Cosplay Carnival: our Worthing weekend — a report from Cosplay Allstars

What a weekend! Cosplay Allstars rocked up to Worthing for the brand-new Cosplay Carnival and to march in the Worthing Rotary Carnival parade and we’re still buzzing from the sun, smiles, and selfie requests. Below is a friendly write-up you can use on the Cosplay Allstars blog, social channels, or newsletter. I’ve pulled a few local-media notes and quotes so the post reads punchy and show-ready.

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Heroes, villains and a whole lot of sparkle

This August bank holiday, the seafront came alive as Worthing Rotary Carnival returned with two days of family fun and Cosplay Allstars were thrilled to be a huge part of the event with the new Cosplay Carnival at Beach House Grounds. The Carnival parade set off from Grand Avenue at 12:30pm and finished at Steyne Gardens (we continued on to Beach House Grounds for the Cosplay area).

We had cosplayers and characters travel from across the UK, groups, movie cars, props and a speeder bike joining a weekend that organisers have called one of their biggest in years and some press calling it the best parade in decades. In 2024 we provided 65 characters for the parade; in 2025 the Cosplay Carnival expanded even further with 50 characters on the Sunday and over 120 characters in the parade, with crowds numbering into the tens of thousands across the weekend.

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What the press (and organisers) said

Local coverage captured the carnival’s joyful vibe. The Sussex Express reported: organisers said it was “a fantastic carnival” and thanked everyone who took part and the public for their support. They highlighted Cosplay Allstars bringing famous faces to the south coast and offering photo opportunities in Steyne Gardens and Beach House Grounds.
The Worthing Journal wrote that it was the best parade in decades, and Cosplay Allstars characters heavily featured in their multi-page review of the event.

Scene Sussex noted that Cosplay Allstars provided the cosplay characters and praised the fundraising and cosplayers came from Wales, Lincolnshire, London and beyond to join the parade and on-site activities.

Worthing Rotary’s own site and event pages also flagged Cosplay Carnival as a major new attraction for 2025, describing cosplay characters, groups, movie props and the parade route and confirming the parade’s Monday 25 August 12:30 start.

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Highlights from Cosplay Allstars

• Parade pride: marching along Worthing’s seafront at 12:30 with our costume groups — hearing the cheers was unforgettable.
• Beach House Grounds takeover: a colourful Cosplay Carnival hub with photo ops, vendors, show cars and a speeder bike that drew huge queues.
• Fundraising & smiles: all our appearances were free — our volunteers collected donations for the Worthing Rotary Club and loved meeting families and fans. cosplay-allstars.co.uk

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Thanks & shoutouts

Huge thanks to Worthing Rotary Club for inviting us and to the many volunteers who made logistics and fundraising run smoothly. Also a big applause to the groups who joined us Imperial Outlanders, Kemir’a Clan, Essex Cosplay to name a few and the many solo cosplayers who travelled long distances to make the weekend special. (Local coverage specifically thanked Simon Wells for organising those visits.)

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What this means for Cosplay Allstars

The Cosplay Carnival being incorporated into Worthing’s bank-holiday weekend has set a new bar, it’s given cosplay a mainstream, family-friendly platform and it’s shown local communities how creative costuming can boost fundraising and footfall. We’re proud to have been a headline part of that expansion and can’t wait to support more community carnivals like this.

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Gallery & social — want us to use your photos?

We collected hundreds of photos and clips on the day. If you were photographed by Cosplay Allstars or one of our members and you’d like us to feature your image in the blog or on social media, let us know we’ll credit you and link your socials.