Our experience at Magnificon Winter Expo 2025 

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A year has passed since our visit to Magnificon Winter Expo, a convention that has been bringing together fans of Japanese pop culture for more than 20 years. That is why we could not miss this year’s winter festival, with high expectations and readiness for new adventures, we returned to Expo Kraków on November 29 and 30. As it turned out, we were part of the largest edition in the history of this event. 

I must admit that our participation in this year’s Magnificon Winter Expo was quite a challenge in terms of organization. On the one hand, I couldn’t miss another edition of this legendary festival. However, on the other hand, it took place at the same time as Małopolska Game Production Conference, and who wouldn’t want to meet famous Polish game developers in person and get tips from them? However, the scheduling conflict did not prevent us from participating in both events, hence, the report below covers activities we managed to join during the two days of the convention. 

Musical experiments to start the day 

Our Saturday visit naturally began with the opening ceremony. After a brief introduction by the hosts (taken straight from Expedition 33), we witnessed an extraordinary percussion performance by Geisha-art Taiko Drummers. The Krakow group spectacularly combined music, costumes, and energy, putting on a real show of rhythmic synchronization. The artists also gave a second performance that day, which took the form of a UV SHOW, glowing with color and movement. 

The next item on the agenda was a concert by French pop artist Kai Iden. Serving up a mix of electrifying pop and futuristic aesthetics, the singer and dancer managed to warm up the audience despite the winter weather. The performance, full of light, dance, and energy, will surely remain in our memories for a long time. 

After the concert, we remained in front of the main stage, since it was time for the next musical experience. Known to us from last year’s edition, Anime Symphony has prepared something new this time: a rock repertoire. The band and soloists presented the best anime hits in a powerful performance, to such an extent that it felt as if real sparks were flying from the stage. 

Emotional journeys beneath the stage 

The time has come for an event that I couldn’t miss for anything in the world. On both Saturday and Sunday, my joy grew to unimaginable proportions – the reason for this was the CODA concert, the legendary voice and creator of the opening hits for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. As a die-hard JoJo fan, I was of course present at both performances, it’s not often you get to hear “Bloody Stream” and “Fighting Gold” live. I also managed to attend the Meet & Greet on Sunday, where we could ask the artist questions and learn more about his experience working on anime music. 

Many experiences awaited us on the second day of the festival as well. In addition to CODA’s second concert and meeting with him, we also went to the Magnificon Kpop Dance Contest, where many teams showcased their dancing skills. We managed to see several interesting performances and watch the announcement of the results and the award ceremony for the best teams. 

This is how our visit looked like this year. Despite having to fit two events into one weekend, this edition of Magnificon was particularly special and successful for us. Filled with many fond memories, we will return to our winter experiences in our thoughts, eagerly awaiting plans for the spring version of the event. See you next year!