Valenzuela City Cosplay At The Park is Best of Its Kind

Valenzuela City's COSPLAY AT THE PARK is probably the best of its kind and the only one in the entire Philippines. It was the first time that a local government took interest in a hobby that you commonly see in malls and organized by independent organizations. It sure is not perfect but it is worth supporting for years to come.

Cosplay At The Park and Why it is Great

Valenzuela City through the Valenzuela City People's Park launched Cosplay At The Park in 2017 titled as "Halloween Cosplay at the Park." It is the most competitive and biggest prize ever in a local cosplay event organized by a local organizer.

This cosplay event is also the biggest and the only one being organized by a local government, the other event being the Malolos Toys and Hobbies Convention or MALCON in Malolos City, Bulacan.

Valenzuela City though Mayor Rex Gatchalian and the City Council provided a venue for cosplayers and pop culture fans a venue to express and showcase their hobby. It was not just a cosplay competition but also a showcase of pop culture since there are huge life-size toy displays courtesy of Jerry Santo's LifeSize Toys and Collectibles as well as booths and exhibits.

From what it was in 2017, Cosplay At The Park expanded to include a concert where anime songs from the 90s were played on stage. It was a nostalgic performance that everyone can surely relate to. Listening to the songs makes you fall in love with anime all over again.

The effort made in this event was worth the praise and it should continue and be supported not only by the people of Valenzuela and Metro Manila but by the whole country and even abroad.

This event is not also all about cosplay but also a celebration of pop culture related to that. The Art and Photography contest was simply an amazing addition this year.

Cosplay At The Park 2018 and What Should be Improved?

This year surely had more ingredients for the event but in terms of handling cosplayers, last year is a bit better. This year cosplayers had to endure the extreme heat of the venue and a somewhat awkward and harsh treatment from some of the event staff. There was no place to secure our things unlike last year

This is a great event but it could have been better if true cosplay competition was also integrated where cosplayers had their own Background Music (BGM) and can use the LED screens too. The music given was most of the time unsync with the characters walking on stage. Staff controlling the ramp was hurrying up the cosplayer too. Cosplay event is not a pageant this is a different kind of art where things should be done with care and understanding for it.

I believe that there could also be better judges. Judges that better know the craft and the art so that they can have better judgment.

Also, it could have been better if the cosplay character of each cosplayer was also announced and not just their name. Through this, we could better educate the audience and inform them what character they are portraying.

Providing the cosplayers and even other performers with a well-ventilated area and even some water would also be great. Some cosplayers were so exhausted and there was one cosplayer who even collapsed and hyperventilated because of this. Last year there was an airconditioned social hall for cosplayers, so they had to endure less heat.

The Amphitheater was a good venue but I noticed that it also lacks proper ventilation. If there is an improvement it would be great to add some sort of fans or ventilation equipment to lessen the heat.

2019 Valenzuela City Cosplay At The Park

Moving forward, we are hoping that this event will continue and will be supported by everyone. Events are not perfect and in order to make it better, we need to unite and support such events. As a Valenzuelano, I am so proud that our city has this kind of event and it would be a huge loss for it not to continue.

Again congrats for a great event. This is the one and only event of this kind and as a cosplayer I call on everyone to continue to support it and help to make it even better. Let us unite in supporting events like this.

Thanks and till next year.

For more updates about events at the Valenzuela People's Park please follow their Facebook page. Also, sharing last year's Cosplay At The Park below.

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