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Idol Festival

The Idol Festival showcases various idol, J-pop and K-pop dance cover groups. This is a fun, non-competitive platform to perform and is a fantastic opportunity for exposure, meeting new friends, and growing both individually and as a group.

Important note: Idol Festival performances will be on an outdoor stage and all outdoor programming is weather permitting. There is no guarantee outdoor programming will have an indoor location should we deem the weather unsafe to perform. As such, Idol Festival may be cancelled if the weather is unsatisfactory for performances.

Requirements

  • Cosplay is not required, but encouraged!
  • You'll be performing in a public area! Please make sure you're comfortable with this!
  • You must have audio submitted prior to the date submissions close.
  • Pre-registration is required. No day-of registrations!
  • Be on time! Anyone who does not show up to check-in will not perform!
  • Entries are permitted up to 15 minutes of performance time. More or less time may be granted depending on number of entries.

Format

This is not a competition event! It’s a showcase where you can dance and enjoy performing for an audience without worry of being judged or compared. Come and have fun, meet new friends, and most importantly, enjoy performing!

Check-In

Check-in is from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in the Cosplay HQ room on Friday May 10. All participants must check-in during this time to go over audio, be briefed on how the show will run, along with any safety considerations. In the event that Idol Festival must be cancelled due to weather conditions, we will inform you during check-in, or give you a heads-up that it may be cancelled. Alternatively, if an indoor location is available, we will inform you of the change. During check-in, you’ll be able to make any last minute adjustments (such as requesting an introduction for your group), or make additional requests. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated, but will do our best to try.

Any participants who fail to check in without having emailed the coordinator ahead of time will not be permitted to perform.

Transition Time

During the event, each participating group will have some transition time to get on and off the stage, as well as get into position before their music starts. Otafest will add this transition time to your entry, please do not add this on yourself as it will cause the show to run faster than intended.

New for 2024!

Option to Compete

If there are enough willing participants, there will be a separate competitive aspect to the event. The competition will run before non-competition entries, similar to the Cosplay Contest’s walk-ons before skits. There will be two categories (solo, group) that are further divided into 3 sub-categories (Novice, Apprentice, and Idol)

If you are interested in the competition aspect of the Idol Festival, please indicate so on the sign up form.

Please note that the competition will only move forward if there is enough interest. The non-competitive aspect of the event will still be available and will move forward regardless of whether the competitive aspect happens or not.

Categories

Novice (Beginner Category)

  • Has never participated in a competition before
  • Has never won an award before
  • Has very little experience dancing on a stage or in front of an audience
  • Does not have to have previous dance experience

Apprentice (Intermediate Category)

  • Has participated in a competition before
  • Has won fewer than 3 awards
  • Has some experience dancing on a stage or in front of an audience
  • Has previous dance experience (either as a cosplayer or professionally trained)

Idol (Masters Category)

  • Has competed in a competition before
  • Has won more than 3 awards
  • Has a lot of experience dancing on a stage or in front of an audience
  • Has previous dance experience (either as a cosplayer or professionally trained)

Audio

All audio you wish to use for the duration of your performance must be submitted via the registration form or emailed to noa.byers@otafest.com prior to April 5, 2024. We will not accept any last-minute changes, or changes submitted after this date.

Only audio submitted on the form will be accepted, we cannot accept other forms of audio submission (e.g. USB stick).

Registration

Important Reminders

  • Cosplay is not required
  • All audio MUST be submitted prior to April 5, 2024
  • Please make sure audio is named: Groupname-song-performanceNumber (e.g. Otafest Idols-Idol Song-1)
  • Pre-registration is required. No day-of registrations!
  • Be on time! Anyone who does not show up to check in will not perform!
  • Do not add transition time to your entry, Otafest will add it on after we receive all submissions.
  • Make sure you receive a confirmation email after you submit the form. Check your spam folder as well. If you don't receive a confirmation, it means your form was not submitted!

This application will open on January 5, 2024 at 10:00 am MST right here.

Otafest

May 10 – 12, 2024

Calgary Telus Convention Centre
120 9 Ave SE
Calgary, AB T2G 0P3

info@otafest.com

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