By Joey Aguilar
The Winter Wonderland cosplay competition held recently in Doha attracted many cosplayers in Doha, including young Qataris.
Dressed in elegant and colourful costumes, the participants took the centrestage at Al Arabi Football Stadium to portray their
favourite characters.
DT Talents and Events CEO Annie Barcelona Esmer told Community that cosplay is getting more popular in Qatar and in different
parts of the world.
She said some of the participants look for the most appropriate material, colour and design for their costumes.
“Many people find it a fascinating hobby to show their unique talents,” noted Esmer. “They really find time to design their
costumes which are often bought abroad.”
The crowd, including Philippines’ cosplayer queen Alodia Gosiengfiao, was enthralled with the performance of the cosplayers. A
popular model, singer and actress in the Philippines, she had been invited in numerous international cosplay events to either
perform or become one of the judges.
Some of the characters portrayed by the participants have captivated the audience such as Chun Li of Street Fighter, Mystique of
X-Men, characters from Avatar and from a number of video games like Assassin’s Creed.
Portraying JRR Tolkien’s fictional character King Thranduil, Randolf Marte Cunanan was adjudged the top winner of the
competition.
Jewel Rivera who was dressed as Shana (from the video game The Legend of Dragoon) won the second place. Omran Ali al-Ahmed who
portrayed Bumblebee from The Transformers won the third place.
Esmer is planning to hold a similar event in November due to the overwhelming response from various communities in Doha.
She said more stunning and popular characters will be seen in the next edition of the cosplay competition.
“Dozens of people have expressed their willingness to join, including Qatar Cosplayers, who were very supportive to us,” noted
Esmer.
Such events, she added, also give both the participants and audience a chance to meet new friends.
The female CEO is known in the Filipino community for working hard to raise the standards of organising events in Doha.
She said she wants to continuously bring quality entertainment to Filipino expatriates in Qatar. She also holds free seminars and
workshops in events management.