Attendees are invited to dress as their favorite Asian, anime, manga, and video-game characters to participate. The show is open to all ages and skill levels! There will be a fashion show display of all participants. Sign-ups for this event will take place both before Sakura Sunday (through the Zenkaikon website), and also at the Zenkaikon booth on the day of Sakura Sunday.

Fashion Show Details

Cosplay must be of established characters from anime, manga, video games, and other official Asian sources. No original characters or original variations on established characters, please. This is not a competition, but an event to share the hobby of cosplay with the community. Handmade or purchased costumes are welcome to participate. Those under the age of 18 should have their parent’s permission to participate. Online sign-ups will be taken until Friday, April 12th, at midnight. Additional sign-ups will be taken at the Zenkaikon booth at Sakura Sunday.

Check in for those who sign up online, and additional signups will be taken at the Zenkaikon booth at Sakura Sunday from 11:00am – 1:00pm. The Fashion Show will take place in the Gazebo area at 2:30pm. All participants are asked to be at the Zenkaikon booth by no later than 2:00pm. There, Zenkaikon staff will get participants lined up, walk over to the event area, and prepare for the show. Participants who fail to show up for line-up will be counted as no-shows and will lose their place in the line-up.

Sign Up to Participate in the Fashion Show Here!

Little Akiba – Vendors, Music, Karaoke, & More!

Our booth, our Anime/Manga Swap Meet, and the Fashion Show are part of Little Akiba — a brand new section of Sakura Sunday themed around anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. Visit Little Akiba (located in the Gazebo area, along the main path from Shofuso to the sundial) to check out anime-themed vendors, J-pop music, karaoke, and more! (Read the full announcement with details about the new area on the Sakura Sunday website). It’s sure to be a lot of fun, so we hope you’ll join us!

To get the latest updates about the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival and Sakura Sunday, visit the Festival’s official website, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

See you on the 14th!

Sakura Sunday, run by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP), celebrates the blooming of the sakura (cherry blossom) trees in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. For a five dollar donation, attendees can enjoy musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, crafts, vendors, food, tours of Shofuso Japanese house, and more! It’s a great way to celebrate the coming of Spring!

Zenkaikon will have a booth at the festival and we would love for you to stop by! Check out our displays about anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. Clips of various anime will be played throughout the day, and some tabletop games will be available for play. Stop by in your favorite cosplay and your photo might end up on the Zenkaikon blog or Facebook!

UPDATE! In addition, anyone who stops by our booth at Sakura Sunday in cosplay of a character from anime, manga, Asian video games, or other official Asian sources will be entered in a random drawing to win a free membership to Zenkaikon 2014! Drawing will take place at the end of Sakura Sunday ^_^

Anime/Manga Swap Meet

Do you have old anime and manga lying around? Would you like the chance to discover some new series? Zenkaikon will be hosting an anime and manga swap meet at its booth! Bring series to trade, and make some new friends. (Please bring licensed items only; no bootlegs or copies please.) Stay tuned for times!

Additional Cosplay Activities

Details on additional cosplay activities are soon to be announced, so stay tuned. And did we mention that the natural beauty of Fairmount Park is a great place for photo shoots?

See below for some pictures of the fun we’ve had at previous Sakura Sunday events. We hope to see you there!

Zenkaikon would like to thank all the staff, volunteers, guests, panelists, vendors, artists, and attendees who made the 2013 convention a success.

Zenkaikon 2014 will take place on April 25-27, 2014 at the Lancaster County Convention Center.

¹ “Paid Members” are those who paid membership fees without a reimbursement. This includes standard members, VIP members, and artists.

The John de Lancie photo session at 8pm on Saturday (held after the Vendor Hall closes) will be at the location on the 2nd Floor. The John de Lancie photo session on Sunday at 1pm will be held in the Vendor Hall.

For iPhone users, you can check out the Zenkaikon 2013 app on the App Store. Originally developed by students at Drexel University, this app includes schedules, maps, and general information about the con!

For users of other devices such as Android or Blackberry, we also have a Zenkaikon guide available via the Guidebook app.

No matter which app you choose, we hope you enjoy the easy access to all the info you need on whichever device you use!

If you are a guest who is staying in the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, the $5/day charge will be automatically added to your hotel bill and you will not need to get a parking voucher.

The rate for the room will be $144.00 per night (plus applicable taxes) for single-quad rooms. This hotel is located at 1931 Hospitality Dr, Lancaster, PA and is a short drive from the convention center.

Reservations can be made by clicking on calling the hotel at (717) 393-3600 and giving our group code “ZGCN” The deadline for this special reduced rate is March 19, 2013, so book soon!

Find more details on our Hotels page.

While we’ll try not to, keep in mind that schedules are always subject to change up to (and even during) the convention. For the latest updates during the con, don’t forget to follow our Twitter feed.

We can’t wait to see you all next week!