KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The culture of cosplay is alive and well in Knoxville, and the Knox Asian Festival will provide a chance for people of all ages to dress up as their favorite characters and show off their personalities.
Phoenix Star has been cosplaying since the age of 16. Inspired by Japanese idols, she has spent countless hours crafting and perfecting her unique, and sometimes intricate, outfits.
"I learned all on my own. I learned electrical engineering. One thing I do is specialize in LED work. So, some outfits have 600 LEDs on the tails or I have a thousand on a dress," Phoenix said.
Phoenix said that all costumes don't have to be as complex as hers, so long as you enjoy what you're doing and love the character you're mimicking.
According to her, the cosplay community in Knoxville is a very welcoming one.
"There's a lot of passion. There's a lot of acceptance, too. We are all kind of weird, and we are all dressing up as these characters, but it's fun," Phoenix said.
The ninth annual Knox Asian Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 28. There will be performance art that includes traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese and Phillippine dance and music.
There will also be an Asian Film Festival at Central Cinema on Aug. 27, where they will show Far East Deep South the Taiwan documentary Pakadavai and also The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, a documentary about Studio Ghibli.
The festivities will begin with a parade at 10 a.m. at the water fountain at World's Fair Park, and admission is free.