When Filipinos throw a birthday party, music, dancing, and spectacle are almost guaranteed. For Hatsune Miku’s 19th birthday, fans brought all three together for MikuFes PH, a gathering celebrating the virtual pop star and the community that has grown around her.
Whatsune Miku?
Hatsune Miku, as audiences know her today, didn’t start as the virtual pop star presented across different forms of media but as a voicebank for VOCALOID, software that synthesizes singing from text and melodies. Developed by Crypton Future Media using Yamaha’s VOCALOID technology, the voicebank was personified as the 16-year-old girl with turquoise twintails known as Hatsune Miku.
In hindsight, it was appropriate: Miku, along with the other Vocaloids, is still active almost two decades after her debut in August 2007. With video game appearances, rhythm games especially, a full-blown concert series and even a performance at Coachella 2024 as part of 88rising’s Futures showcase, Miku entered the mainstream in more ways than one.
A day for the Virtual Diva
In fandom culture, fan meets give members of a community a chance to bond and celebrate their shared love for a celebrity, show, book, or act. Organized by the Miku PH Fanbase together with TeAr Aesthetic Haute, MikuFes PH was a one-day event held at the Bayanihan Center on September 6 to celebrate the virtual diva.
The Miku PH Fanbase originally grew as a community within Discord, organizing events such as flower stands, photoshoots, and a hodgepodge of smaller activities leading up to Miku Expo Manila. With MikuFes PH, the group aimed to continue that spirit even after the expo.
With Miku’s strong influence on otaku culture, especially on the musical side, the event featured various competitions alongside a full-day program. Elsewhere around the venue, exhibitors also showcased merchandise inspired primarily by Vocaloid culture.
Inside MikuFes PH
As you enter the halls of the Bayanihan Center, you’re greeted by a group of standees featuring Hatsune Miku. With Hatsune Miku being so customizable, there’s almost an unspoken rule that every version of the diva is lore-accurate, including designs you’d normally assume were just a joke.
From the onset, fans could be found all around the venue in various cosplays from across the Vocaloid fandom. Outfits ranging from Miku’s iconic VOCALOID 2 box art look to newer designs from music videos like “Mesmerizer” could be found both on merchandise and among the cosplayers walking around the venue. There were even ski-mask Mikus scattered across the crowd, showing how Miku could be interpreted in almost any way imaginable. Despite the event being centered around otaku culture, families and children could also be spotted roaming around the venue.
If you went in expecting a small fan meet, you’d be surprised by the scale of the event. The Bayanihan Center is a smaller venue compared to the likes of SPACE at One Ayala or the SMX Convention Center, but that intimacy was a welcome surprise. It also allowed the musical performances to carry throughout the venue, making the experience feel worthwhile even for those who came primarily to see the performers.
Blending of cultures
One aspect of the event that isn’t as apparent was how closely tied it was to VTuber culture alongside the Vocaloid fandom. While it’s true that there are similarities between Vocaloids and VTubers, with both being virtual and represented through avatars, the distinction is really between a created character and a creator, respectively. Vocaloid music has fans coming from various walks of life, and VTubers are no different, with some even singing Vocaloid music.
VTuber groups DayJobÜ and the OGSans, as well as idols like Kirakirakat and Txu Xii 夏, performed on stage, captivating audiences with covers of Vocaloid music. As the event came to a close and the entire community gathered together to wish Hatsune Miku a happy birthday, there was one more surprise planned for the evening.
And then, Miku appeared
The virtual diva herself, Hatsune Miku, graced the stage, later joined by Kasane Teto, giving the audience an unexpected mini-concert that capped an already fun-filled event.
Community-based events can vary in quality depending on the organizers behind them. MikuFes PH, officially known as MikuFes PH: 39 Miku! Project B.B. (Birthday Bash) was a well-planned celebration reflective of the community behind it.
It was a modest affair brought to life by a supportive and inclusive community, all in the hopes of celebrating their idol. As it turns out, 39, or sankyuu, is apt given how fun the affair was.
Article and photos by Doby from the Replays. You can follow him on his official Facebook page.