Super Heroes

Spiderman, Princess Leia and Astro Boy join Brighton & Hove’s Rugby World Cup 2015 celebrations

By Paul Hudson

Blogger: Paul Hudson

Every Rugby World cup creates new Super Heroes for the sport and 2015 will be no different. Will it be Sam Burgess for England, Brian Habana for South Africa or Ma’a Nono for New Zealand? 

Whatever happens on the field, Brighton & Hove won’t be short of heroes next year as we are expecting hundreds of fantasy heroes to attend the celebrations on Madeira Drive

Cosplay – short for costumed play – has its roots in Japan but is now a huge international phenomenom.  Favorite sources include manga and anime, comic books, video games, and live-action films. 

Brighton Japan - Brighton’s annual festival of all things Japanese - will be returning in 2015 on the same weekend as Rugby World Cup 2015 begins and while Japan’s Rugby team is in the city for their match at the Brighton Community Stadium. With support from Brighton & Hove City Council, we will be linking with Brighton Japan to put on the first ever Cosplay Carnival.

Creative designs

Brighton Japan have pulled together a fantastic group of people and organisations to work on the project including Graham Churchyard, Costume Special Effects Supervisor on the Batman and Harry Potter movies and Paraiso School of Samba, winners of this year’s top award at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Imaginative displays

I’m delighted to be helping co-ordinate this amazing event and will be blogging about it over the next 10 months.

Why Cosplay I hear you say? Brighton & Hove is famous for trying out new ideas and for taking the quirky into the mainstream. The Body Shop and Virgin Records were founded here. The internationally acclaimed show Stomp started here. We are also a city that is known for tolerance and diversity and where you are free to be whoever you want to be. 

Where else but Brighton will you find celebrations for Rugby World Cup 2015 being led by Astro Boy, Princess Leia and Spider Man dancing to Samba beats from Rio?

Madeira Drive: Cosplay Carnival detination
Photo credit Adam Bronkhurst