AniMatsuri 2017

The 11th AniMatsuri festival, dedicated to Japanese animation and pop culture, will take place in Tartu on September 23rd-24th.

The festival is a two-day youth-focused event, bringing together fans from Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and other nearby lands. The programming was put together with an eye for variety and excitement. As interest in Japan has grown significantly in recent years, we have expanded our activities beyond the festival itself, with events throughout the month of September.

Visitors will have the chance to compete in drawing and AMV contests, attend numerous talks and presentations, and take part in various martial art demonstrations. This year’s set of workshops focuses on costume crafting, but will also feature the traditional option of calligraphy. A reading library of manga and books will be available onsite, along with shop vendors and a flea market. The video game tournament will also be making a return.

The most anticipated event is the Cosplay contest, where participants turn themselves into characters from various anime, manga, film and book sources, competing for the recognition of the best costume. This year sees an increase in the pool of exciting prizes. In addition to the chance to go to London to compete in the EuroCosplay finals, a two-person team will also be chosen to represent Estonia and AniMatsuri at the Clara Cow Cosplay Cup in The Hague. The festival’s Grand Prix is a trip to Japan, to attend the AnimeJapan convention. Costumes will be assessed by a team of expert judges.

The festival will open on Friday, September 22nd with a fantasy-themed masquerade ball. The venue for the festival itself is the Hugo Treffner school building. The traditional Saturday night afterparty will take place at Tartu’s Different Rooms Club (Erinevate Tubade Klubi), and will feature both dance-focused DJ sets and a roster of exciting social and video games.

Beyond AniMatsuri itself, Japan-themed events will be available for all to enjoy throughout the month of September. In addition to the youth-focused festival that is dedicated to Japanese pop culture, we desire to offer activities related to more Japan’s more traditional arts, for fans of various ages. Therefore, we will be holding concerts, talks, workshops, movie nights, and a lot more. The movie nights will be conducted in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Embassy of Japan in Estonia.

AniMatsuri is produced by MTÜ Animeklubi Asashio, along with a number of partners and sponsors. AniMatsuri’s partners include the Japanese-English Language School, Estravel, the UniCon festival in Latvia, GamingHouse, etc. The festival’s main sponsor is the Tartu Municipal Government.

More info:

Kaia Jallai
Head organizer and program director
+372 5687 5916 - [email protected]

Merilin Kauksi
Japan Month organizer
+372 523 7143 - [email protected]