Idol Fest

Are you and your Idol Group ready to dazzle the Zenkaikon stage? Join us as we celebrate Idol excitement while duking it out on stage in front of all of Zenkaikon to become Zenkaikon’s first Idol Winners in the Zenkaikon Idol Fest!

We absolutely love all our Idol Friends, so we’ve created a brand new event showcasing all big and small Idol Groups. For Zenkaikon 2023, we are not accepting Idol Groups in dancing form into the Masquerade. Instead, whoever wins the inaugural Zenkaikon Idol Contest will showcase during our Masquerade’s Halftime Show. The Masquerade stage will be all yours for eight minutes, including an introduction and a medley or full song.

What a way to spend a Friday night! Get those light sticks ready! Nine groups enter, and only one group shall walk away, crowned as the winner! Registration for the Zenkaikon Idol Fest will open on Saturday, February 4th @ 10 AM EST and close on Saturday, March 11th at 11:59 PM EST. CLICK THIS LINK HERE to submit your Idol Group, as entry slots will quickly fill up! There will be no at-con registration for the Idol Fest, and entries will be taken online on a first-come, first-serve basis.

So, how does all this work?

ZENKAIKON IDOL FEST RULES

• When the submission link is live, only one group member must fill out the form but will be required to provide information on all members of the idol group, including any stage ninjas.
• The idol group member who submitted the form will be contacted before Zenkaikon with information such as check-in times, date, and location.
• All idol group members must wear a COVID mask before their performance and after. Performances are allowed to be unmasked. Please have an area on your body to hide the mask during your performance. You are not required to take your mask off if you feel more comfortable not removing it for your performance.
• Please prepare two song clips, each one minute and thirty seconds (1:30) long. Your source material for entries: Idols! Pre-existing or Fan-made are both acceptable.
• Our nine groups will be divided into three groups of three (A-B-C, D-E-F, and H-I-J) and perform one of their song clips. A winner will be selected from each grouping. Those three winners will then compete against one another with their second song clip. One group will be chosen as the inaugural Zenkaikon Idol Fest winner and go on to showcase on our Masquerade Halftime stage for eight minutes, including an introduction and a medley or full song!
• All idol group members must be pre-registered to attend Zenkaikon. Group leaders should verify all members have pre-registered before registering their idol group for the Idol Fest.
• As Zenkaikon is a family-friendly event, all performances and costumes must be kept to a PG-13 level. No explicit gestures, nudity, swearing, dancing, etc. Participants are expected to behave onstage and backstage appropriately and maturely in a family environment.
• All costumes and props are subject to the Zenkaikon Convention Policies.
• Anything you bring onstage with you must come off with you. No toilet paper, tissues, rice, water, etc. Fireworks, pyrotechnics, or any general fire-based effects are not permitted. Please respect the stage and leave it clean.
• You may have a handler if visibility or mobility is limited. However, all persons and props must be able to get on and off the stage via the stairs without interrupting the event or causing an undue delay for your fellow idol groups.
• Each idol group member may only be involved with one idol group entry. You cannot participate in multiple entries.
• Each group is limited to ten (10) people. This includes stage ninjas, as no more than ten (10) people are allowed on stage at any given time, camouflage or no camouflage.
• Failure to report for your sign-in, rehearsal, and/or green room times is grounds for cancellation of your performance, as being late or not showing up throws the organizers and all other idol groups off schedule. Please do not take this lightly!
• Exhibition entries (non-competing) are permitted, but competing idol groups will be given priority for slots.
• Please stay in the designated area to which you are assigned during rehearsal and the event while you are not performing. Anyone found loitering in off-limits areas will be subject to dismissal from the event and/or the convention itself.
• Our portable stage cannot take heavy abuse; therefore, acrobatics or martial arts are not allowed. We will allow slower, choreographed, dance-like movements. Be sure to indicate such presentations when you register. Safety first! Please do not be that person remembered for being sent to the hospital in front of the entire audience!
• Microphones will not be provided. Pre-recording of any and all dialogue and music is heavily advised, as the acoustics in the room are very rough. Live musical presentations are permitted; however, such presentations must be approved first by the Cosplay Coordinator before the show.
• Audio must be submitted in .MP3 format on a flash drive. There are no exceptions. You will immediately receive your flash drive back during the check-in process.
• Please tell us in advance of anything “unique” you have planned in your presentation. We will do our best to accommodate your requests but are limited in what we can do and allow. The more we know ahead of time, the more we can work with you. Waiting until the check-in to ask for special clearance is far too late!
• The parental guardian must always be present if a participant is under eighteen (18).
• Violating any costume contest or Zenkaikon rules will disqualify you. A severe violation could result in removal from the convention.
• Zenkaikon Staff are not permitted to enter the competition.
• The Zenkaikon Cosplay Coordinator has the final say in all circumstances, disputes, and rules interpretations.