VeXpo 2025 Round-Up: The UK's Biggest VTuber Fan Gathering

VeXpo 2025 has officially ended, and what a jam-packed convention it was! There were so many stalls with various merchandise (that no one could resist purchasing), an artist alley with amazing artists, companies showing off their talents, meet-and-greets with favorite VTubers, stages with lively performances, concerts to sing-along, games to play, and so much more.

Compared to last year, VeXpo 2025 was cooler, bigger, and better. Anime Atelier got the chance to participate, and I am excited to share our team's (myself, Ellyn, and Jodie) favorite highlights. We had a mix of press passes and an Akasupa ticket, which I ended up using the most, as it allowed access to concerts.

VeXpo - A VTuber Event That Brings Virtual eXperiences Offline

VeXpo is a convention focusing on VTubers and giving insight into their journey of content creation. VeXpo is the UK's first VTuber-centric convention created by fans for fans. The focus and aim are to foster the VTuber fanbase and community, highlighting the unique talents across the world of VTubing.

Whether you are a fan of VTubers or a VTuber yourself, VeXpo will have something for you. You can learn about what VTubing is, and perhaps find new streamers that you can enjoy. VeXpo is a volunteer-run and non-profit event, which really shows the dedication of the organizers who want to share their passion with other fans across the world.

This year, VeXpo was held at the NEC in Birmingham from September 5-7. I thought that the venue change was a great choice, since it's now more spacious for moving around and resting, if needed. It was nice to see everyone enjoy and praise the convention. We spoke to some attendees during the event who mentioned their excitement over the concept of a VTuber convention in the UK coming to fruition. This time, you can really see the change in atmosphere with more fans attending, especially with the Akasupa tickets selling out!

As we arrived at the Birmingham NEC, we were directed by the staff on where to collect our convention tickets. Initially, the queues caused some confusion; however, all volunteers were incredibly helpful, and they pointed me in the right direction, making sure everything went as smoothly as possible. There were some organisational issues with this system, but for the convention's second year, everyone handled it brilliantly.

This year, there was a new system with concerts and meet-and-greet tickets: attendees should collect them when they picked up their entry lanyard. We were also given a book with a map and some information on VeXpo. In addition, there were maps all around the convention to give con-goers an idea of where they were.

The Lively Concerts

The concerts were incredible. There were some technical issues here and there, but it was still an amazing experience overall. We saw the opening concert, the Idol Anarchy concert, and the Big British Concert that showcased some of the variety in British VTuber talent.

The opening concert included the amazing performances by Phoebe Chan, Hiwamari, Miori Celesta, Matara Kan, Reina Ronronea, Bonnie Barkswell, Kou Mariya, Dr. Nova, Rem Kanashibari, Jelly Hoshiumi, and Komachi Panko.

We were especially excited for Phoebe Chan, especially knowing that she was physically there while her VTuber self was behind her, interacting with her. It was a great concept, and it really livened up the show. As someone who loves music and enjoys a variety of genres, the concert has opened me up to so many new songs I now love to listen to, from covers to originals.

Phase Ablaze 3D concert was also great, featuring performances from 3 of Phase Connect's talents (Kaneko Lumi, Rinkou Ashelia, and Fujikura Uruka). Bringing the 3D aspect to it really made the experience even more magical. The way the VTuber models danced, interacted, and moved made the concert much more realistic. They sang covers of some well-known songs, which was also nice to experience.

Following Phase Ablaze was the Indie Highlight Concert, featuring Pandora, Rin Penrose, Nene Amano, Miyuora, Raki Kazuki, Toffee, and Otsuka Ray. It was just enjoyable since there were so many upbeat songs to sing along to. It brought the crowd together, and we thought that this was a nice concert to dance to with our glowsticks.

There was a moment before the event when there was a bit of confusion between the general and Akasupa, where both lines were allowed in at the same time. However, after the concert had been delayed, volunteers directed me in the right direction, and I was able to get great seats.

My personal favorite was the Idol Anarchy concert featuring Unnämed, Roca Rourin, Isaa Corva, and Obkatiekat with their rock-themed concert. This was such a great concert and definitely one of the highlights of my experience at VeXpo. The vocal ranges of the VTubers were insane, and I just loved the whole atmosphere that the fans created in expressing their passion for each performer. Every song really made us do a headbang! I loved the surprise of OBKATIEKAT appearing live on stage as well, displaying her immense talent.

The last concert we went to was the Big British Concert. I mean, we all already had an idea of what song choice they might have sang. We loved the sing-along part because it brought everyone together – concerts really need to be like that, personally.

This show was hosted by indie VTubers Elia Stellaria and Penny Puffball, as was advertised as a surprise leading up to the convention. We really thought this show delivered a top-notch and unforgettable experience! In addition to the hosts, there were also other talents featured in this concert, including K9Kuro, Rin Penrose, Cerber, Rem Kanashibari, Ekkomori, Xiulan Long, and the RE:LOOP! VTubers, with an extra surprise group performance at the end of the concert.

