Cosplay Carnival 2022: The Year’s Summer Extravaganza

The return of live events had the cosplay community’s excitement surging to the brim as Cosplay Carnival 2022 came through the SMX Convention Center Manila with a caravan of fun and enjoyment last April 30 and May 1. It has been two years since the last edition, so the Carnival made a huge comeback as it filled multiple halls with many attractions and entertainment that cosplayer and enthusiasts eagerly enjoyed.

Already on its fifth year, Cosplay Carnival has always delivered a bonanza of activities, games, contests and attractions that have appealed to attendees both young and young-at-heart alike. There was a multitude of colorfully varied exhibitors, booths, stalls and attractions that eagerly catered to new and veteran con-goers alike who all missed the joy of doing on-site shopping. Indeed, hobbyists, collectors and the plain curious were squealing in glee with the incredible amount of merch, art and rare items that could be had at the different zones of the venue.

There were also many amazing artists and cosplayers who got to offer their art, prints and merch to the public, and their customers just keep on coming. For cosplayers like Zack and Roxanne, their booth was a way for them to showcase their work and get to meet their fans and friends whom they have not seen in a long time.

There was even a unique pop up photo studio by District 1 Cosplay Studio where attendees can have wonderful photos against wonderfully crafted Japanese-themed sets for a very reasonable price, and they had lines of eager customers all weekend long.

Along with the many fantastic attractions all around the venue, the Carnival boasted a solid and exciting lineup for its program with explosive opening performances from Japanese rap group Pi Pa Posse and DNE: Day Night Explorers.

Event hosts Naru, Envy and Kenkoy welcomed everyone to the show and whipped up everyone to a frenzy as they took the stage for the first time in two years. They had the audience engaged and animated with Cosplay Auctions, where the audience could bid on fantastic new or pre-loved items, with some starting at just one peso.

Cosplay Karaoke ran for both days with both anime and mainstream editions, with some of the best singers in the community going toe to toe with each other in giving their best musical performances. They had the audience cheering and singing along to well-loved tunes that transcended generations.

The audience was also delighted with community-centric games like Pick-a-Tune, Trivia Throne Throwdown, and Frenemy Feud, where they got to test their knowledge of anime, games and music for the chance to come out victorious in these battles of wits, and with great prizes to boot.

Cosplay OTP saw the return of live cosplay contests as contestants showed off their cosplays and talents in front of the crowd. Cosplay OTP had cosplayers do their splendid catwalks after which they made unique “tags” as the went in and out the stage, to the delight of fans and judges alike. Those who did particularly well got amazing prizes for different categories during the awarding.

Day 2 got to feature a much-anticipated Cosplay Dance Duet where pairs of contestants thrilled the audience with their frenetic and creative performances that wowed the crowd. The audience could not get enough as cheers and shrieks echoed in praise of the dynamic dance duos on stage. The winners got to take home some really great prizes for being jusged the best.

Cosplay carnival 2022 is not without an international guest cosplayer for the first time in two years. Indeed Plant Lily delighted her many devoted Filipino fans with interviews up on stage during her appearances on both days. She also had engaging Meet and Greet and Photograph sessions with her many fans at the Cosshoppe. Ever gracious and truly endearing, Plant Lily made her mark on everyone at Cosplay Carnival.

Then there were the announcements for the next event, namely Anime and Cosplay Expo: ACX to be held on July 16-17, 2022 at the SMX Convention Center Manila along with the new Plus Ultra ticketing scheme, as well as hinting that the biggest cosplay event in the country, Cosplay Mania, will be bigger than ever before and will happen on October.

And as always, arkadymac.com was there for the cosplayers. There were so many in attendance, all eager and excited to be able to cosplay again, all with a wide range of characters and themes. They have let us know that despite the pandemic, cosplay will continue to thrive with the thousands of cosplayers who are passionate and earnest in their craft.

arkadymac.com is proud to have been Cosplay Carnival 2022’s official media partner for the fifth straight year, and we have seen that the event truly marked the incredible return of live cosplay events. Many thanks to everyone on the arkadymac.com team for the photos, videos and reporting for this coverage.

And thank you for dropping by. Do visit us again for more features here at arkadymac.com.

About The Author