AnimefestPH 4: Usapang Cosplay Vsits Western Visayas

Coming from the south, willing to travel to the north. My name is Heart Van Dort but this time I’m in the west?? To be specific, I have found myself here at Batchoy-Land!

We’ve been enjoying events happening in Manila yet have you ever wondered how’s the cosplay scene at the Heart of the Philippines? For now, let’s take a break from Manila and have a quick taste of the cosplay scene at the Philippine City of Love!; Iloilo City!  Iloilo is famous for its rich Spanish-era heritage, including century-old churches and ancestral mansions. It is renowned for culinary staples like La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo, the vibrant Dinagyang Festival, and the warm, gentle, and loving nature of its people.

Cosplayers both old and  young (mostly young) gather to express their creativity and passion for the geek-pop culture of anime, comics, video games and more. On this 19th day of April 2026, I got to visit and experience cosplaying in Western Visayas. I went to Animefest PH 4 held at SM City Iloilo organized by RNFTC. 

This is a week-long event with a 2 day program showcasing artists, figurines, fandom merchandises and of course Pokemon showdowns, Tekken Competitions, Mobile Legends Tournaments and other VGC and TCG Tournaments, community talks and auctions. The main event happened during the weekend where people got to meet their favorite artists and cosplayers! The event had guest cosplayers Zackt , Roxanne Kho , Knite, Shokoboo  and ofcourse Sskait.  The guest cosplayers came in theme of pairs: Humanized Sonic (Knite) and Shadow (Shokoboo), Love and Deep Space: Count Sylus (Zackt) and King Xavier (Roxanne Kno).

I got to see them all on stage and apparently the event organizers had this tradition of welcoming their guests and letting them play a game. The game requires the guest to be blindfolded and try to complete the image presented to them, a game called "Pin the Tails on Miku.” ( The mechanics and gameplay is somewhat similar to the party game: pin the tail on donkey.) Unfortunately, Roxanne Kho was the lamb for slaughter. Sorry, I meant laughter as they embrace the welcoming tradition of the Ilonggos. 

While roaming around the booths at the event, I have to admit its pretty different from the artist alley I was accustomed with in Manila. Every artist alley / booth aren’t compressed in an area and buyers / customers had to squeeze inside to view the booths at the event (in Manila), but here in Animefest they were arranged differently, they were arranged in a way where all of them are displayed outward the tents and people could just explore by going in a circle without causing foot traffic. 

While I was exploring, a pin caught my attention wherein I was flabbergasted and amazed simultaneously at the cute yet horrific design of a very familiar dad-figure known to the anime community. What a proud pin of “Fur- Parent” indeed. (go on and follow this artist’s IG:https://www.instagram.com/morluck/ )

Thank you sir Morluck for making me revisit a traumatic event. I love your art and I hope to see you at future events!

Now moving on to the artist I went out of my dorm and endure the scorching summer heat for. I went to see Sskait! He got his own booth and it showcased pins, mugs, totebags, and stickers of his own designs featuring the characters of his web comic series. He also sold comic books and plushies of his own design. I was able to get his “Man v.s. Ipis” comic book but unfortunate enough to get one of those BIG TALONG plushies, especially the GOJO- edition TALONG. Another great thing about this is he got to sign it and he drew me with a cute message. A heart warming interaction and words of motivation from Sskait himself (hinampas nya lang ng hinampas ng talong yung video. Such wow, Very Motivating).

Moving on to the event itself, they had a very interesting line up for their programme, other than stage games and special guest stage time. They had a “Cosplay FunRamp”, a cosplay catwalk segment where they got to choose the cosplayer of the day. It gave the opportunity for cosplayers a chance to showcase their cosplay and perform as the characters they are portraying.

Before they proceed to the awarding portion of the event, The stage grooved to the beat and the cosplayers alongside the event staff themselves had a JUST DANCE segment. (Lakas maka zumba teh.)

It's a breath of fresh air for me to experience this chill and fantastic event unlike what I’ve experienced and hosted in events from Manila. I didn’t have a “Msm/Sir” experience from the guards and staff, they were even supportive of the cosplayers. I was even able to film a short “tiktok” video at the mall itself.

The best thing I got to experience throughout the event was to meet new friends and even got to interact with the event organisers talking about Resident Evil 9 and the mystery behind “who is Leon’s Wife?” It was filled with smiles and laughter, a core memory I’ve gained here in the Iloilo cosplay community. Thank you Ilonggo cosplayers for the wonderful interactions, I do apologize for my “HIligaynon” not being fluent. 

Thank you readers for reliving this adventure with me. I highly recommend you to visit and experience the cosplay events outside Manila and try the ones here in Visayas. Not only you’ll taste the delicious Batchoy but also meet such wonderful people with their passion and creativity for cosplay. 

Coming from the south, I journey to the north,

My name is Heart Van Dort, bringing cosplay forth.

For Usapang Cosplay, I stand with zest,

Here in the west, I give my best.

This experience I’ll keep, forever pretty.

My heart now beats in Iloilo City.

Published under Usapanng Cosplay PH 2026

Written by: Sheartato

Photos By: Sheartato