Animenia Festival Abu Dhabi: What to expect from the city's first anime celebration

Fans of Japanese anime can look forward a five-day celebration of the art form when the Animenia Festival Abu Dhabi takes place later this month.

The inaugural event at Manarat Al Saadiyat begins on October 23 and will include concerts, celebrity meet-and-greets and a costume competition which has a prize pool of Dh400,000.

The festival is being organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. This is what to expect:

Live entertainment

Performances and talks including J-Pop concerts, acrobatic displays and Japanese shows will take place on stage. Musical headliners include Syrian singer-songwriter and cartoon voice actress Rasha Rizk, who is most well known for singing the title song for the Arabic dubbed version of Detective Conan. J-Pop band Flow will also be performing and will be accompanied by Anime singer Mojo and the band Angela.

Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi, who sang the hit song in the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, is expected to be one of the musical highlights. Her song, A Cruel Angel's Thesis, has received gold and platinum certifications since its release in 1995.

Other live planned performances include breakdancing unit Real Akiba Boyz, American instrumental video game cover band Powerglove and anime-inspired rock bands Blinding Sunrise, Koyomi, Catch Me Yesterday and Snowkel.

Interactive exhibits

Attendees will have the chance to be part of their favourite shows in interactive exhibits. Fans will also be able to meet characters like Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan, Yuji Itadori from Jujutsu Kaisen and Hello Kitty. Memorable scenes from famous shows will also be recreated for photo opportunities.

Gaming and workshops

A dedicated gaming zone, supported by AD Gaming, will include virtual reality experiences and a Japanese-style arcade of retro games. Fans of small racing cars called Tamiya will also be able to race against each other for prizes. Gundam fans, meanwhile, will be able to build intricate mecha models to take home.

Meet and greets

Some of the anime's biggest names will appear in Q&A sessions, with others available for photographs and autographs. Naoto Ohshima, the artist responsible for designing Sonic the Hedgehog, will be there. Others include Yoko Shimomura, the music composer of Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario RPG; Yutaka Abe, who worked on the Detective Conan show and manga series; and Ryo Horikawa, the voice behind popular character Vegeta from Dragon Ball.

Costume competition

No anime convention is complete without a sea of people dressed as their favourite characters. The cosplay competitions will be judged in different categories by the likes of Yuegene Fay from Thailand; Rian CYD from Indonesia; Naythero from France; and SayoChuu and SabCosplay from Latvia.

Animenia Abu Dhabi will run at Manarat Al Saadiyat from October 23 to 27. Tickets from Dh65 for one day or Dh425 for five