Middle East Film and Comic Con returns to Abu Dhabi for a second time in March

The region's largest pop culture festival will be held at Adnec from March 3 to 5

The Middle East Film and Comic Con took place in Abu Dhabi for the first time in 2022 after being held in Dubai for many years. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The event is region's largest pop culture festival.

A woman in cosplay at the outdoor Party Plaza area at Adnec.

Saeed with the Alejandro stuffed toy.

Print artist Khalid Al Raiisi with his 3D work.

Women take a selfie with the Batman statue.

Ameera of Princess Designs custom art mugs.

A fan takes a selfie with The Chuckies.

Comic Con visitors pose with Batman.

Nadine, left, as Ms Joke and Reem as Shinso from the Japanese manga 'Of My Hero Academia'.

From left: Mimi Al Hajehr as Beidou, Lilly Lou as a Japanese school girl and Shouq Al Mehairbi as Nezuko.

A replicate of Thanos's infinity stone gauntlet.

Visitors enjoy the outdoor area of Party Plaza.

Dexter Stephenson as Zenitsu Agatsuma, left, and Ahmed Al Hammadi as Inosuke from 'Dragon Slayer'.

From left: Paris as Sleeping Beauty, Majed as Karl Heissenberg from 'Resident Evil Village' and Erim as Ezio of 'Assassin's Creed'.

Children enjoy an inflatable playhouse in the Party Plaza area.

Glow in the dark artist Mohammed Al Ketbi.

The Middle East Film and Comic Con 2022 was held at Adnec.

Artists Yasmin, left, and Leila Nemer at Artist Alley.

Young visitors playing computer games.

Comic books available for purchase at Comic Con.

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

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.