Exploring the Panels

We managed to go to a couple of interesting panels, such as the "What Do Managers Do, Anyway?" panel. We learned about what it's like on the manager's side, what they do, their schedules, and how they help their talents. The speakers talked about how to get into their role, the best moments of their job, and they were even transparent about the not-so-good things about being a manager.

"Independent VTubers Anonymous" was another great panel we went to, which featured Matara (@MataraKan on X/Twitter) and Geega (@GeneralGeega on X/Twitter). They talked about their work as a VTuber, what they enjoy, and what they don't so much. There were opportunities for fans to ask questions.

There were so many panels we would've loved to go to, but there was so much we wanted to do at the convention and only so much time. That's why, definitely, we will explore the panels more next year. These particular panels were held in the Main stage, but there were more in other panel rooms and the exhibitor stage.

Activities, Games, and Workshops

Other than the panels and concerts, there were a variety of exciting activities during the weekend. We weren't able to go to any of the ticketed meet-and-greets, but I did meet the lovely Phoebe Chan (@feebeechanchibi on X/Twitter), who was great to chat with. We also had the opportunity to interview her manager, Steiner, who gave us a detailed insight into his world of balancing both his management and translation jobs.

We were also able to play games at the Activity Stage with some VTubers, which we thought was a nice and interactive experience for the fans. We also managed to catch some of the Balatro gameplay with Hirano Kokoro (@HiranoKokoroCh on X/Twitter) on Sunday, to which we were very entertained. There were many games to play, whether you wanted it with or without a VTuber.

There were a variety of small workshops that were happening at the front of the convention. One workshop really stood out for us: the Wotegei workshop, a high-energy dance that really got fans' blood pumping and waking everyone up for the morning ahead. They're called "Anizawa," a U.S.A. Cyalume Dance Team, which also did a few dance routines in some of the concerts we attended.

Meanwhile, the Artist Alley was filled with artists who handmade items such as stickers, standees, shirts, pins, plushies, and more. I purchased some of these items myself.

Meet and Greets with VTubers

Meet and Greets were held at the back of the hall, and the VTubers were presented on screen with a direct live feed, fully set up with a microphone and sound system. The VTubers also had a live feed of the audience, so this allowed fans to be able to talk and interact with their favourite VTubers in real-time.

I thought that this made the meet-and-greet experience a lot more special for the fans and VTubers alike, especially when you realize how it's a lot harder for opportunities to interact than other streamers or YouTubers. There was also another surprise during the meet and greets called a "pen plotter," which allows VTubers to do live signings for fans during the meet and greets.

Unfortunately, we were not able to get any tickets for the meet and greets from the raffle going on the Concat site, VeXpo. However, volunteers were wandering around with iPads for VTubers, so there were chances for con-goers to see their favourite VTubers outside the meet-and-greets. Other than that, they were also ready for a chat at the company booths.

Although we didn't personally go into the "Maid of England" pop-up cafe, the energy and joy radiating from it couldn't be missed. From their high-energy performances to the VTuber-themed food and their VeXpo exclusive Mint Fantome collaboration, there was a lot for attendees to enjoy. We will definitely be something we'll check out next year!

An Unforgettable VeXpo 2025

Overall, VeXpo 2025 was a great VTuber convention. We really saw the passion and time that the organisers spent on this event, having created extraordinary opportunities for both the fans and the VTubers. The convention was a very unique experience, especially on the part that it highlights the digital world, like the use of screens for meet-and-greets and concerts. There was also so much to explore. The convention was easy to walk through and had lots of activities to do or be part of.

I would say my favourite part of the event was the Idol Anarchy concert. This concert was such a surreal moment, especially hearing heavy metal from OBKATIEKAT that I had never experienced before. I love how I was able to sing along to all the songs and even dance to them, alongside other fans. As a fan of rock music, I loved the atmosphere that these talents created, bringing rock music and VTuber fans together. All in all, there wasn't a moment where I felt bored or overwhelmed – VeXpo was truly, incredibly fun.

Lastly, we especially loved the part of being able to see this convention grow from last year, and now having the honour and opportunity to be a part of it as media. Being able to join an event and share our passion with other fans who love VTubers as much as we do is a memory that we will never forget.

And that's the end of our coverage! A special shoutout as well to the amazing staff who gave excellent service, answered questions for all the confused con-goers, and went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience. The convention was fun, and accessibility was okay despite the line mix-ups because of the responsive staff who organized them. There were a lot of improvements this year; we're glad to see the positive change, and hopefully, next year, it'll be even bigger and better.

Photos by Alysha Parkinson