Calgary’s home-grown, all-ages Japanese pop culture and anime festival returned to the Telus Convention Centre this weekend, expected to draw crowds of more than 25,000.
Otafest, which is in its 28th year, features anime screenings, cosplay contests, exhibitors, concerts and special guests including voice actors, VTubers, cosplayers and performers.
“We like to think of the Otafest festival as a gathering of like-minded folks who may not have found their community in mainstream hobbies,” said Stephanie Mok, Otafest’s head of government and press relations.
“It’s a place where people can come together to celebrate and enjoy shared interests and hobby in a space where we are very welcoming and inclusive.”
By fans, for fans
The organization is a non-profit and entirely volunteer-run, meaning the event is designed and organized by fans, for fans.
“Everything that we do is really put on by people who truly are participants in that community or hobby, they’re really active in it, they find a lot of joy in it,” Mok said.
“We have a lot of gender diversity, we have a lot of neurodiversity in our attendee base. We’re very welcoming to folks who maybe find their niche in the nerdy.”
Tickets for the weekend were completely sold out, she said, and Saturday’s weather didn’t seem to dampen any spirits.
“Sometimes a bit cooler weather is better for cosplayers, because they’re decked out, and so sometimes the hot sun is not always friendly,” she said.
“Everyone’s in pretty good spirits, and sometimes poor weather also is really great for our exhibitors hall, our show floor, our artists, because more people come in through to stay inside.”
The Bloody Queen from the game Identity V walks through Otafest at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary on Saturday.
Otafest began in 1999 as a one-day film festival hosted by the University of Calgary’s Otaku Anime Club as a way of sharing their passion for Japanese animation.
Since then, it has grown into an event that spans three days and draws in more than 26,000 people from around the world each year.
“We have people from Australia, Japan, the U.S., all across Canada,” Mok said. “We have people who would come to those early conventions, who met at Otafest, are married, have kids, and now their kids are coming to Otafest with them.”
Visitors take in Otafest at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary on Saturday.
Anime has become more mainstream in recent years, she said, particularly with the rise of streaming services.
“I think it just shows the universal language of storytelling,” she said. “Anime is a medium, not a genre, so no matter what you like — if you like romance stories, if you like horror, if you’re into punk, or you like robots, or you like any kind of storytelling of the human experience — you’ll probably find that here.”
As a way of giving back to the community, Otafest partners with a different charity each year. This year’s festival will raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“We’ve selected the Canadian Cancer Society in recognition of one of our long-term organizers, who was named Shawn, who passed away last summer,” Mok said. “In his honour, we’ve been raising funds for cancer … We’re really honoured to be able to do that.”
Art plays a large role during Otafest.
Donations are being collected online and throughout the festival, and proceeds from various festival events and vendors are also donated to the cause.
Past years’ charity partners have included the Calgary Food Bank, Mamas for Mamas Calgary, the Skipping Stone Foundation and the MEOW Foundation.
“We have a history of giving back, and our community really embraces that,” Mok said. “We’re happy to keep the tradition alive.”
ddekuyper@postmedia.com
These visitors to Otafest are dressed as characters from Hollow Knights.
Participants are dressed as characters from Star Rail during Otafest at the Telus Convention Centre.
Visitors to Otafest chat and learn about each others’ characters.