Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert: Artists, Set Times & Tickets

Looking for the full Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert lineup? Here’s everything confirmed so far: the artists, the day-by-day breakdown, and how ticketing works for the concert specifically.

This isn’t a guess. Every name here comes straight from Cosplay.ph’s official guest page and the live reveal at Anime and Cosplay Expo 2026.

What Is the Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert?

JAM stands for Japanese Anime Music, and it’s the signature evening concert series at Cosplay Mania. Since its introduction in 2014, the JAM Concert has been the convention’s biggest single draw, bringing real Japanese and international anisong artists to a Philippine stage.

Cosplay Mania 2026 runs October 2–4 at SMX Convention Center Manila, and the JAM Concert takes place each evening across all three days. Interestingly, the JAM format has expanded beyond just Cosplay Mania in recent years. It now also runs at Cosplay Carnival, another Cosplay.ph event, which shows just how central this concert has become to the organization’s overall brand.

The full 2026 lineup was revealed live at Anime and Cosplay Expo (ACX) 2026, one of Cosplay.ph’s own sibling events. This has become a pattern worth knowing: ACX now functions as the stage where Cosplay Mania’s biggest announcements happen each year.

What is the JAM Concert at Cosplay Mania? In short, it’s a three-night concert series featuring a different pairing of anime music artists and VTuber performers each evening, held as the flagship evening event of the Philippines’ longest-running cosplay convention.

Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert Artists by Day

Here’s the confirmed JAM Concert lineup, organized exactly as announced by Cosplay.ph.

Day 1 (October 2): Nami Tamaki. A veteran of the anime music scene, opening the concert series solo.

Day 2 (October 3): Ayunda Risu and Momosuzu Nene. A dual performance from two hololive-affiliated virtual talents, marking the concert’s shift toward VTuber programming.

Day 3 (October 4): MindaRyn and ZAQ. A double billing closing out the weekend with more contemporary anime theme song artists.

This structure gives each night its own distinct flavor. Day 1 leans nostalgic, Day 2 leans virtual and futuristic, and Day 3 leans current-generation anisong. If you’re picking just one day to attend, knowing this split helps you choose based on your own music taste.

Meet the JAM Concert Headliners: Careers and Anime Credits

Each artist on this lineup brings real anime history to the stage, and knowing their catalog makes the concert far more meaningful to watch live.

Nami Tamaki rose to international fame with her debut single “Believe,” the opening theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Her catalog also includes contributions to Gundam SEED Destiny, Eureka Seven, and The Vision of Escaflowne, making her one of the most recognizable names in early-2000s anime music.

MindaRyn, a Thai-born anime song singer, has built her career on isekai anime themes, including work for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest. ZAQ, a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer, brings credits from Love Live! Sunshine!!, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. Together, their Day 3 set blends rock, electronic, and orchestral influences.

Ayunda Risu and Momosuzu Nene represent something newer: the VTuber crossover into physical concert stages. Ayunda Risu, from hololive Indonesia, has built a loyal following through singing streams and original songs. Momosuzu Nene, from hololive’s main Japanese branch, is known for her energetic performance style. Their Day 2 slot gives fans a rare chance to see a hololive-affiliated stage show outside Japan, an experience historically limited to major events like Anime Expo or Comiket.

Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert Set Times and Schedule

The JAM Concert occupies the prime evening slot each night of Cosplay Mania 2026, running inside SMX Convention Center Manila’s main stage area. Based on the convention’s typical daily hours, expect exhibit floors and daytime programming to run first, with the concert closing out the evening.

For US-based fans planning around this, the Philippines sits 12 to 13 hours ahead of most US time zones. An evening concert slot in Manila lands in the early morning hours back home, so if you’re tracking updates or livestream clips in real time, plan for an odd-hours wake-up call.

The three-day structure means each concert night functions almost like its own mini-event. Attendees who arrive early in the day get first access to the exhibit floor and merchandise booths before settling in for the evening’s headline performance.

Tickets for the Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert

Concert access isn’t automatically included with every Cosplay Mania ticket. Based on how Cosplay.ph has structured past events, the highest ticket tier (E+S+C, covering Exhibition, Stage, and Concert) is typically required for JAM Concert entry, while lower tiers cover exhibit access only.

Tickets are sold through TicketMAX, the event’s official ticketing platform. Since prices are listed in Philippine Pesos (PHP), US buyers should check the current exchange rate before budgeting, and should only purchase through official TicketMAX channels. Unofficial resellers can’t guarantee valid concert access, and Cosplay.ph doesn’t support secondhand ticket sales.

Given that this year’s lineup includes a genuine VTuber crossover moment with hololive talent, expect concert-tier tickets, especially for Day 2, to move faster than usual. Booking early is the safest move if a specific artist is your main reason for attending.

FAQs

What cosplay events are scheduled for 2026?

Beyond Cosplay Mania 2026 (October 2–4, Manila), Cosplay.ph’s full annual calendar includes Cosplay Carnival, FanFes, Anime and Cosplay Expo (ACX), CosMeet, and Cosplay Matsuri. Internationally, 2026 also features the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya (July 31–August 2) and Comic Fiesta in Kuala Lumpur (December 19–20).

Where is Cosplay Mania 2026?

Cosplay Mania 2026 takes place at the SMX Convention Center Manila, located inside the SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City, Philippines, running October 2–4, 2026.

What are the biggest cosplay events in the world?

By attendance, Comiket in Tokyo and Comic Fiesta in Malaysia, which drew roughly 75,000 attendees in 2025, rank among the largest cosplay-inclusive gatherings globally. The World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya is the largest dedicated international cosplay competition, drawing representative teams from more than 40 countries each year.

Is there a cosplay festival in Japan?

Yes. Japan hosts the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya every summer, widely considered the top international cosplay championship. Large-scale events like Comiket and AnimeJapan in Tokyo also feature major cosplay areas, even though they aren’t cosplay-exclusive events.

Is cosplay legal in Japan?

Yes, cosplay itself is not illegal in Japan. There’s no law against wearing a costume in public, as long as it meets basic decency standards. That said, it’s not culturally common to see cosplayers walking city streets outside designated events, and most conventions require attendees to arrive already in costume or change in designated on-site areas.

What do Japanese call cosplay?

The word itself originated in Japan as kosupure (コスプレ), a shortened blend of the English words “costume” and “play.” It was coined in 1983 by journalist Nobuyuki Takahashi after he attended a science fiction convention in Los Angeles and felt the existing Japanese word for “masquerade” didn’t capture what he saw. The term later made its way back into English as “cosplay” in the early 1990s.

Conclusion

The Cosplay Mania 2026 JAM Concert brings together three very different nights of anime music, from Nami Tamaki’s Gundam SEED legacy to a rare hololive VTuber stage show to ZAQ and MindaRyn’s contemporary anisong hits. Knowing the day-by-day lineup and ticket tier structure ahead of time means you can plan your trip around exactly the night that matters most to you.