Anime Festival Asia 2022 to return in Singapore from Nov 25 to 27

Southeast Asia’s biggest and most prestigious Japanese pop culture event Anime Festival Asia (AFA) will return to Singapore’s Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in a physical format this year. 

The experiential festival, which runs for a weekend from Nov 25 to 27, brings the best and latest trending anime, cosplay and gaming content to fans in Singapore and the region. It was last held physically in 2019, drawing over 120,000 visitors from over the world, before it pivoted to an online event during the pandemic.

This year’s edition promises a multiverse of fun and excitement to all animation, comics and games fans, and Japanese popular culture enthusiasts, said the organisers.

Themed AFAVERSE, visitors will be treated to a game-like experience with gamified elements incorporated into dedicated festival zones, ranging from anime experiences direct from Japan to an expanded AFA Creators Hub – a platform for local creatives to showcase their work.

This year’s festival will also feature AFA Night Live!, which presents a stellar cast of virtual Youtubers (VTubers) and artistes.

Fans can experience hololive Meet – a meet and greet session with some of the world’s most celebrated VTubers – for the first time in Singapore on Nov 26. I Love Anisong, one of the region’s most anticipated music events, will also return for one night on Nov 27.

Fans will get the opportunity to meet Vtubers like Moon Hoshinova, Anya Melfissa, Mori Calliope, Gawr Gura, who will make their debuts in Singapore. Vtubuer Tsunomaki Watame will also perform in a full 3-D concert titled Watame Night Fever!! on Nov 26.

Attendees will also be treated to an anime music festival, with four hours of concerts by four artistes/artiste groups and three special showcases by virtual talents. This includes artistes like famous vocalists JUNNA and May’n, virtual six-member idol group NHOT BOT and popular music Youtuber nanawoakari.

The festival will run from 10am to 8pm and general admission tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster from Sep 30. Ticket prices start from $21.

A two-day VIP ticket package is now available for purchase. The package allows access to exhibition grounds, meet and greet ballot chances for hololive Meet, autograph ballot chances for selected I Love Anisong performing artistes, as well as printed autograph posters.