On-site Report: World Cosplay Summit 2025 Eve Festival — 41 Countries Walk the Red Carpet (50+ Photos)

On August 1, 2025, ahead of the opening of the World Cosplay Summit 2025 (WCS), the “Nagoya University of the Arts presents Red Carpet Ceremony” was held at Oasis 21’s Galaxy Platform in Sakae, Nagoya. A line formed an hour before doors opened, and once the venue opened the seating filled immediately.

World cosplayers gather in Nagoya tonight: World Cosplay Summit 2025

From the World Cosplay Championship—which crowns the world’s top cosplayers—to runway showcases, appearances by special guests and celebrities, live music-and-cosplay stage acts, and a cosplay showcase parade, a wide range of event content converges on Nagoya.

WCS history: From five guests across three countries to the 23rd edition

The World Cosplay Summit began in 2003 at the Rose Court Hotel in Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya, inviting five overseas cosplayers from Italy, Germany, and France. In 2004 it held the first Osu Cosplay Parade. The event has been staged in Nagoya every year since, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. This year marks the 23rd edition.

Today, representatives from 41 countries and regions gather for WCS. At the 2024 edition, total attendance reached 253,700, highlighting the summit’s prominence among global cosplay events.

“Nagoya University of the Arts presents” Red Carpet Ceremony

On August 1, the WCS Eve Festival took place at Oasis 21’s Galaxy Platform. Here’s a look at the scene on the day.

Full house an hour before doors

A long line had formed an hour before opening. About 70 bench seats—free and unassigned—filled immediately after the gates opened. Many spectators crowded around the stage, with additional standing-room viewers looking down from the upper level.

Live performance by the Nagoya University of the Arts Wind Orchestra

A special stage rose at the center of the Galaxy Platform, where the Nagoya University of the Arts Wind Orchestra performed a medley of anime and game music, including themes from Super Mario Bros., A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, Ojamajo Carnival!!, Hero, Idol, and Final Fantasy VII—an instant crowd-pleaser.

Nagoya University of the Arts is a comprehensive arts university spanning music, performing arts, fine art, design, liberal arts in the arts, education, and early childhood education, with two faculties, five fields, and forty-one courses. Collaboration among local communities, educational institutions, and events like this carries real significance.

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Representatives from around the world walk the red carpet

At the Red Carpet Ceremony, delegations from 41 countries and regions—along with past WCS representatives and guest cosplayers—took the stage. To live music by the Nagoya University of the Arts Wind Orchestra, the cosplayers descended the steps and walked the runway.

SAKURA GRADUATION (Sakuragu)

BENTEN ANIME WHARF support leaders

Umamusume: Pretty Derby

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Zelda

Video (sound plays)

Japanese cosplayer — Kill la Kill

Cosplayer from Belgium

Cosplayer from the Philippines

Cosplayer from the Czech Republic

Cosplayer from Thailand

Cosplayer from Finland

Cosplayer from Mexico

Cosplayer from Switzerland

Cosplayer from the United States

Cosplayer from Sweden

Cosplayer from France

Cosplayer from Indonesia

Cosplayer from the Netherlands

Cosplayer from Taiwan

Cosplayer from Brazil

Cosplayer from China

Cosplayer from Italy

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Promo booths with fan goods, sewing machines, and more

Behind the Oasis 21 stage, companies and organizations set up promotional booths.

Exhibits included a charity pachislot where visitors could try the JUGGLER series from Kita Denshi, OZaKKa’s oshi-katsu (fan-support) goods, the Awaji Island anime park Nijigen no Mori, and Brother’s displays of household and industrial embroidery machines and cutting machines.

Before the ceremony began, sponsor commercials played on the stage monitors, underscoring that the event is supported by corporate partners.

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Editor’s Note: Nagoya sharpens its identity as a “Cosplay Host Town” to attract the world

Nagoya, birthplace of the World Cosplay Summit, aims to establish itself as a “Cosplay Host Town.” The city promotes a vision of being the best place in Japan to enjoy cosplay and anime—paired with the world’s warmest hospitality.

As part of that effort, “cosplay tourism” is underway, blending sightseeing with cosplay. Authorized cosplay facilities permit photography; “Cosplay Support Hotels” let guests use rooms as changing or shooting spaces; and there are taxi support options tailored to cosplayers. Backing from Aichi Prefecture and the City of Nagoya signals strong commitment.

From a MICE standpoint, this is a compelling case study: using events to draw visitors, encourage multi-day stays, and channel benefits into the local economy.

Event Overview: World Cosplay Summit 2025

Dates: August 1 (Fri)–3 (Sun), 2025 — three-day event
Organizer: World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee
(Co-organizers/supporting bodies: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; Aichi Prefecture; City of Nagoya; Nagoya Convention & Visitors Bureau; Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd.; Osu Shopping District Association; The Japan Times, Ltd.; TV Aichi Corporation; WCS, Inc.)

Main venue area: in and around Sakae, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
Venues: Oasis 21 / Aichi Arts Center (Large Hall) / Hisaya-odori Park / Osu Shopping Street / Hisaya-odori Garden Flarie / Central Park / Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER

Official Website https://worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/