The Hatsune Miku Expo is a yearly concert that takes place in different cities across the world. Aside from the virtual songstress that the expo is named after, vocaloid personas such as Kagamine Rin & Len, Meiko and Kaito also make appearances in the concert. The inaugural event took place in 2014 at Jakarta, Indonesia. Since then, the expo has only increased in scale and has been held in cities across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

This year, the Hatsune Miku Expo was successfully held in various European cities in January 2020, but it also saw the cancellation of dates in Canada and the US that were set for the latter half of the year.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic on large-scale events was something that Crypton Future Media, the organizers of the Miku Expo, addressed in their announcement for 2021. “With the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) making it difficult to carry out new tours, we are planning a crowdfunding campaign in order to create an online concert for fans in Japan and around the world to enjoy.”

The announcement from the company also included the official poster for Miku Expo Online 2021.

On November 12, 2020, the crowdfunding campaign was launched and within 24 hours, they were able to reach their base goal of 25 million yen, and their “stretch goal” at 30 million yen, which adds 2 songs to the concert setlist. On November 14, the campaign reached yet another stretch goal at 35 million yen, which adds 2 more songs to the setlist, for a new total of 14 songs.

Although the concert will be distributed for free in Japan and worldwide, fans who helped the campaign will receive prizes based on the tier of their contribution. At the lowest tier of 1,000 yen (~$10), fans will have their names appear at the endroll credits and can gain access to a newsletter about the Expo. At the highest tier, priced at 600,000 yen (~$5,700), fans will receive prizes like signed merchandise, an HD copy of the concert, and rights to make suggestions for stage objects and a song of their choice to be integrated into the show.

The crowdfunding campaign is set to end 60 days after its launch. You can view the crowdfunding page on Kickstarter or find out more about the Expo through the official website.