I made sure that my second trip in Cebu will be in an otaku event — and not just any otaku event, it has to be the largest one.
I’ve been to three personal trips to explore the anime/cosplay culture — in Davao, in Singapore, and in Baguio.
Now, I’m going back to Cebu to witness one of its biggest events— Otakufest.
Last time, I featured Otakufest when it held its World Cosplay Summit Philippines Preliminaries, and now I’m going to feature it again — this time, in person.
Otakufest started as an event held inside UP Cebu and has grown to be one of the city’s largest Cosplay and Hobbies Convention-in fact, they gathered 5,000 visitors in 2017!
Held every February, it has become an opening event for anime/cosplay fans and hobbyists. (Last year, they got Bless4 to perform there.)
#2daysofOF
If you noticed their website, they have the whole story and the milestones there, but this year’s Otakufest will be different. Those who got used to attending it know that it’s held in just one day, but how about if they held it for two days?
World Cosplay Summit Philippines (WCSPH) 2019 Cebu Preliminaries
As part of my ongoing tradition of taking a peek into the developments of the World Cosplay Summit in the Philippines, I’ll be featuring its 2019 Cebu Preliminaries wherein two teams will represent Cebu in the Nationals coming soon.
Pop Culture Hiroshima Philippines Qualifiers & National Finals
I’ve noticed that Japan’s Pop Culture Hiroshima (PCH) has a foothold in the Philippines after partnering with Ambox Events (which handles WCSPH activities in Cebu and Davao), but to have a National Finals already? Time sure flies fast.
On this part, I’ll be checking out the story of PCH which also opened its doors to countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and India.
WCSPH 2018 Team Philippines Team Sekai as well as Reika will be gracing the event. Reika will even have her own meet and greet session there.
“One Piece” Day
Speaking of WCSPH, manga behemoth Shueisha partnered with the World Cosplay Summit to hold the One Piece Cosplay Grand Prix in line with the 10th year anniversary celebration of the series’ first TV broadcast in Japan.
Among the activities are trivia contests, a One Piece showcase and a cosplay competition exclusive for those who will come to Otakufest’s second day as characters from the show. Notable Cebuana cosplayer and game streamer Miles “Mais” Semblante will be hosting this event.(See the complete list of activities in this post.)
Pastel∞Mix
Let us not forget, World Cosplay Summit Philippines ambassadresses Pastel∞Mix will be performing at the event as well. After all, their stand-out performance in the first Manila Idol Matsuri in Makati left fans wanting for more. I can already see people wanting to go to Otakufest because of them.
These are aside from a lot of activities that are in store:
- Digital Photography Competition
- Ramen Eating Competition
- Asian Pop Dance Competition
- Japanese Singing Competition
- Original Character Design Competition
- Artist Alley
- Cosplay Parade
- Local Cover Band Performances
- Toys and Figures Collector Exhibits
- Sabersturm Tournament
- Yu-Gi-Oh! and Cardfight!! Vanguard Tournaments
Again, this is not my first time in Cebu — but it shall be my first time meeting Cebu’s anime/cosplay community.
More than that, I actually promised notable Cebuana cosplayer Diane Marie Sabandeja and Cebuano Cosplay Event Buzzer Gary Montejo that I will be there.
On a personal note, Gary and Serena from The Lily Cat will also be joining me on yet another journey as I commemorate my 10th year as an active anime/cosplay fan. Words are not enough to say that I’m excited.
See you on the weekend of February 23–24 at SM Seaside City Cebu’s Garden Maze area for #2daysofOF!
Tickets are sold online through Ticket2Me (Day 1 / Day 2 = Php150; Both days = Php300)— it’s advised to get a partner with you as admission is sold for a minimum of two tickets. (Protip: You can get Php100 cashback if you pay using GCash.)
keepsakes. is a media partner for Otakufest 2019.
