India’s fandom culture has expanded significantly over the past few years. Apart from the ever growing craze of anime there is also a significant increase in the gaming communities as well as the massive following of K-pop, now that it has reached a global scale. Though there are so many fandom cultures in India, there was yet to be an event that combines these worlds in one place. A single event that combines all these passions and experiences into one immersive, exploding experience. That’s where C.O.R.E 2026 , which is also known as Culture Of Real Experience comes in.

Being held on June 20th and 21st, 2026, the event aims to bring together fandoms from these various cultures into one place in order to celebrate it. The event is an immersive experience; that brings people to experience physically; that which they were so used to watching online. The festival is said to have theme zone, interactive installations, cosplaying, live performances, gaming activities, creator meetings and exclusive merchandise.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is core?

C.O.R.E is the Culture Of Real Experience, which is a Mega Pop culture festival that takes place at the Jio World Convention Centre located at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai. This event is said to be India’s first official large scale immersive pop culture event that brings together 5 theme worlds designed for fans of anime, gaming and cinema.

This event is created by Phanthology Studios and Black White Orange. The event is unique because it doesn’t simply require visitors to buy merchandise or take photos; but it creates an immersive experience for the fandoms to walk through these themed environments inspired by their favourite movies and franchises and participating in interactive experiences.

Date, Time, Venue?

C.O.R.E 2026 is taking place on 20th and 21st June, 2026 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. On both Saturday, 20th June, 2026 and Sunday, 21st June, 2026, the gates will open at 10:45 am, while the event starts at 11:00 am and will end at around 10:00 pm at night. It is an event that is going to last for 2 days and expects over 30000 visitors.

The event will be held in English and Hindi and will last for a duration of 11 hours. Entry is allowed for all ages, however, tickets will be acquired for ages 3 above 3. The event has an indoor layout with seating arrangements including both seating and standing, the event is extremely child-friendly and is wheelchair accessible. However, pets are not allowed at this event.

What’s in store?

C.O.R.E 2026 is reported to have “5 realms of Fandom”. These 5 fandoms will all have their own dedicated selections. For the anime lovers we have the “TOKYO STREET” anime zone. Our superhero sci-fi lovers will have the best experience at that “Superhero Street”. They also have zones titled “India Gully”, “Mixtape Street” and “Kids Cosmos”.

Here’s more in detail for each of these zones:

1. Tokyo Street:

This has to be the ultimate manga and anime hub for all the anime and manga lovers. This zone brings Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen experiences, with offical merchandise and character photo ops as well as a life size model of Sukuna’s Shrine and so much more. Alongside this will be Dragon Ball and Godzilla Minus One showcases as well. Best of all there will be a rupees 4.5 Lakhs reward for the winner of the cosplay competition. You can cosplay as a hero, villain, anime icon or a legend. Whatever your heart desires.

2. Superhero street:

If you’re a fan of sci-fi, this will be the perfect zone for you. The zone will consist of official merch and genuine movie props, including the actual costume of Spiderman in Spider-Man: No-Way Home. The zone will also feature screenings, collectibles and costplays

3. Indian gully:

This is a zone that speaks about everything Indian, including Bollywood and Space. The zone will consist of official merch, experiences of cosplay, best of home grown brands and artists. It will also feature Indian mythology such as Baahubali and Kalki (2898 AD), Space tech through an official ISRO showcase

4. Mixtape street:

A zone for all things, sports, lifestyle, music performances, beats, games, etc. The zone brings together street fashion, creators and music all into one singular universe. It’s showcases a crossover of street culture, sports music, live music lineups, F1 simulation, racing rig, and the real Manchester City FC trophy collection.

5. Kids cosmos:

Having made the event kids friendly, C.O.R.E 2026 also has a special zone for the kids. This zone consists of play experiences, meet and greets as well as official merch, games and toys.

Apart from these zones, the event has also organized various fun activities, some of which include Witnessing Japan Legendary Summer Wrestling. All the merches mentioned above would be rare and exclusive pop culture items and official collectibles from retailers like the Souled Store and Hamleys.

Stars of the show

I believe one of the best parts of the events would be the artist lineup. These artists include Nucleya; who is an Indian music producer and DJ, who had launched an album titled ‘Tota Myna‘, next we have RITVIZ who is famously known for songs such as ‘Udd Gaye’ and the internet sensation ‘Sage‘, others include Karan Kanchan and AminJaz.

But the ones who would steal the show would be the up-and-coming Indian Pop Girl Group WiSH. WiSH is a 4 member girl group managed by Bay Music House. They debuted on 1st March 2024.

Conclusion

Overall, this event is set to be an amazing success and a sensation for the year 2026. With so many worlds coming together under one roof the event is going to be quite the landmark event. Being the first Pop culture festival in India, the fandoms of all the 5 cultures are looking forward to this event. Everyone is hoping that it doesn’t disappoint. For someone who is an anime enthusiast, a gamer, a movie maniac or someone who just enjoys Pop Culture in general, C.O.R.E 2026 Mumbai, the Pop Culture Festival of India is the perfect place to be. What better way to spend the weekend than in a world filled with magic and fantasy.