Cosplay events are one of the most fun and exhilarating things to try when you are visiting a new country on your next travel trip abroad. That’s because, Cosplay events are a showcase of the country’s existing sub culture trends. Attending such an event will allow you to know about the most popular characters from the country’s movie, anime and cartoon genres that are trending these days.

Here is the list of the 5 Top Global Cosplay Events that should be a part of your next travel itinerary: 

World Cosplay Summit

This event, organized annually in Japan is perhaps one of the biggest such Cosplay events across the globe. The program is characterized by top notch competitions ranging from best costume displays to performing arts promising to be spectacular experience for anyone who attend it.

The WCS is an event with a global participation, and in 2017, people came from more than 37 countries worldwide to just be a part of it. The festivities and events last for around a week featuring one of the most comprehensive and stunning Cosplay costume design displays around. Tickets for this event sell like hotcakes and run out pretty quickly so ensure that you book them well in advance if you are planning to visit this event in Japan.

Dragon Con

Hosted in the United States, Dragon Con (see their Facebook) has been a crowd puller since its inception as a popular Cosplay event. Probably the best thing about this event is that you will see the most modified costume characters here. Ranging from animatronics like real life dinosaur costumes, such as these, to even statuettes, the Dragon Con event is known as the harbinger of popularizing many different Cosplay trends each year.

In 2017, its attendance was recorded at a whopping 80,000 participants flying in from all parts of the globe. Tickets are readily available for this event through the official site and through ticketing partners.

Japan Expo

Despite being named after Japan, this event actually takes place in the city of Paris in France. Its being organized since 1999 and in the ensuing two decades, it has become the hub of professional Cosplayers displaying some of the most costliest and intricately designed costumes. From old school characters to recently trending ones, this event is your chance to interact and mingle with people who often pull off such displays that it compels you to believe that you are talking to the actual character and not to someone who is imitating them.

Lucca Comic & Games

This event happens every year in October in the city of Lucca, Italy. This is a free flowing event where even normal people don’t feel left out, because there are no usual counters or arranged sections in it that characterize every other Cosplay event. Its one of the largest events of its kind in the whole of Europe and a place where you can enlist the help of local Cosplayers to prepare a stunning costume for yourself in order to build memories that will last for a lifetime. Don’t give it a miss if you are visiting Europe in the latter parts of the year.

Katsucon

This Cosplay event is quite niche as it follows regularized themes each year that are sanctioned by its organizing committee. Based in the US, Katsucon has no entry fees for children, making it the perfect place to take your little kids in order to make them witness some of their most favorite characters live in action. Moreover, the organizing committee of this event also runs multiple sub-events through the year, information on which is readily updated on their official site.

Wrapping Things Up

If you are travelling to any of these places soon, ensure that you make it a point to attend one such event during your trip. And even if you don’t know much about Cosplay, you can definitely take cue from multiple DIY tutorial videos and blogs of popular Cosplay artists and build your own costume based on the character you always wished to emulate all your life.