More than 25,000 visitors gathered over the weekend for ANIVENTURE COMIC CON 2026, transforming the festival into one of the largest celebrations of anime, gaming, cosplay, and pop culture in the region. The two-day event brought together international stars, Bulgarian celebrities, artists, gamers, and fans, offering a packed program that combined entertainment, creativity, and community.
One of the biggest attractions was the opportunity to meet Hollywood actors Oona Chaplin, known for her roles in Avatar and Game of Thrones, Christopher Judge of God of War and Stargate SG-1, and John Rhys-Davies, famous for The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. Throughout the weekend, long lines formed at the autograph and photo areas as thousands of fans waited to meet the special guests.
The main stage hosted some of the festival's most popular events, including the Cosplay Show, live interviews with international guests, presentations featuring the Bulgarian productions Undercover and The Heir, and an energetic K-pop performance that brought the event to a close.
For cosplay enthusiasts, the festival represented the culmination of months of preparation. Participants showcased costumes crafted with remarkable attention to detail before both the audience and an international judging panel. The winners of Bulgaria's qualifying competition earned the right to represent the country at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, one of the world's most prestigious cosplay competitions.
