C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019 — South East Asia’s biggest and most prestigious Japanese Pop Culture event, returns to bring the best and latest anime, cosplay, gaming, and anisong content to fans in Singapore and the region. Slated from 29th November to 1st December 2019 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, #C3AFASG19 organisers SOZO shared preliminary updates on festival highlights, as well as the celebrity line-up for its cosplay and anisong segments.
The 2019 edition, themed AFA Airways, will see dedicated zones on gaming, film, and competitions added to the expansive range of content, offering anime fans and Japanese pop culture enthusiasts three amazing days of exclusive content and unique experiences direct from Japan.
“This November, we hope to invite our customers to come on board with us, on a journey to all things J-Culture! C3AFA Singapore 2019 will be the ultimate destination for all J-Culture lovers celebrating Anime, Comics and Games. Pushing the envelope in all festival offerings – C3AFA Singapore 2019 promises to continue its legacy to bring alive the most loved contents made possible through exclusive and international access of Music Artists Cosplayers, Voice Actors, Producers, Creators and Publishers behind some of the biggest titles of the season.” said Mr Shawn Chin, Managing Director of SOZO and organiser of C3AFA Singapore 2019.
New Festival Highlights Shared
The annual festival, which drew 105,000 visitors from around the world last year, will offer a weekend of non-stop premium Japanese pop-culture content and entertainment. Organisers announced a series of new highlights:
Enhanced Experiences at AFA PLAY: It’s play time for anime and game lovers in this new dedicated zone! Visitors will be able to try their hands on playing anime games, take part in video game tournaments and analogue activities, and more!
Anime Movie Screenings at AFA Film Festival – Held for the first time and in conjunction with #C3AFASG19, the screening event will be held on Level 3 of the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre, during the #C3AFASG19 weekend. Fans can look forward to a curated line-up of anime movies and concert footage. Tickets for the film festival are sold separately.
Cultivating the new generation of local and regional talents – Competitions galore: Young aspiring singers will be able to showcase their passion for ANISONG at the C3AFA Singapore Karaoke competition. Visitors can also check out Art Duel, a one-on-one competition where illustrators battle and participate in knockout rounds of live drawing sessions, to win attractive prizes.
Returning favourites include an exhibition area with themed booths, anime-related merchandise, a Creators Hub (a dedicated area with booths selling fan-made merchandise such as art prints, t-shirts, enamel pins and more by budding artists), as well as the Akiba Stage for performances.
The Day Stage, a key festival highlight, will play host to special anime screenings, showcases, talk shows and guest appearances throughout the day. Guests include behind-the-scenes anime producers and directors, celebrity cosplayers, voice actors/actresses (seiyuus).
Organisers shared the first wave of anime title announcements, revealing three of many featured anime that will be presented in the festival:
NEKOPARA: A heart-warming visual novel series about living together with humanoid cats. The series has achieved widespread popularity with fans worldwide, and the game series has sold over 2 million copies. NEKOPARA OVA and NEKOPARA Extra ~The Kitten’s First Promise~ were successfully funded via Kickstarter, topping the animation category Kickstarter.
Yuriyuri: An anime series on the daily happenings of the Amusement Club, consisting of Akari Akaza, Kyoko Toshino, Yui Funami, and Chinatsu Yoshikawa, and an interfering Student Council.
Null & Peta: A new and original mixed media project consisting of a game and an anime. It features an elementary school inventor Null, and Peta, an elder sister robot built by Null. The original anime and game are launched globally on October 2019.
Cosplay Spectacular
With cosplay increasingly popular in the region, visitors will get the rare opportunity to meet, and even rub shoulders with some of the world’s finest cosplay personalities. Fans of Baozi & Hana, the extremely popular duo with a huge fan following in and beyond China, will have a final chance to catch their skilful portrayals, as the duo announced that they will be making their last cosplay appearance in #C3AFASG2019. Baozi & Hana’s first overseas cosplay appearance overseas was in Anime Festival Asia in 2013.
Cosplay guests who are confirmed for the festival include Hakken, Hikarin, Hiko, Hiroto, Mon, and Singaporean cosplayer Rithe.
Ready for Take Off with #C3AFASG19
#C3AFASG19 is a ticketed event, with tickets starting from SGD15 for exhibition access. Prior to #C3AFASG19 event days, VIP and GA I Love Anisong tickets can be purchased through the APACTix website at https://animefestival.asia/singapore19/tickets-2019/ .
During event days, tickets can be bought on site at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre’s 3rd floor concourse for the “EXHIBITION ONLY” and “EXHIBITION + STAGE” tickets. Tickets for the “I LOVE ANISONG” (EXHIBITION + STAGE + CONCERT) can be purchased outside Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre’s Hall 404 on the 4th floor.
C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019 Dates: 29 November – 1 December 2019 Location: Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre (Levels 3 & 4) Exhibition Timing: 10 am ~ 8pm