Why Dubai’s FNDM 2025 was a fandom treasure trove: Comics at Dh5, stunning collectibles and Demon Slayer dreams

You might never meet your favourite fictional characters in real life. But cosplay lets you do one better.

Scratch that—cosplay lets you become them.

And that’s exactly the magic Dubai’s FNDM pulled off.

And then there were the stalls, calling out like sirens to every fan’s wallet. Comics were going for 5 to 15 dirhams (a bargain, if you ask me). Snorlax mugs, Wonder Woman artwork, hand-painted Ghibli tote bags—basically, if you’ve ever loved it, dreamed about it, or binge-watched it, it was here in collectible form. One stall even had wooden Katanas with elaborate designs. I picked up a few, half-seriously wondering if I could moonlight as a Demon Slayer when I wasn’t writing stories. Stranger things have happened.

But here’s the real danger: every booth begs you to buy something. Toothless keychains, K-pop Demon Hunter stickers, Moomin art—it’s a consumer playground, and restraint is optional.

Walking into the venue felt like stepping into a pop-culture fever dream. Luffy from One Piece strolled by in his straw hat and red shirt. The masked terror from Scream darted around, scaring strangers. Whole squads of Demon Slayers roamed the floor—yes, I clocked Tanjiro, and I swear Nezuko was lurking nearby. And then, out of nowhere, a cheery Minion from Despicable Me waved at me like we had known each other for years.

The cosplayers were deep in their characters. For those hours, they were really someone else, so you could hear war cries, sword brandishing, and most importantly, just a lot of laughter. One Sanrio superfan transformed into Kuromi, complete with stitched purple-and-black ears she’d spent five painstaking hours sewing ('finding the perfect purple was the hardest part,' she confessed). And Wolverine wasn't the Hollywood leather version. Oh no—this was comic-book-accurate yellow spandex, claws flexing, posing with anyone who asked.

The FNDM was a full-blown fan feast.

A mash-up of worlds, where pop culture leapt off the screen and into the crowd, one costume and collectible at a time. And, it's still going on today, so cosplay, and rush to get your merch.

Where: Dubai Outlet Mall, Concourse Convention

Ticket price: 65Dh