I know I am jumping the gun by claiming that this event is the ‘Party of the Year’ in June, but that is exactly how I feel, and really still feeling. MadFest Brisbane 2018 has left the greatest impression on me. It was such an incredible convention that because I was so busy having fun, I actually didn’t get much footage. I do have some videos, which gives a little taste of what the event was like.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC6FLb5T3PE[/embedyt]
So I thought I would give my top five moments of MadFest Brisbane..
The Cosplayers
Oh my goodness didn’t Brisbane go all out this year. The amount of cosplayers in comparison to last year was unbelievable. Nearly 70% of the crowd was in cosplay and it was just awesome. I noticed that so many people were going up to other people and complimenting each other on their craft, taking pics and just having fun with it. What was really impressive was how talented people are making these costumes. When it comes to cosplay at a con, Brisbane has really set the benchmark as this being the con to show off and have fun with the cosplay.
The Guests
This to me was one of the big motivations for me to travel across from the other side of the country was indeed the guests. Having J Michael Tatum and Yui Ishikawa as the voice over guests and their entertaining panels/Q&A with the fans was a real treat. Tatum’s panels were hilarious and Ishikawa’s was wonderful. My favourite guests were indeed the cosplay guests, in particular BaoBao, the international cosplay guest who was by far one of the nicest people around. It was fantastic for the fans to be able to meet these guests and have some time interacting with them, particularly Tatum with him participating in the Black Butler fan group photoshoot and BaoBao spending time chatting and interacting with fans.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohPj6BtXXv4[/embedyt]
The Atmosphere.
IT WAS ELECTIRC!! I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome it was. It legitimately felt like we were all at one big party celebrating anime. Everyone was welcoming, friendly and kind to each other. The real party atmosphere happened on Sunday were people were more than happy to get up and dance. The amount of random dance gatherings that just happened with heaps of random people is something I have not seen at a con in well ever. People were making friends, inviting people to join in conversations, looking out for each other, being extremely supportive of dance acts when they were on the stage. For me, I truly hope that this is something that carries over into all the other MadFest events because Brisbane has shown us what fun can be like at a con.
Click here to see some of the random dancing
The Movie Screenings
Weren’t we all the lucky ones that were able to attend these screenings, in particular Maquia. It was a full house with everyone just there to enjoy the film. There is something about being in a crowd with all anime fans watching a film, there is nothing like it. The screenings have become a real must go to event for me when I attend a MadFest event.
The Hospitality
The staff and volunteers of MadFest deserve a medal for putting on such an incredible event, making sure that it ran smoothly and according to script. Although we don’t see what is happening behind the scenes, what was delivered to us, the fans was just perfect. Volunteers were kind and very helpful and the staff were more than happy to interact and engage with the patrons.
Anime fans of Australia, there is no excuse anymore. MadFest was an absolute blast, I am still suffering withdrawal from the event and legit counting down the days till September where I can be in Melbourne for the final one of 2018.
