'It's a really great feeling': Anime fans mix and mingle at 25th annual Otafest
It’s been 25 years of celebrating Japanese anime, art and culture at the annual Otafest convention.
Thousands filled the Telus Convention Centre over the May long weekend dressed up as their favourite anime characters and cosplay artists.
The event focuses on welcoming everybody who is new to the scene or are passionate fans of the convention, that repeatedly sees more than 9,000 people attend every year.
There are dozens of vendors, hundreds of artists and a masquerade ball.
“It's a weekend of fun it's a weekend of inclusion,” said Behfar Lotfizadeh, vice chair of experiences at Otafest.
“We are primarily a Japanese pop culture and anime festival.”
Lotfizadeh says there are lots of cosplay contests for attendees to participate in.
“They will be given prizes this year. It's our 25th anniversary so we got some glass nice glass trophies for them to take home as as part of the winning package,” he said.
“They can come shopping see artists from around the country a lot of local artists as well.”
For cosplayers like Arc, he says the convention is a place where anyone can meet.
“Normally you don't get the chance to meet people who have the exact same interest to you,” said Arc.
“So it's a really great feeling when you have a room full of those people with like 100 people who all know what you're talking about and like the same thing as you do.”
Arc says other event goers know who he is by how he is dressed.
“I'm wearing a Persona 3 cosplay here, and people will immediately shout the name of the game, of the character that I am dressed up as,” said Arc.
“And then we can easily have a conversation”
Tickets are already on sale for the festival in 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.