AnimeCon UK at NEC: everything you need to know, including K-Pop dance performances, cosplayers & more

Fans of the Asian pop culture are in for a treat as AnimeCon UK comes to Birmingham. And, Birmingham NEC should be proud as it was chosen for the debut of the event.

The mega event will take place at the NEC this weekend (Saturday 17th - Sunday 18th June). So, get ready with your craziest costumes because cosplay is going to be one of the biggest features as well as karaoke.

For those wondering what an AnimeCon is - it is an event a primarily focused on anime (hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan), manga (a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels) and other Japanese culture.

And AnimeCon UK is also bringing a side dish of Korean culture into the mix. There is going to be Korean Pop or K-Pop dance performances by local dance groups at the two-day extravanza.

This event was two years in the making and is not part of any NEC Comic Con, nor is it connected to the organisers of London Comic Con or any regional events.

What’s on at AnimeCon

Asian pop culture fans will meet the voices behind the most popular anime characters of all time including Maile Flanagan, the English voice behind the iconic Naruto, for over twenty years. Also joining the event will be the English voice of Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer: Zach Aguilar. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train is currently the top-grossing anime film of all time.

Brianna Knickerbocker the voice behind popular videogames and anime like Hu Tao from Genshin Impact, Sakura in Fire Emblem Fates and Elaine in Seven Deadly Sins. To top it all off: the English voice from the hottest anime on the planet right now will join AnimeCon UK: Ryan Cold Levy - Denji from Chainsaw Man.

There will also be Vtubers at the show including Enna Alouette, Meloco Kyoran and Luca Kaneshiro. Also attending are the most hyped names in the pro cosplaying world Taryn, Lanie, The Emberwolf and Fukuro, who will appear beside free drawers like Mangalivepaint, who uses skateboards as their canvas, conceptual digital artist Joshua Dunlop, and intricate explosions from student artist Hugo Pang.

Local dance groups like Birmingham-based Studio XI and IVIX Dance and Coventry-based KONCEPT will perform to K-Pop songs. Shao Dow the award-winning anime rapper and Level-Up Leroy the comic con DJ will perform their magic as well at the show.

And, don’t forget to dress up for the After Show Cosplay Ball - where you can dance until you drop to some of your favourite tunes from Shao Dow and Level Up Leroy. Entry to the ball requires a separate ticket and it is for 18+ people only.

Can children attend?

For everyone’s safety, children and individuals under the age of 16 must be always supervised by an accompanying adult during their visit.

Will there be a queue?

If you have purchased advance tickets to the show, you will not have to queue at the box office to purchase tickets, but you may have to join the entrance queue.

For more information about the full list of performers, artists, gamers, streamers and manga masters and tickets visit the AnimeCon website.