South Korean boy band AHOF has been announced as the first-day headliner for the Fandom Fest VKontakte pop culture festival taking place in Moscow on October 10 and 11. Organisers announced the headliners and new program participants in a press release sent to Lenta.ru.
South Korean band can't be blue will headline the second day of the festival, which takes place at CSKA Arena. The event offers Russian enthusiasts of movies, anime, and video games a chance to experience new releases, watch performances by leading cosplayers and dancers, and check out bestsellers in modern youth literature.
Fandom Fest VKontakte is organized by VK, the Russian technology company behind the country's most popular social networking platform. The venue, CSKA Arena, is a major indoor sports and entertainment complex situated in Moscow.
Main Stage Appearances and International Authors
Chinese thriller author Ning Hangyi, widely known as the Chinese Hitchcock, will make his first appearance in Russia on the main stage. The writer, famous for his suspense novels Super Forbidden Games and The Mystery of Floor 12, plans to present his books and reveal a secret project to festival attendees.
The main stage lineup also includes South Korean author and screenwriter Kim Ho-yeon and Chinese writer Tianxia Guiyuan, who will both meet with festival guests. Prominent actors Milos Bikovic, Dmitry Chebotarev, and Veronika Zhuravleva are likewise scheduled for fan meet-and-greets during the event.
Streaming service VK Music and publishing company O2 will introduce a media project titled Kanashibari. Until the Last Lantern Goes Out. Countdown on the main stage. Project creators Angelina Shen and Veronika Shen will present the work alongside actor and dubbing director Nikita Moiseev, while a secret author will perform the project's title track live.
Lecture Hall Discussions and Voice Acting Sessions
The festival lecture hall will feature interactive sessions focusing on literature and storytelling. Authors Angelina Shen and Veronika Shen will join Mitya Lebedev, host of the popular podcasts Myths and Laura Palmer's Diaries, to discuss eerie Asian folklore and invite audience members to test their writing skills in an interactive literary challenge.
Additional lecture hall sessions will explore specific film and television titles, including the series Hard to Be a God, the movie The Fan, the film Lamb in a Box, and the thriller The Forest. Writer Ekaterina Bobrovskaya and folklorist Nadezhda Rychkova will analyze how regional mythology influences books and video games.
Voice actors from Studio Band, a prominent Russian dubbing group, will also host a presentation detailing their experiences translating and dubbing international media projects into Russian.
Video Game Expo and Cosplay Competition
The Expo area at CSKA Arena will showcase interactive gaming displays and merchandise. Space fantasy role-playing game Honkai: Star Rail will offer new official merchandise for fans. In the geek market area, anime-style role-playing game Genshin Impact will feature Genshin Cafe, an official themed space offering game-related products.
The newly announced acts join previously confirmed participants, including Chinese singer and blogger Kai Xing and music artist WEIYI. The first phase of the program schedule also features film previews, author panels, and a cosplay and dance cover competition carrying a prize fund of 1.1 million rubles.
