INTRODUCTION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Welcome to a list and calendar of the anime, manga, games, and cosplay related events here in Singapore. If you are an anime fan, gamer, or Japanese culture lover – These are the events that you should not miss out on. Pack your bags, get your cameras ready, and prepare your costumes!
P.S. I will try to update this list occasionally, but cannot monitor it every single day – Please do comment below if there are event updates and if I missed out any.
QUARTER 1 (JAN TO MAR) 2020
ARATA J-CULTURE CREATIVE MARKETArata is a creative market hosting several artist booths. |
SINGAPORE LARP: BATTLE ARENALARP stands for “live-action role play”, and Singapore does have a small community of LARPers. Do join in if you are interested in some “old style physical exercise”. WHEN 11 Jan 2020 – 1800 to 2130 WHERE Parkland Green, East Coast Park ADMISSION $10, equipment rental is separate if you want to join in. NOTES NIL LINKS  |
HARAJUKU FASHION WALK SINGAPOREHarajuku fashion walk celebrates the Harajuku fashion (and culture) by parading down the streets of Singapore in style – Fashion and Japanese culture fans, feel free to join in and just enjoy a nice slow walk. WHEN 8 Feb 2020 – 1600 ADMISSION Free NOTES This is a fashion walk, please do not attend in cosplay! LINKS |
HANAMI POP UP MARKETThis is a small pop up market featuring various artist booths. |
SAKURA MATSURIAh, the sakura season right here in the heart of tropical Singapore. Enjoy the sakura in the Flower Dome in Gardens By The Bay, Japanese foods, performances, and more. WHEN 6 to 29 Mar 2020 – 0900 to 2100 ADMISSION $12 (adult) $8 (child and senior) NOTES Try to book the tickets online in advance if you don’t want to queue. LINKS  |
QUARTER 2 (APR TO JUN) 2020
MAY 4 STAR WARS DAYMay the force be with you, a day for Star Wars fans to remember. WHEN 4 May 2020 WHERE TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES Events will probably pop up island-wide. LINKS NA |
HARAJUKU FASHION WALK SINGAPOREHarajuku fashion walk, quarter 2 meet up. WHEN Q2 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES This is a fashion walk, please do not attend in cosplay! LINKS |
DOUJIN MARKETIn layman terms, Doujin can be translated as “fanart by independent self-published artists”. Yep, Doujin Market is something like Comiket of Singapore. |
QUARTER 3 (JUL TO SEP) 2020
COSFESTCosfest is another of the big events in Singapore, that is “officially” dedicated to cosplay – They have a different theme every year. |
HARAJUKU FASHION WALK SINGAPOREHarajuku fashion walk, quarter 3 meet up. WHEN Q3 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES This is a fashion walk, please do not attend in cosplay! LINKS |
PRINCE PARADEA female-oriented event hosting booths with goodies for the ladies. |
SINGAPORE NATSU MATSURIOrganized by the Japanese Association of Singapore (JAS), get a slice of Japanese culture here in Singapore. Summer Festival holds various food stands, performances, bon odori, and much more. WHEN Q3 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION TBC NOTES This is not a cosplay event – Please do not attend in cosplay. LINKS |
CAMPUS GAME FESTCall it the “big scale Internet party”. Campus Game Fest hosts various esports competitions between local and regional teams. WHEN Q3 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES Free event, but please reserve your tickets on their website first. LINKS |
QUARTER 4 (OCT TO DEC) 2020
GAMESCONGamescon is an event that is more geared toward game developers and a good one to go if you are interested in covering all kinds of games and technologies. WHEN 17 to 18 Oct 2020 ADMISSION TBC NOTES 15-16 Oct is closed to exhibitors and invitees only. LINKS |
GAMESTARTGamers, don’t miss this one out! Gamestart is an event that hosts esports competitions, covers releases/previews for all sorts of games. |
HARAJUKU FASHION WALK SINGAPOREHarajuku fashion walk, quarter 4 meet up. WHEN Q4 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES This is a fashion walk, please do not attend in cosplay! LINKS |
YOKAI FESTIVALHosted by the same people who brought you Cosfest, Yokai Festival is an anime-Halloween themed event. WHEN Q4 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION Free NOTES If you are attending in costume, make sure it is appropriate – Ghost, phantom, apparition, vampire, witch, etc… LINKS |
C3 ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA SINGAPORE (AFASG)AFA is one of the biggest anime events here in Singapore. You can expect a lot of foreign guests, cosplayers, performances, and even Anisong concerts. WHEN Q4 2020 – Date & Time TBC ADMISSION TBC NOTES Purchase the I Love Anisong tickets on AFA official website. LINKS |
SINGAPORE COMIC CONVENTION (SCC)Previously known as the Singapore Toys Games Comic Convention (STGCC) – This event has now “specialized” to just comics, featuring various artists. WHEN 5 & 6 Dec 2020 – 1000 to 2000 ADMISSION TBC NOTES Able to purchase single tickets from their website. LINKS |
EOY J-CULTURE FESTIVALCaptain Obvious – EOY stands for end-of-year. What better way for Japanese culture lovers to end the year with a Japanese culture-themed festival? |
GETTING TO THE EVENT LOCATIONS
First time in Singapore or not sure how to get to the event locations? Here’s a short section on how to find da way (yea, it’s a long-dead meme).
| Location | Map | Short Directions |
| Downtown East | Click Here | Please don’t be confused. Downtown East is not at the Downtown MRT station, but all the way east at Pasir Ris. Take bus 3 or 358 from the station, pretty much just 1 stop or you can walk for 10 minutes. |
| Gardens By The Bay | Click Here | Gardens By The Bay can be rather hard to reach for first-time visitors. Walk from the Bayfront MRT station (follow the huge crowd of tourists), or take bus 400 from the bus stop beside Marina Bay Sands, in front of Marina Bay Link Mall. |
| Marina Bay Sands | Click Here | Right at the Bayfront MRT station. |
| Merlion Park | Click Here | Just a 5 minutes walk from Raffles Place MRT station. |
| Clarke Quay | Click Here | Right at the Clarke Quay MRT station. |
| Singapore Stadium | Click Here | Right at the Stadium MRT station. |
| Suntec City Conventions Center | Click Here | Stop at the Promanade train station, or take a 10 minutes walk from Esplanade station. |
W.S. Toh is a senior web developer and SEO practitioner with over 15 years of experience in building websites and systems. When he is not secretly being an evil tech ninja, he enjoys doing photography and working on DIY projects.
