Middle East Film and Comic Con, the region’s largest pop culture festival, has confirmed its next Abu Dhabi outing will be held from March 3 to 5 next year.
The event will be hosted by Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for the second time, after moving from its long-time home in Dubai World Trade Centre.
Scroll through the gallery above for pictures from MEFCC 2022
A celebration of pop culture and fandom, the event brings together fans and stars for a fun-filled weekend that features workshops, talks, meet-and-greets, concerts, competitions and more.
MEFCC 2022 marked the event's 10th anniversary with special appearances from Charlie Cox, known for his role as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil; Barry Keoghan, who acted in Dunkirk and The Batman; Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian); Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones); Charles Martinet (the voice of Super Mario) and others.
Among the highlights of the show is the annual cosplay competition, where fans dress up as their favourite characters and compete to see who is the best-dressed. Last year, a prize pool of Dh25,000 ($6,807) was up for grabs, split across three different categories, including Best Craftsmanship, Best Performance on Stage and Best Kids Cosplay.
Scroll through the gallery below for pictures from the cosplay competition at MEFCC 2022
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A woman in cosplay poses with Batman at the Middle East Film & Comic Con 2022 in Abu Dhabi. All photos by Antonie Robertson / The National, unless specified otherwise -
The judging panel of the cosplay competition. -
A woman in cosplay performs on stage. -
A cosplayer with a horse head mask. -
The audience turned out in full force to watch the cosplay competition. -
A cosplayer as the Marvel superhero Iron Man. -
Symbiote x Chainsaw Man. -
A young girl participates in the cosplay competition. -
The event took place at the MEFCC Mainstage, which is outdoors. -
A girl cosplays as DC superhero Wonder Woman. -
The judging panel featured regional and international cosplayers. -
Even though not everyone entered the competition, there was still plenty of cosplay on display on day two of the Middle East Film & Comic Con. -
A cosplayer in a menacing outfit. -
The children who competed in the Kids Cosplay competition were all winners and received swag bags. -
Sylar Serag, as Bazelgeuse Armor from 'Monster Hunter', won first place in the Best Craftsmanship category. Photo: Middle East Film and Comic Con -
Ashwani Kapoor as Samurai Vegito Blue from 'Dragon Ball Z' took second place in Best Craftsmanship. Photo: Middle East Film and Comic Con -
Mohamed Farahat as Banbaro from 'Monster Hunter World' took third place in Best Craftsmanship. Photo: Middle East Film and Comic Con -
Sabie Cipriani as Nico Yazawa from 'Long Live! School Idol Project' was first in Best Performance on Stage. Photo: Middle East Film and Comic Con -
Mohammed Hasan, who goes by the cosplay name Themed Injection, won third place for Best Performance on Stage as Heath Ledger’s The Joker. Photo: Middle East Film and Comic Con
The Mainstage section of the event also featured gaming and dance competitions, alongside live DJ and musical performances. Emirati singer Alira performed an anime-themed concert, while gamers battled for the Dh30,000 prize pool playing popular titles such as Rocket League, Tekken 7 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
With tens of thousands of fans descending on the capital from across the world for the event, traders also regularly exhibit and sell wares ranging from retro gaming consoles to rare early comic books editions.
The outdoor zone also usually features plenty of food trucks, as well as a children’s play area for the younger guests.
MEFCC is yet to announce its line-up of guests and activities, but fans can find out more about the event at mefcc.com.
