Cosplayers Take the Official Stage: 'Akaribi Matsuri' Event Announced at World Cosplay Summit

World Eggs Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Katsunori Nabusa), in collaboration with the World Cosplay Summit Executive Committee, will hold the stage performance 'Akaribi Matsuri' on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Main Hall. The project is based on the lighthouse anthropomorphization project 'Akari no Moribito'.

The most notable feature of this performance is that it places cosplay, which has developed as fan culture, at the center of official stage expression.

Nine cosplayers, selected from over 130 applicants from Japan and abroad, will perform. By combining reading by professional voice actors, action by actors, and dance by cosplayers, the event aims to create a new live entertainment experience that differs from both traditional reading plays and standard 2.5D stage productions.

Cosplay is evolving from something to be watched to something to participate in, and now, to an expression that drives the stage. 'Akaribi Matsuri' is a challenge from the World Cosplay Summit to present the next potential for cosplay culture.

Nine cosplayers were selected from over 130 applicants to embody the characters of 'Akari no Moribito'. The performers will share their costume production process on social media leading up to the event, involving fans in the story of 'how cosplayers take the stage'.

[Performing Cosplayers] Thames / unasuke / Mikankun / Mamemayo / Daken / Kairo / Lunchpack Teitoku / Manaso / RITSU

Directed by Norihito Nakayashiki, the performance delivers an overwhelming sense of realism through voice actor 'readings,' cosplayer 'dances,' and action performances by professional actors.

The voice actor lineup includes four talented voice actors, such as Toshio Furukawa and Kazuya Nakai. In addition, all performers will join together for a theme song performance, followed by a talk show and a 'cosplay runway' featuring both voice actors and cosplayers.

'Akari no Moribito' is a media-mix project that anthropomorphizes real lighthouses across Japan, aiming to share their history and cultural value. It centers on the stories of lighthouses facing decommissioning.