Sponsored: Anime lovers are in for a treat…

If you love Japanese culture, anime, art, or all three, you’re in for a treat. Anime mania is about to land in the UAE capital, with Animenia Festival all set to bring you an unforgettable celebration of this iconic art form from October 23 to 27 on Manarat Al Saadiyat.

This is your great chance to escape to neo-Tokyo, with Nippon-inspired live entertainment, globally-renowned anime directors, manga artists, game developers, cosplayers and your favourite anime characters all coming to town. When you’re ready to take a deep dive into the immersive worlds on display, you can explore Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, NARUTO and Sanrio, for the lifelong Hello Kitty fans.

Animenia will be held on stunning Saadiyat Island, and the event gives you the chance to interact with some of the biggest names in the business. Taking Animenia’s entertainment aspect to a whole new level will be a stellar line-up of concerts and J-pop performances.

Images: supplied

Dress up and win

You can look forward to the opportunity to win thrilling prizes totalling over a whopping Dhs400,000, with their one-of-a-kind international cosplay competition. This in itself is a record, being the highest value of prizes ever offered anywhere in the world by the event. Animenia will now give you the chance to get creative and dress up as your favourite cartoon characters from the world of anime, video games or manga, and compete in costume contests, which will also give you great photo opportunities and maximum entertainment value.

Meet and greet

You’ll be able to meet and greet anime directors, voice actors, manga artists and video game creators. Get ready to interact with fan-favourite characters like Naruto, Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan and Yuji Itadori from Jujutsu Kaisen.

As well, there’s the unmissable opportunity to have a meet and greet with Kenji Watanabe, the chief designer of Digimon, Naoto Ohshima, creator of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as Ryo Horikawa, who lent his voice for Vegeta from the world-renowned Dragonball Z.

Live entertainment

If you’re more about things to do in Abu Dhabi, there’s a gaming hub and engaging workshops, as well as opportunities to immerse yourself in the boundless creativity of anime. You’ll be able to step into themed exhibits, meet your favourite characters, get a taste of Japanese street food, like mouthwatering ramen and sweet mochi, and collect exclusive anime and manga merchandise.

The event will feature jaw-dropping acrobatic displays, musical acts like Rasha Rizk, anime singer Mojo, iconic band angela, and others. On Wednesday, October 23, look out for a performance from Yoko Takahashi of Neon Genesis Evangelion, a performance from songstress Junna on October 25 and a b-boy performance from Real Akiba Boyz. An electrifying musical performance also awaits, courtesy of 5-member rock outfit FLOW of Naruto fame.

Gaming and workshops

There’s a designated VR zone, E-sports zone, Japanese-style arcade games, a central stage with anime-inspired competitions and a publisher’s zone for you to try out, and fans can also unleash their creativity with an exciting line-up of Japanese and anime-themed workshops, offering entertainment for visitors of all ages. Car lovers can use the designated station to create and design their own models.

Animenia, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, October 23 to 27, Dhs65 (weekday pass), Dhs125 (weekend pass), Dhs425 (5-day pass), Dhs185 (concert tickets), Dhs145 (meet and greet), Dhs1,995 (super VIP pass). animeniaabudhabi.com. @animeniaabudhabi