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C.O.R.E — Culture of Real Experiences — is bringing anime, gaming, cosplay, immersive installations, global entertainment IPs, and creator culture to Mumbai’s Jio World Convention Centre this June, signalling a major shift in India’s evolving pop-culture landscape.
As anime, gaming, cosplay, and fandom communities explode across India’s digital landscape, a new festival in Mumbai is betting that Indian pop culture is no longer a niche subculture but a full-fledged mainstream economy. On June 20 and 21, the inaugural edition of C.O.R.E — short for ‘Culture of Real Experiences’ — will transform the Jio World Convention Centre at the Bandra Kurla Complex into a sprawling immersive playground inspired by global fandom conventions like San Diego Comic-Con and Japan Expo.
Conceptualised by Fanthology Studios and Black White Orange, the festival brings together an unusually wide spectrum of global entertainment properties and Indian storytelling worlds under one roof. From IPs like ‘Demon Slayer’, ‘Spy x Family’, ‘Godzilla’, ‘Baahubali’, ‘Kalki’, to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), C.O.R.E reflects the increasingly hybrid media diet of young Indian audiences shaped as much by anime and gaming culture as by Bollywood, mythology, and internet fandoms.
The festival promises anime-inspired streets modelled after Akihabara and Shibuya in Japan, gaming zones, immersive installations, cosplay championships, live performances, creator panels, and themed experiences ranging from lunar rover replicas to nostalgia-driven entertainment spaces. Official merchandise retailers, independent artists, cosplayers, streamers, and fan communities will also occupy the convention floor, turning fandoms into a cohesive cultural ecosystem.
India’s pop-culture economy has matured rapidly over the past decade, fuelled by streaming platforms, e-sports, creator culture, and the growing visibility of fandom communities online. Yet large-scale, officially licensed experiential festivals have remained surprisingly rare. Most fan gatherings in India have historically existed on the margins. C.O.R.E signals a cultural shift. Fandom in India is no longer peripheral enthusiasm. It is now a serious cultural and commercial force — immersive, globalised, and increasingly central to how young Indians experience entertainment, identity, and community.
Tickets are available on District.
