GM, COT❣️ Yuzunoko here.
Are you planning to head to Hiroshima this weekend to enjoy the cosplay parade and international guest stages?
Pop Culture Hiroshima 2026 takes place on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 at NTT Cred Hall. According to the official cosplay participation guide, the hall events run from 13:00 to 17:00 on both days, and admission is free.
It is a two-day event where attendees can connect with international cosplayers, and the City of Hiroshima highlights it as an event linked to Peace Culture Month. You can attend in cosplay as well as just watch, but the steps you need to take beforehand depend entirely on whether you need a changing room.
Free admission, but get your changing-room ticket in advance
Under the guidelines from Cosquerade Neo, if you do not use changing rooms or attend solely as a photographer, no advance application or check-in on the day is required, and participation is free.
On the other hand, anyone using the changing rooms must purchase an electronic ticket in advance. The fee is 2,000 yen per day, plus processing fees. No same-day tickets will be sold on site.
The changing rooms are set up inside the Hiroshima Prefectural Cultural Center (Hiroshima Kenmin Bunka Center), open from 10:00 to 18:00 on both days. This includes indoor luggage storage. Because this facility is in a different location from the main hall venue on the 11th floor of Motomachi Cred Pacela, you will want to double-check your initial destination before leaving.
(If you only read the "free admission" headline, it is all too easy to forget to reserve a changing room!)
There is no luggage storage for photographers or cosplayers who do not use the changing rooms. In addition, changing clothes, putting on or taking off wigs, styling hair, and applying makeup in public restrooms or on the streets around the venue are strictly prohibited. The official guide also asks cosplayers traveling on public transit to wear coats or hats so they are not recognizable as being in costume.
Saturday's parade departs at 12:00, meeting at Fukuromachi Park
The Hondori Cosplay Parade begins earlier than the hall events. According to the official parade guide, it departs at 12:00 on October 31 and finishes around 12:30. The parade will go on rain or shine.
General participants do not need advance registration and should gather at Fukuromachi Park in costume by 11:45. Joining the parade is free, though a separate fee applies if you use the changing rooms. If turnout is heavy, lineup entry may be cut off early on a first-come, first-served basis.
Volunteers carrying national placards for international guests also do not need advance registration. However, their gathering time is 11:30, and recruitment closes once the target number is reached.
The parade leaves Fukuromachi Park, marches through the Hondori shopping arcade, and concludes near where the Hiroshima Electric Railway tram tracks cross Hondori. From there, participants move to NTT Cred Hall on their own. The parade procession does not continue all the way to the hall.
Props also have strict rules. Long items such as staves must not exceed the bearer's height, and Japanese swords must remain in their scabbards rather than drawn. When transporting realistic-looking weapons to the parade area, carry them concealed in a bag or box.
The guide also notes that passersby may take photos without asking during the gathering and parade march. Because event documentation may also be used in public relations, be sure to keep this in mind before participating.
International guest stages on both days, with a meetup photoshoot at Sunday's finale
According to the official announcement, cosplayer Reika serves as stage navigator, and representative cosplayers from various countries will take the stage on both days. The finale on November 1 features a collaborative meetup photoshoot with Hiroshima-based cosplayers.
Saturday features an anime song live concert and a performance by the Aki Hiroshima Bushotai, while Sunday hosts the "Hiroshima Anison King" karaoke contest. You can attend and watch stages in cosplay, though some costume and prop restrictions apply.
Inside the hall, a small touch-up room will be available for quick fixes on wigs and parts. It is open from around 12:00 to 17:00, free and co-ed, with no cloakroom service. It should be treated as separate from full changing rooms where you change into complete outfits.
Seeing the costumes of international guests and mingling with local cosplayers sounds like such a wonderful time❣️
Areas where you can walk in costume are not automatically free-shooting zones
The cosplay participation guide specifically designates restricted photography areas inside Motomachi Cred Pacela. These include the 6th-floor Sky Patio and Tsubasa no Hiroba (Wing Plaza) along with their immediate surroundings, the 9th-floor balcony, and the 7th-to-9th-floor Skywalk.
While you may walk around and enter other Pacela shops in costume, they are not officially authorized as cosplay photo shooting areas. For souvenir photography or anything more, check with each shop on the day.
You can also enter the Hiroshima Motomachi Aquarium in costume, but it is not a cosplay photo venue; only casual smartphone souvenir photos are permitted. Cosplay shoots using SLR cameras or tripods are not allowed. You also may not use lighting, enter in revealing costumes, or bring in weapons or props 30 cm or longer.
(Just because you can walk inside doesn't make it a photo shoot spot!)
When using equipment at NTT Cred Hall, be considerate and share the space. Stand-mounted lighting 30 cm tall or taller is limited to one unit per photographer.
About this article
This article was compiled based on Cosquerade Neo's cosplay participation guide and Hondori cosplay parade guide, alongside public relations materials from the City of Hiroshima. Participation terms and authorized photography areas may change. Please check the full official announcements before purchasing changing-room tickets and before heading out.
Translated from the Japanese original. Quotes from Japanese sources are our own translations.
See you next time on COT❣️
Sources: Pop Culture Hiroshima 2026 Cosplay Participation Guide (Cosquerade Neo) (Japanese), Pop Culture Hiroshima 2026 Hondori Cosplay Parade (Cosquerade Neo) (Japanese), Shimin to Shisei October 15, 2026 Issue Special Feature "Pop Culture Hiroshima" (City of Hiroshima) (Japanese)