GM, COT❣️ Yuzunoko here.
Have you already made plans to be in Ikebukuro this Halloween?
Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes 2026, nicknamed "Ikehalo," has been announced on its official site for three days, from Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1.
The first day, the 30th, is the evening "Ikehalo Night," and the 31st and the 1st are the main daytime event, so Halloween itself, a Saturday, lands right in the middle.
It's run by the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes Executive Committee, with Dwango, Animate (an anime goods chain), Hakosta, Sunshine City (a big shopping and office complex in Ikebukuro) and Toshima City (the Tokyo ward that Ikebukuro is in) among the names listed.
According to the official site, cosplayer Enako is joining as a special guest.
Here are the three days as a diagram.
Dates, times and where to check in
These are the times on the overview page of the official site.
- Ikehalo Night: Friday, October 30, 16:30–22:30, Sunshine City, Ikebukuro
- Ikehalo: Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 10:00–18:00, Ikebukuro area
- Ikehalo photo hours: 10:00–17:00, stage 11:00–16:30
- Ikehalo changing room hours: 8:45–18:00
Reception is on the 4th floor of the World Import Mart Building inside Sunshine City.
For the 31st and the 1st, the venue is only listed as "Ikebukuro area," with the exact area to be published later. The participation rules also say the event area will be shown on the "Ikehalo MAP," coming later, so check it once it's up.
The events page says the main stage is at Naka-Ikebukuro Park, 11:00 to 16:30 on both days, and that IKE・SUNPARK will have a "serious photo area" for photographers and a "Cosplay Dock" that helps with quick repairs to broken costumes and props.
There's even a plan to put the owl statue in costume, and what it'll be dressed as is a surprise for the day (even the statue gets dressed up? That's way too cute❣️)
Friday night is Ikehalo Night
Ikehalo Night is for ages 18 and over, and high school students can't enter.
You can take photos from 16:30 to 21:30, and the B3 underground parking lot opens only for Ikehalo Night, from 17:30 to 21:30. Sunshine Plaza and Exhibition Hall B are photo areas too.
There are no limits on photo equipment at Ikehalo Night, but boom stands are banned across the board, and the page says limits may be added depending on crowds. Bringing alcohol into the venue is banned.
Shooting in a concrete parking garage at night sounds like a seriously cool setting to me (just picturing which costume would go with the night lights is fun).
Ticket types and prices
You need a ticket whether you're joining in cosplay or coming in regular clothes to photograph cosplayers. Cosplay tickets include the changing rooms and bag storage, and photographer tickets include bag storage too.
These are the tax-included prices on the official ticket page.
- Premium 3DAYS ticket: 10,000 yen in advance (11,000 yen on the day)
- Premium ticket: 3,980 yen per day in advance (4,480 yen on the day), reception from 8:45
- General ticket: 2,980 yen per day in advance (3,480 yen on the day), reception from 11:00
- Ikehalo Night ticket: 3,480 yen in advance (3,980 yen on the day)
- Photographer ticket for junior high and high school students: 1,480 yen per day in advance (1,980 yen on the day)
The first four cost the same for cosplayers and photographers.
Advance sales for October 31 close at 23:59 on October 30, for November 1 at 23:59 on October 31, and for Ikehalo Night and 3DAYS at 23:59 on October 29. The page says ticket types that sell out won't be sold on the day.
The Premium ticket apparently comes with perks like free use of partner photo studios in the Ikebukuro area and the "IKEBUS," a dedicated bus you can ride in costume.
With 3DAYS, you can leave your bags overnight between days, and you skip reception from the second time on.
The kids ticket, for children of elementary school age or younger joining in cosplay, is 500 yen per day and sold only for cash on the day. Elementary school students living in Toshima City get in free by showing ID, and preschoolers are free too.
Kids ticket reception and changing rooms are set up separately in a special space on the 1st floor of IKEROOT (the former Ikebukuro Public Health Center).
Cosplay parade applications close October 5
The signature "Ikehalo Cosplay Parade 2026" starts at 14:20 on Saturday, October 31. It's planned to walk from Sunshine 60 Street to the front of Tokyo Tatemono Brillia HALL (a theater), and the Toshima High School brass band has been announced as the marching band.
You have to apply to take part, and applications run from September 18 to 23:59 on October 5. People who are picked should start getting emails from around October 13 to 16.
It's free to join, but you need to have bought an Ikehalo ticket, and parade participants don't get priority for the changing rooms.
What to keep in mind from the participation rules
These are the points to watch in the official participation rules (as of September 18, 2026).
- Change in the venue's changing rooms. Arriving already changed at home or at a hotel is banned (except with the Prince Hotel special stay plan)
- Photos only in photo areas, and only when both the subject and the photographer agree
- One light per person (or per group). Shooting with boom stands and bringing in stepladders are banned
- Live streaming only in part of the hospitality area that comes with the Premium perks
- Valuables can't be left at bag storage
The page says that if you're just watching without cosplaying, or only taking souvenir photos, you don't need a ticket.
There are apparently some areas that only ticket holders can enter.
About this article
I put this article together from the official Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fes 2026 site: the overview, tickets, participation rules, Ikehalo Night, events and parade details pages.
Some parts, like the event area and the timetable for October 31 and November 1, haven't been published yet. Before you go, check the official site and the official X account for the latest.
Quotes from Japanese sources are our own translations.
Translated from the Japanese original.
See you next time on COT❣️