BAHRAIN’S biggest pop culture event successfully concluded yesterday with tens of thousands of people from different countries flocking to the Bahrain International Circuit over the course of the weekend.
The Bahrain Comic Con, which featured a star-studded line-up was met with a widely positive reception from attendees and participants alike.
The event featured appearances from top celebrities, including Paul Wight, most commonly known as The Big Show, former Premier League winner John Terry, Yuki Kaji, who is the voice of Eren Yeager from the hit show Attack on Titans, and American actors Matthew Davis, Ross Marquand, Manu Bennett and Steven Ward.
Due to personal circumstances, Lucie Pohl, who was scheduled to appear at the event, was unable to attend.
Dallah Promotions managing partner Salman Bukhari expressed pride at how well the event went and at the positive reviews.
“This weekend has been crazy!” he told the GDN on the sidelines of the extravaganza yesterday.
“It has been hectic, the line-up is the best we’ve ever had, the attendance has improved drastically, the vibe feels much more real and it fits comics and pop culture a lot more than before.
“We have had people from all over the world, including France, Japan, the UK and the US, all in attendance celebrating one thing, their love for comics, anime, manga and games.
“It was a beautiful thing.”
Fans, especially children, were able to get signed autographs and take pictures with their favourite celebrities, while playing a variety of video games, shopping for merchandise and cosplaying as their favourite characters and wrestlers.
There was also a cinema zone at the event where movies were streamed for free to offer more things to do than during previous years.
“We were very happy to be able to step it up once again,” said Mr Bukhari.
“We try our best to outdo ourselves every year and make it as fun as possible.
“This has so far been the most engaging event, and the best one yet by far.”
Mr Bukhari stated that the event was able to achieve a historic first, as Bahrain became the first ever country to be promoted by Attack on Titans.
“They promoted us and the country on their official channels when we announced Mr Kaji would be a celebrity guest,” he said.
“This was a major thing for us and a very big step, as it made Bahrain and the Comic Con the first and only country to be promoted by the official show.”
He also sent his thanks to all the cosplayers, stating that they were the ones who added colour to the event.
“They are the reason we do comic con,” he said.
“Not just them, but the artists, the vendors, the gamers, they all come together and make the magic happen.
“Without them, this event would not have been a success, they complete the event and make it what it is.”
Some cosplayers showed unrivalled dedication, with Ahmed Ares from Saudi Arabia for example, driving all the way from Medina to experience the event for himself, dressed up as Dante from the hit video game, Devil May Cry.
“The people have been amazing,” he told the GDN.
“The event has been really fun, and really well organised and put together. Whether people were cosplaying or not, they all came together to have fun, and that is what events like Comic Con are all about.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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