GM, COT❣️ Yuzunoko here.
Which part of Niconico Chokaigi 2026 were you most curious about?
Niconico Chokaigi 2026 was Niconico's big event (Niconico is a Japanese video-sharing site), held over two days, April 25 and 26, 2026, at Makuhari Messe, an exhibition center in Chiba. According to Dwango, the company that runs Niconico, 138,228 people came to the venue, up from 132,657 the year before.
This was its 15th year. It was the first time in two years that the event used all of Makuhari Messe, and there were more than 70 programs.
In this article, I'm pulling out everything about cosplay, what was on and what the rules were.
The numbers from the organizers
First, the basics from Dwango's event report and Makuhari Messe's event listing.
- Dates: Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2026
- Venue: Makuhari Messe (International Exhibition Halls 1–11 and Event Hall)
- Hours: 10:00 to 18:00 on the 25th, 10:00 to 17:00 on the 26th
- Visitors: 138,228 (132,657 the year before)
- Next: Niconico Chokaigi 2027 announced for April 2027
A general one-day entry ticket was 3,800 yen in advance and 4,500 yen on the day, and free for junior high age and younger.
At "Creator Cross," where creators who work online set up their own spaces, a record of more than 900 groups took part across the two days, according to the report.
At "Cho Niconico Bon Odori," where people dance around a yagura tower to Vocaloid songs and anime songs (bon odori is a traditional summer festival dance), singer Sachiko Kobayashi apparently performed from day one.
As someone who loves Niconico, I can't get enough of how, once a year, the internet's whole vibe just shows up in Makuhari as is (Vocaloid songs on a bon odori tower? That image alone already wins).
Cho Cosplay got its own stage for the first time in three years
The heart of the cosplay side was "Cho Cosplay Supported by FamilyMart" (FamilyMart is a convenience store chain) in Hall 7. According to the official recap report, this year it had its own standalone stage for the first time in three years.
The regular favorite is the "Niconico Cosplaylection." People picked by lottery go up on stage and walk the runway, and this year it ran three times on each day. First-time cosplayers and veterans alike could enter the lottery, whatever their genre.
There was also "Cho CDEF," a cosplay dance performance, with 20 groups announced over the two days.
"CosplayPartnerStage FromWCS," a collaboration with the World Cosplay Summit, was announced as a runway by nearly 30 foreign cosplayers living in Japan, and the recap report says "lots of foreign cosplayers showed off their runway walks."
Among the new programs were talks by cosplayers who'd gone viral on social media, a stage focused on prop-making skills, and a stage that took entries for "original cosplay" of people's own original characters.
There was also "cosplay arm wrestling," split into women's and men's divisions, and the official report describes "deafening cheers."
Going head to head for real while staying in character is just so cool (I can't help worrying whether the costumes survive, though❣️)
First aid for broken costumes, and exhibits you can touch
Besides the stage, there were corners for people at the venue.
"Cosplay Dock" is a spot where veteran cosplayers do on-the-spot first aid for broken parts, loose threads or chipped paint. The page says it's strictly first aid, and they don't do any sewing.
At the "Handmade Cosplay Item Hands-on Corner," cosplayers who are great at prop-making showed off items they'd made. You could actually touch them and try them on, and general visitors could take commemorative photos with the items too.
So it worked as a way in for people who don't cosplay, too.
You need two tickets to cosplay
To cosplay at Chokaigi, you need a "Cho Cosplay Ticket" (a pass for the changing rooms and cloakroom) on top of your entry ticket.
It's required at any age, and it was sold only in advance for a specific date. There were no sales at the venue.
- Early Ticket: 2,500 yen. Changing rooms open 7:00 to 19:00 on the 25th and 7:00 to 18:00 on the 26th
- General Ticket: 2,000 yen. Changing rooms from 8:30 on both days (closing times are the same as the Early Ticket)
- Changing rooms and cloakroom: the Convention Hall on the 2nd floor of the Makuhari Messe International Conference Hall
It's free when a same-gender guardian is helping a child aged 9 or under get changed. Both tickets can be used before the whole venue opens at 10:00.
Here are the two tickets side by side.
Rules for photos and costumes
The official "Cho Promises" page lays out the rules for cosplaying.
Arriving and leaving in costume are banned, and you can only change in the designated changing rooms. For photos, you must always get permission from the person you're shooting first.
Photos can be taken in the "recommended cosplay areas," and there were four: the passage between Halls 3 and 4, the passage between Halls 6 and 7, the south plaza of Hall 9, and the 2nd-floor passage of Hall 9.
Props like swords can only be drawn inside the Cho Cosplay booth and the recommended areas. In the passages, the rule is to carry them in a bag.
For costumes, uniforms of current public servants (police, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, firefighters and so on) or security guards, from Japan or anywhere else, are banned, along with costumes that can't be told apart from them.
The rules on exposure are spelled out in detail too, and the page said there would be a check at the changing room exits (with everything written out this carefully, even first-timers probably won't get lost).
About this article
I put this article together from Dwango's event report, the Cho Cosplay page and Cho Promises page on the official Niconico Chokaigi 2026 site, and Makuhari Messe's event listing.
For 2027, all that's been announced is that it will be held in April. The exact dates, tickets and cosplay rules haven't been announced yet. If you're thinking of going, check the latest announcements on the official site.
Quotes from Japanese sources are our own translations.
Translated from the Japanese original.
See you next time on COT❣️