Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2023 (AFASG23) is back once again at Suntec Singapore Convention Centre on 24th November to 26th November 2023.
The organisers of Southeast Asia’s largest J-Culture & ACG festival has shared a series of updates on a global live stream on some of the key festival highlights.
“We’re proud to have played our part in the remarkable growth of the ACG community. From our modest beginnings in 2008 with just 30,000 attendees, we’ve seen AFA grow fivefold, hosting 145,000 attendees in 2022. Anime has transitioned from a niche interest to a mainstream genre, captivating people of all ages. In 2023, we’re thrilled to return to our pre-COVID offerings, promising the most popular and trending content to hit the market currently. Join us as we celebrate 15 years of Anime Festival Asia!”, said Shawn Chin, Founder of SOZO and organiser of AFASG23.
Concert Entertainment
Across the duration of AFASG23, music and anime fans can expect three nights of entertainment across 20 artistes and groups.
Highlights of AFA Night Concerts include:
- 24th November: I Love Anisong featuring artists ASTERISM, Liyuu, May’n, NANO, Survive Said The Prophet, and Tatsuya Kitani.
- 25th November: Nine artistes across three teams in one production, hololive Meet will see Sakura Miko, Hoshimachi Suisei, Ayunda Risu, Moona Hoshinova, Pavolia Reine, Kobo Kanaeru, Mori Calliope, IRyS, and Hakos Baelz in talk shows and a concert.
- 26th November: SACRA MUSIC FES will feature artistes FLOW, ASCA, halca, spira spica, and a special appearance by Nami Tamaki.
Special Collaborations
AFASG23 will host a series of special collaborations, including:
- Bushiroad Expo Asia 2023 will hold trading card game tournaments featuring The Bushiroad Championship Series 2023 Regional Championship and Shadowverse: Evolve World Invitational 2023 Regional Qualifier.
- Ultraman: Brought to you by Tsuburaya Productions will hold a series of activities from Ultraman appearances, Live Stage performances, to booth activities.
Day Stage Highlights
The AFA Day Stage located Hall 406 will host a series of screenings, guest talk shows and more through the three days of the event. The first wave of highlights include:
- 24th November
- SEA Special Premieres of “Chained Soldier” and “Tales of Wedding Rings”
- Special Guests: Iori Moe (AFA 2023 Official Ambassador), Shigure Ui (Illustrator)
- 25th November
- Seiyuus Ai Kayano and Yumi Uchiyama from “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation”, and Sumire Uesaka from “Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian”
- 26th November
- Seiyuu Soma Saito from “Rurouni Kenshin” will be a special guest on the Day Stage.
- MAPPA: Special guests will include Manabu Otsuka (CEO of MAPPA), Yuichiro Hayashi (Anime Director) and Mari Okada (Anime Director and Screenwriter)
- Cardfight!! Vanguard Talk Stage will feature Seiyuus Amane Shindo, Yuka Nishiro and Hina Aoki.
Exhibition: Akiba Town
Attendees can get their shopping on at Akiba Town, with more than 70 exhibitors showcasing their latest merchandise. Highlights include:
- HoYo FEST 2023
- Kotobukiya Store
- Lead Inc.
- MEDIA LINK
- Muse Communication
- RURUSAMA
Exhibition: Akiba Stage
The Akiba Stage housed inside the exhibition areas will showcase both Japanese and local artistes and talents including:
- Japanese Idol Group DEAR KISS
- Idol Group Forbidden Equation
- Singaporean Virtual Idol Group SO*DA
- Idol group KissBee
- V-Reverie
- TikTok Live’s Friday Music Show
- Virtual Talent Audition by Ziku-management Inc
- Amelia Khor
- Pentel ft Manda Dayoyo
- Golden Mix
- ASTRALINE project by Merryweather Media
- Cosplay Singles Competition
Creators Hub and Cosplay Hub
Over 120 of the best creators and 26 cosplay celebrities from around the world will be participating in AFA’s highly-anticipated Creator’s Hub:
- +Ely Cosplay+
- Angie0_0
- Amelia Khor 小飛鼠
- Baobao
- Charess
- HanaAme 雨波
- Kiyo
- Larissa Rochefort
- Xiaoyukiko
- Ying Tze
Enhanced Visitor Experience
AFAVERSE will make its return to AFASG23 for a more immersive game-like experience on-site.
Visitors will get a specially-designed NFC-enabled band where they can pair it with their smartphones to have a better experience via a dynamic dashboard to access the festival floorplan, schedules and more.
Additionally, visitors can also interact with various touch points across AFASG23, earning AFA-Coins to redeem prizes.
Ticket Details
All Anime Festival Asia 2023 tickets are available online via Ticketmaster here, with ticket prices starting from $28 per day.
For more information, do check out the official Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2023 website here.