The two-day 21st Macau Comic Festival (MCF21) officially opened on Saturday on the 2nd floor Exhibition Hall of the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, featuring its largest edition yet with more than 130 groups and 200 booths.
The event was held over the weekend and transformed 1,853 square metres of space into a celebration of creativity, cosplay*, music, and independent comics, welcoming fans from Macau, Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and elsewhere.
The opening ceremony was held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with guests including officials from the Cultural Development Fund (FDC), Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Cultural Development Consultative Committee, local media, and leaders of the participating animation and comic associations.
This year’s programme included a fan creations fair, live performances, and cosplay competitions. Special highlights featured Japanese anime singer Haruna Luna, known for her vocals on Fate/Zero and Sword Art Online, as well as lectures and workshops with local creators.
Among the booths, “The Little Wish” – jointly operated by a local cosplay group – stood out for its charitable aims. The group ran a raffle during the event to raise funds for Anima-Society for the Protection of Animals, offering anime- and cosplay-themed photo opportunities.
As one of the city’s most enduring cultural events, the annual festival aims to strengthen Macau’s role as a hub for fan-driven creativity and exchange.
*Cosplay is a portmanteau of the words “costume” and “role-play”. It is a performance art and hobby where participants, called cosplayers, wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character from a work of fiction. – DeepSeek
Festivalgoers and cosplayers engage with vendors during the 21st Macau Comic Festival (MCF21), as comic art pictures are displayed on the 2nd floor of the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre yesterday. – Photos: Khalel Vallo
