Travel Curators and Far East Organization Launch Inaugural World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition at Clarke Quay Central

• Cosplay competition with the largest ever cosplay prize pool (over $25,000) in Singapore; first prize comprises $1,000 cash and a trip to Japan for two worth over $8,000
• Featuring J-Pop artistes such as Daimon Yayoi, Yuka Takada, Nine Universe SARAH, Akko Gorilla and famous Japanese cosplayers such as Nanase Meron and Zumi performing and cosplaying for the first time in Singapore
• Food stalls by Don Don Donki, game stalls helmed by guest artistes and never done before stage shows and performances that brings Japanese culture to Singapore

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 12 September 2023- Far East Organization has partnered with Travel Curators, a leading travel technology and event management company, to introduce the first ever World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition in Singapore. Spanning three days from 29 September to 1 October 2023 at one of the Far East Malls, Clarke Quay Central, the event aspires to unite individuals in celebrating global cultures, traditions and artisanal crafts. The debut of World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition shines a spotlight on Japan, blending modern J-Pop flair with the timeless charm of traditional Japanese summer festivals (matsuri).

Director of the Retail Business Group at Far East Organization, Graham Ng, remarked: "Clarke Quay Central, with its robust profile of Japanese tenants and varied offerings, is pleased to host the inaugural World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition as part of the Singapore River Festival. As the grand finale to the month-long Festival, World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition aims to ignite festivalgoers' passion for the scenic Singapore River, by providing a one-of-a-kind weekend experience featuring food, fun and exclusive performances by J-pop artistes and cosplayers."

Conceived by Travel Curators, World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition presents a distinctive mashup of classic matsuri elements with J-pop and anime cultures. It promises several exciting new concepts not previously seen in Singapore. Instead of traditional odori dances and matsuri folk songs, J-Pop artistes will be belting out hit tracks from beloved anime series like Demon Slayer, One Piece and Naruto. While summer yukatas are typically worn for matsuri, World X Fest 2023 takes a contemporary twist by encouraging attendees to don cosplay attire. Renowned Japanese cosplayers will be gracing the event, setting a spirited tone. Matsuri game booths will also be reimagined. Featured guest artistes will man the stalls at specific times, offering fans autograph sessions and the opportunity to snag attractive prizes such as CDs, exclusive T-shirts and other sought-after J-pop merchandise.

The guest artistes include J-Pop singers such as Yayoi Daimon and Akko Gorilla who have performed at major music festivals like SXSW and Fuji Rock Festival. Additionally, cosplayer Nanase Meron earned distinction by representing Japan at the World Cosplay Summit 2022 while cosplay armor specialist Yumaki won first place at the World Cosplay Summit Exhibition 2022. Their appearance at World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition is extra special as it marks their first performance in Singapore. To honour their Singapore debut at World X Fest 2023, the organisers are set to feature them in a Japanese-style variety show on stage, offering fans a chance to discover interesting facets of their personalities. Please refer to Annex A for their profiles and Annex B for the programme schedule.

Adding to the festival's ambience, Don Don Donki will be managing several food stalls at Clarke Quay Central, serving perennial favourites such as yaki-imo (baked sweet potatoes), kushiyaki (grilled skewered meats) and onigiri (rice balls).

Tora-Q Mascot Gijinka Cosplay Competition

In celebration of this inaugural fest, Travel Curators is launching an original yuru-chara mascot, Tora-Q. This captivating character draws inspiration from the shiba-inu dog, the maneki-neko cat and Jizo (stone statues commonly found in Japan that are associated with safe travels). This symbolism resonates with the event's vision of bringing together people and cultures from around the world. To add to the excitement, World X Fest 2023 will host a thematic cosplay competition on 30 September 2023. Participants can showcase their creativity with their gijinka[1] interpretation of Tora-Q. Interested cosplayers can register online here before 25 September 2023. Please refer to Annex C for more details.

Singapore's leading travel company Dynasty Travel is sponsoring one of the biggest cosplay prize pools in Singapore for this competition, worth more than $25,000. Winners stand to gain not only cash rewards but also a specially-curated pop culture-themed trip to Japan. Members of the public coming down to the event are also encouraged to come dressed in shades of grey and red as they get to enjoy certain special privileges. Expect Clarke Quay Central to morph into a mesmerising canvas of grey and red on 30 September 2023.

Founder of Travel Curators, Mr Teo Tianyi said, "We are excited to be given this opportunity to work with Far East Organization and the Singapore River Festival to create an exciting new event. We hope that World X Fest will grow to become a calendar event that everyone can look forward to in years to come."

World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition marks the first time a matsuri celebrating Japanese gastronomy, anime and pop music is held at the annual Singapore River Festival. The festivities started on 7 September will end on 1 October 2023. The Singapore River Festival is organised by Singapore River One with BytePlus as the presenting sponsor.

Updated information on World X Fest 2023 Japan Edition can be found at https://www.worldxfest.com/ or the event's IG page https://www.instagram.com/world_x_fest/.

For high-resolution images, please download them via this link.

