Wonder Festival 2023 [Summer]" will be held on July 30 at Makuhari Messe! The collaboration project for the 40th anniversary of the legendary event "DAICON IV" is decided!

Wonder Festival 2023 [Summer]," one of the world's largest sculpture and figure festivals, will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday, July 30, 2023.

Wonder Festival is one of the world's largest sculpture and figure festivals, now in its 38th year. Prior to this year's event, a special website was opened to the public.
In addition, a collaboration project to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "DAICON IV," the legendary event that is the root of Wonder Festival and a symbol of otaku culture, has also been decided to be implemented. Tickets went on sale on Thursday, May 25.

Special website URL: ##

This time, the admission method has been changed from the previous event and improved to allow for smoother entry.
Please check the ticket sales schedule in this release for details.

New contents that will make "Wonder Festival 2023 [Summer]" even more exciting will be announced in the future, so be sure to check back.

The summer Wonder Festival will be a "DICON Festival"!

This year's festival will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 Japan Science Fiction Convention, known as "DICON IV," which is the root of Wonder Festival, with a variety of collaborative projects. Other details will be announced at a later date.

Wanda-chan and Lisette-chan, the official characters drawn by Toshinao Aoki, will appear as DAICON ver! The key visuals that will color the Summer One Fest will be unveiled.

In a special booth in the venue, props, drafts, original motion pictures, cels, scenarios, and other intermediate production materials used for special effects and animation will be exhibited with the full cooperation of the "Anime Special Effects Archive Corporation (NPO)" (a.k.a. "ATAC").

Wonder Festival 2023 [Summer]" special site is open to the public!

The special website for "Wonder Festival 2023 (Summer)" has been opened. Information on the stages full of attractions and exhibitors will be available on the special site.

More information on exhibitors and other details will be available in mid-June.
Guidebooks will not be sold at this year's event.

Wonder Festival special site: #

Ticket registration will start on May 25 (Thu.)!

In order to allow more visitors to enter smoothly, Wonder Festival 2023[ Summer] has changed the assembly classification from last time. Admission tickets will be sold at Lawson Ticket and e-plus.

■Schedule of admission ticket sales
Primary ticket sales】・・Reception period: May 25
Acceptance period: May 25 (Thu.) 10:00 - July 11 (Tue.) 23:59
Ticketing starts: Saturday, July 22, 10:00 -
Ticket types: All-day ticket (General) 3,000 yen, All-day ticket (U22) 2,200 yen, Afternoon ticket 1,800 yen
Tickets are sold at Lawson, Ministop, and FamilyMart in-store terminals nationwide.

However, only for the assembly category 4 (assembly at 10:00).
Admission will be given to Direct Pass holders after 10:00.
Free admission for elementary school students and younger (must be accompanied by a parent or guardian).
The following assembly categories will be randomly assigned at the time of ticket issuance at the primary reception.

Assembling Classification

1：8:45 assembly
2: 9:00 assembly
3: 9:30 assembly
4: 10:00 assembly

Secondary Registration】】・Reception Period: July 12(Wed.) 10:00 ~ July 30
Period: July 12 (Wed.) 10:00 ~ July 30 (Sun.) 15:00
Ticketing starts: Tickets will be issued immediately.
Ticket types: All-day ticket (General) 3,000 yen, All-day ticket (U22) 2,200 yen, Afternoon ticket 1,800 yen
Tickets will be sold at Lawson, Ministop, and FamilyMart in-store terminals nationwide.
Secondary tickets will be available only for the Group 4 (10:00am).
Free for elementary school students and younger (must be accompanied by a parent or guardian).

Direct Pass
Pre-registration: June 16 (Fri.) 12:00 - June 19 (Mon.) 23:59 *Final results will be announced on June 24 (Sat.) 15:00~.
General registration: June 30 (Fri) 12:00 - July 3 (Mon) 23:59 *Final results will be announced on July 8 (Sat) 15:00～.
Tickets will be issued on July 22 (Sat), 10:00 ~ *For both advanced tickets and general tickets.
For more information about tickets, please visit the special website. Admission is not on a first-come, first-served basis, but according to the assembly classification indicated on the ticket. There will be no early morning line-up.
U22 Discount is for customers 22 years old or younger.
Afternoon Discount is available from 13:00 on the event day.
Direct Pass advance reservations are limited to KAIYODO VISA card members.
Direct Pass requires a separate all-day ticket (general). Cannot be used in conjunction with U22 or Afternoon Discount.
Lawson Ticket: #
E-plus: #

Comment by Senmu Miyawaki, representative of the Wonder Festival Executive Committee

Since the Corona disaster three years ago, the previous Wonder Festival had been held with fewer exhibitors and wider aisles in order to avoid "density". With the recent government-led changes in the positioning of the new coronavirus and its countermeasures, we were able to increase the number of exhibitors to about 400 and almost return to the situation prior to the coronavirus disaster. Dealers who had suspended their exhibits for a long time due to the effects of the new coronavirus returned, and we were able to feel that the manufacturing power of Wonder Festival and the enthusiasm of the sculptors had returned, and we are filled with gratitude to all of you who participated. I am filled with gratitude to all of you who are participating in the festival.
The Japan Science Fiction Convention DAICON4, held in Osaka in 1983, was the root of Wonder Festival as well as DAICON3, held two years earlier. The core members of the management of DAICON4 were the founders of Wonder Festival and General Products, which led the early days of garage kits together with Kaiyodo. They also produced amateur films under the name "DAICON FILM," and the opening animation created by Hideaki Anno and others for "DAICON" was of such high quality that even today it is hard to believe it was handmade by amateurs, and has become a legendary presence. DAICON FILM, which produced many animations, special effects, and puppet shows in a short period of time, later became the parent company of GAINAX, the animation production company that created "Neon Genesis Evangelion.
This project is a review of the achievements of DAICON FILM, which created a big stir in the visual media and General Products, which later became a driving force in the Japanese garage kit scene, The main focus is to provide a guideline for the future. Of course, simply reminiscing about the past and saying "the good old days" will not lead to future development. By looking at the origins of the garage kit spirit, which is still connected to the present, it is highly significant to verify and reconfirm the energy that produced the garage kits, and we believe that this will surely be food for thought for those who will be involved in modeling in the future.
We hope you will visit our exhibition booth and feel the aspirations of creators who are still active after 40 years, and use them as a guideline for your own creations.

Event Information

Wonder Festival 2023 Summer
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2023 10:00 - 17:00
Place: Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall 1-8

(2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 261-8550)
Admission: All-day ticket (general) 3,000 yen, All-day ticket (U22) 2,200 yen (for 22 years old and under)

Afternoon discount: 1,800 yen (admission after 1:00 p.m.)
Free for elementary school students and younger, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Direct Pass (priority admission) 3,000 yen (full-day ticket (general) is required separately)
Sponsor: Wonder Festival Executive Committee / Kaiyodo Co.

Special website：#
Official Twitter: #