Global Creator Festival at VRChat: Virtual Market 2026 Summer (Vket) Opens Sign Ups for General Creator Exhibitors!

HIKKY Co., Ltd. announced that Virtual Market 2026 Summer, the 16th edition of its global creator event held in VRChat, will take place July 11–26, 2026 (JST) for a total of 16 days.

Starting today, March 6, 2026 (JST), applications are open for creator exhibitors who wish to participate in the event.

In addition, beginning with Virtual Market 2026 Summer, Vket will launch a new initiative [Vket Invited Worlds] that features popular VRChat community worlds as official Vket exhibition venues for creators.

Virtual Market 2026 Theme: Heat

The theme for Virtual Market in 2026 is Heat.

Throughout the year, Virtual Market will highlight the idea that creative passion drives new ideas, communities, and cultural innovation. The event aims to ignite the enthusiasm of creators and provide a platform where their work can inspire audiences from around the world.

For Virtual Market 2026 Summer, the event theme is “Ignition Point.”

Inspired by the concept of heat, this theme represents the moment when creative energy sparks into action, serving as the starting point that ignites enthusiasm and inspires creators to begin new works.

New Initiative: Vket Invited Worlds Brings Popular VRChat Worlds into Virtual Market

Starting with Vket 2026 Summer, HIKKY will launch Vket Invited Worlds, a new initiative that brings popular VRChat community worlds into Virtual Market as official exhibition venues.

The first world featured is Poppy Street (Poppy Yokocho), often known as "Popiyoko." Originally released on September 29, 2019, the world has recorded over 6.5 million visits, making it one of the most popular worlds in VRChat. Widely recognized as a cultural landmark within the community, it will appear as a creator exhibition world in Vket 2026 Summer.

By welcoming long-established community worlds as exhibition venues, Vket will create new opportunities for discovery and interaction, allowing both creators and visitors to connect in environments that many users already know and enjoy.

Virtual Market 2026 Summer: Exhibitor Information

Virtual Market 2026 Summer will feature 19 exhibition worlds for creator participants, including 16 PC worlds across seven themes and three cross-platform worlds under one theme.

Due to the high number of creator applications during Vket 2025 Winter, the number of exhibition worlds has been expanded for this event. Creators can choose the venue that best matches their creative style.

[Exhibition Formats]

Virtual Market offers three exhibition formats: Space Exhibition, Item Exhibition, and Avatar Exhibition. Creators can choose the format that best fits their works and creative skills.

* Exhibiting in the Poppy Street world will be available through the Space Exhibition format only. Space dimensions differ from those in other worlds.

Please refer to the official Virtual Market exhibition guidelines for details.

[Schedule]

Applications for Exhibitor Application will be open from March 6 to March 16, 2026.

The first lottery results are scheduled to be announced on March 25, 2026, followed by the second lottery results on April 3, 2026.

For the full schedule, please refer to the image above.

*All dates and times are in Japan Standard Time (JST). Schedule is subject to change.

[Exhibition Spaces & Fees]

◆ PC Worlds — Space Exhibition
​Capacity: 650 spaces (including 40 in the Poppy Street world)
​Exhibition Fee: ¥3,300 (tax included)

◆ PC Worlds — Item Exhibition
​Capacity: 132 spaces
​Exhibition Fee: ¥1,100 (tax included)

◆ Cross-Platform Worlds — Avatar Exhibition
​Capacity: 75 spaces
​Exhibition Fee: Free

*Cross-platform worlds are VRChat worlds accessible on standalone VR headsets and Android devices supported by VRChat, in addition to PC.

[Application Link]

Please apply through the link below within the application period.

Companies interested in exhibiting are welcome to contact us through the link below.

[Creator Exhibition Worlds]

New PC Worlds

◆ ポピー横丁 Poppy Street

◆ Deep Mist

◆ Ohh-Edo! MECHANICA

◆ VOLTAGER

Returning PC Worlds

◆ Cocoon Art Aquarium Redive

◆ Argdella Rediscovered

◆ ​ SKY PARK-Renew

New Cross-Platform World

◆ The Alter Vista: Focus

What is Virtual Market (a.k.a. Vket)?

Virtual Market is one of the world’s largest* events held in an online virtual space known as the metaverse. Participants attend as avatars, where they can buy and sell 3D items, clothing, and real-world products such as food and beverages, while also enjoying attractions, games, and live music performances. The event offers a deeply immersive experience—much like spending time with friends in a real city. During the event period, Virtual Market is open 24 hours a day and can be joined free of charge using VR devices or a PC.

Since its launch in 2018, Virtual Market has been held twice a year, every summer and winter, welcoming a cumulative total of over 1.3 million visitors per event from around the world. To date, it has earned four Guinness World Records™ titles and continues to grow as a flagship event that expands new forms of value through virtual culture and communication.

Virtual Market also provides a fertile environment where creators and users meet, connect, and grow communities together. By integrating exhibitions from companies, public-sector organizations, and brands, the event has become a platform where new fan communities and opportunities for co-creation continue to emerge.

^{*Recognized by Guinness World Records™ for the largest number of booths at a virtual reality market event.}

Virtual Market 2026 Summer Overview

Event Name: Virtual Market 2026 Summer

Organizer: HIKKY Co., Ltd.

Event Period: July 11 – July 26, 2026 (16 days)

Admission: Free

Corporate Exhibition Worlds (VRChat): Parareal Akihabara / Parareal Broadway

VketReal Venue: Bellesalle Akihabara

Vket Official Website: https://vket.com/en

Official Social Media Links:

X : Virtual Market - Global (@enVket) on X

YouTube : VketChan

Instagram : Instagram (@vket_official)

The official Vket Discord server shares the latest news and event updates in real time. Exclusive campaigns and early announcements are also planned for the future. We invite you to join using the link below!

Discord : Join the Virtual Market - Global Discord Server!

You can also join the Discord server directly by scanning the QR code!

All dates and times are in Japan Standard Time (JST).

About HIKKY

HIKKY Co., Ltd. is an XR company driven by its mission, “Play Beyond Dimensions.” By combining emerging digital culture and creativity with the latest technology, HIKKY creates experiences and content designed to inspire excitement and discovery.

Since 2018, the company has organized Virtual Market (Vket), one of the world’s largest events held in VRChat, alongside VketReal, an XR event held in physical venues. Through these initiatives, HIKKY continues to create new experiences that connect digital and real-world spaces.

CEO: Yasushi Funakoshi

Head Office: Mitomi Building 4F, 1-20-22 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013, Japan

Founded: May 1, 2018

Corporate Website: https://hikky.co.jp/en

Business Information: https://hikky.co.jp/en/biz