Annex A: List of confirmed guest artistes at World X Fest 2023 – Japan Edition

(For upcoming guest announcements, refer to IG page: https://www.instagram.com/world_x_fest/)

SARAH	SARAH (top left) is the lead vocalist from Nine Universe, an anime-loving duo that has worked on several theme songs from video games and animation produced by Konami. In her free time, SARAH also enjoys cosplaying (and of course, making her own cosplay attires), voice acting and creating illustrations. SARAH will be performing for the first time ever in Singapore, on all three days at World X Fest 2023, and will be singing some of the top hits from popular anime like Demon Slayer and Gintama.
Akko Gorilla	Akko Gorilla (top right) is a trailblazing drummer, rapper, and solo artist from Tokyo who recently made her debut appearance at Fuji Rock Festival. Her stage name is inspired by her fascination with how gorillas communicate with each other through rhythms. Not one to shy away from trying new things, Akko Gorilla will be cosplaying for the first time in her career, performing for the first time ever in Singapore, on all three days at World X Fest 2023, and will also be covering some popular anisongs from Slam Dunk and Sailor Moon.
Yuka Takada	Yuka Takada (bottom left) left her hometown in Akita to pursue her passion in singing, first as the lead singer of vocal dance unit Rhythmic and currently as a solo songstress (and part time voice actress). While Yuka is known for her J-Pop ballads, she is actually a big fan of anisongs. Yuka will be cosplaying for the first time in her career, performing for the first time ever in Singapore, on all three days at World X Fest 2023, and will be singing some of the top hits from popular anime like Naruto and Evangelion.
Yayoi Daimon	Hailing from Osaka, guest artiste Yayoi Daimon (bottom center) began her singing career at an all-girl group managed by Yoshimoto Kogyo before going independent to pursue her passion in creating J-pop music inspired by Hiphop and Reggae music. Yayoi will be cosplaying for the first time in her career, performing for the first time ever in Singapore, on all three days at World X Fest 2023, and will also be covering some popular anisongs from One Piece and Cutie Honey in her repertoire.
Nanase Meron	Based in Fukuoka, Nanase Meron (bottom right) is a cosplayer who most recently represented Japan at the World Cosplay Summit in 2022. Quite an amazing feat for someone who started cosplaying simply because she wanted to become her favorite character from anime like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Inuyasha. Nanase Meron will be cosplaying for the first time ever in Singapore, on all three days at World X Fest 2023, and will also be conducting workshops on how to create award winning cosplay designs, using her very own Tora-Q gijinka cosplay as a showcase!

Annex B: Tentative Event Schedule

Annex C: Tora-Q Mascot Gijinka Cosplay Competition Details

Be creative and come up with your very own gijinka interpretation of our Tora-Q mascot. Tora-Q is an original mascot inspired by Japanese stone jizo (guardian of travellers) and a fictitious animal that is a cross between shiba-inu and neko. So as far as possible, please consider the following Tora-Q's signature features in your cosplay design:

- Predominantly red and stone-grey colors - Dark red bib - Neko-mimi (cat ears)

Date: 30 September 2023 Time: TBC (actual time of event on stage, reporting time to be given upon shortlisting) Location: World X Stage @ CQC Atrium

Prizes: 1^st: 10D8N Special pop culture themed trip to Tokyo for 2 (worth more than S$8,000) + S$1,000 cash

2^nd: 10D8N Special pop culture themed trip to Tokyo for 2 (worth more than S$8,000) + S$500 cash

3^rd: 10D8N Special pop culture themed trip to Tokyo for 2 (worth more than S$8,000)

Scoring:

Participants will be judged on an overall 1-100 point scale comprising:

- Accuracy (decided by panel of judges from organizer and key sponsors) - Creativity (decided by panel of judges from organizer and key sponsors) - Popularity (decided by number of likes on WXF23JP's social media)

Terms and Conditions: 1) This competition is for individuals; team submissions are not allowed.

2) Photos of the actual cosplay submitted as part of this application will be posted on WXF2023JP's social media, and number of "likes" will be tabulated to determine Popularity points

3) A panel of judges from the organiser and key sponsors will shortlist participants from eligible entries to showcase their gijinka cosplay attire on World X Stage on 30 September 2023.

4) Shortlisted participants will be notified via email or telephone on 25 September 2023. No correspondence will be entertained about the judges' decision.

5) Participants' outfits must not be obscene or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulation.

6) The organiser reserves the right to disqualify all entries that do not meet the rules and regulations, and to add, vary, delete or add on any terms and conditions at its absolute discretion without prior notice.

7) The organiser reserves the right to withdraw, discontinue or terminate the competition at any time at its absolute discretion, without notice or liability to any person.

8) In the case of dispute, the judges' decision is final.

9) Participants shall give consent to having their likeness taken in video or photo and that it may be used or published for promotional and marketing purposes without further reference or compensation to you.

10) Winners of the top 3 prizes will be given a free trip for 2 (twin room sharing) on Dynasty Travel's 10D8N Special pop culture themed group tour to Tokyo. Details of the trip can be found here: https://dynastytravel.com.sg/10d8n-japan-pop-culture-trip/

11) The dates for Dynasty Travel's 10D8N Special pop culture themed group tour to Tokyo are fixed and departs only from Singapore. Amendments to the tour (changing trip dates or departure airport or itinerary) is not allowed.

Registration closes on 25th September 2023 at 2359 SGT or earlier, subject to the organiser's discretion.

* WXF2023JP reserves the right to revise the contents of this form at any time without prior notice.

Hashtag: #FarEastOrganization

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.