In the earlier half of the year, there is a lull in events that cosplayers can take part in. That lull is broken by the first major cosplay event of the year, Cosfest. Cosfest 2017 is the 16th installment of this annual event and is held as always at Downtown East’s D’Marquee.

As the name suggests, Cosfest is an event that focuses mainly on providing an area and stage for cosplayers to show off their costumes and performing talents. What makes Cosfest special is that the cosplay is not just from anime, but from comics, games and even K Pop! This special blend of so many influences makes Cosfest a vibrant event. Also due to its location in Downtown East, event goers can choose to rent out chalets to stay right in the vicinity of the venue, making going down to the event even more convenient.

However, due to the construction works going on near the event area, the space available is a lot more restricted than previous years and this also gives the impression that there are less event participants. Hopefully when the construction works are finally done, we will be able to get an even better event venue with plenty of space for everyone. In addition, the event stage has a less than ideal sound system which does affect the overall mood of the event. This issue has been persisting for several years already so I guess everyone has gotten used to it already.

Taking all complaints aside, Cosfest is an event for cosplayers and if you are a cosplayer or a cosplay fan. After having attended this event on and off for the last 4 years, I have noticed that nothing much has changed about Cosfest and that’s what makes it appealing. The biggest change that I would have to complain about would definitely be about the available space.

Back when I first attended Cosfest in 2012, the impression I had was cosplay taking over the whole place. Downtown east, in those 2 days, would transform into a cosplayer town. There was enough space for everyone; cosplayers could find a good shady spot to pose, photographers had all the room to shoot and the casual event go-ers had plenty of good spots to take a break during the event. But for this year, it felt like everyone was squeezing into the event and the usual atmosphere of an event venue you could explore with ease felt more like suffocating in a crowded mall. In a way, I feel that this event lost it’s special touch for me.

All in all, Cosfest is an event that lets you hang out with your friends to have fun and take a break from the mundane lives that we all lead. It may have changed in the past, but not all change is bad and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what will Cosfest 2018 bring to the table!