Make a BART Train Costume by shmuh (PDF file)
Inspired by BART frontline employees and BART-contracted animals (goats, hawks) who have gone on to reach national fame, the anime mascots highlight the tight-knit connections between BART and the Bay Area. The anime mascots will help us in our mission to promote public transportation use, especially among youth riders, a growing and reliable ridership demographic. BART's new mascots were inspired in part by public transportation agencies in Japan and Taiwan, which use anime mascots to connect with their riders and communities.
The mascots were introduced in 2023 following an open call for California-based artists BART released in Summer 2022. The call was wildly popular, receiving nearly 500 submissions. Following the call, BART worked with selected artists to conceptualize and create the mascots, which will serve as BART's friendly and approachable avatars.
We encourage people to cosplay as our mascots! You can find cosplay guides by @craftysorceress below.
Characters
Baylee
A star online influencer who grew up in the East Bay. Knowledgable about all things Bay Area & Northern California, especially when it comes to the best food and hottest spots in town!
Nimbus
You can often find Nimbus on top of the hills, taking in the breezy wanderlust of the Bay Area. The nature and civilization below provides tons of inspiration for the stories he writes with his friendly hawk companion.
Jasmine
High school student & aspiring streetwear fashion designer who really, really loves trains! She is fully decked out with a custom-made outfit: her iconic legacy train bag, an Oakland Wye hair pin, and of course, her iconic “I ❤ BART” button badge! Knows the ins-and-outs of transit and arrives early to parties.
Mira
Joined BART as a System Service Worker and studied to become a Train Operator. A friendly face who has gotten to know her regulars over the years. There’s a small chance you may even see her on your next train or in the lobby of favorite online game.
Barty
The reincarnated bunny spirit of a legacy car who has seen it all. Always available to help BART riders find their way around town with a cheerful mood.
Merch
Get official mascot merch on http://railgoods.com/bart/anime We have acrylic standees and sticker sheets of all the mascots: Baylee, Jasmine, Mira, and Nimbus.
