Guangzhou Cosplayers Evicted From Convention Over Feet Juice Lemonade

What started as a bizarre social media stunt quickly spiraled into a chaotic scene at the Firefly Comic Convention, held from July 17 to 20 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Also referred to as the Firefly Anime Game Carnival, the event took place at the Guangzhou Pazhou Poly World Trade Center Expo. Several female cosplayers set up stalls outside the exhibition venue where they sat on foldable chairs with their bare feet submerged in large boxes or containers filled with water and lemon slices. In some instances, boxes contained cola alongside lemon water. Their companions used disposable cups to scoop up the liquid—dubbed “feet juice,” fresh feet juice, or foot-soaked lemon tea—and sold it to spectators for 50 yuan (approximately US$7, HK$57.51, or S$9.53 to S$10) per cup, according to regional reports.

Crowds Surge and Behavior Escalates at Guangzhou’s Firefly Comic Convention

The unusual offering drew massive crowds outside the exhibition venue. While such events typically feature stalls selling souvenirs, unique merchandise, character mascots, and cool collectibles, few attracted as much attention as the booths selling the unusual lemonade. While some attendees merely queued to purchase the cups or filmed the spectacle with multiple people recording the scene, others engaged in extreme behavior. Videos circulating on social media showed large crowds surrounding the cosplayers, with viral clips capturing male visitors trying to drink water falling from the feet of a female cosplayer, some lying on the floor beneath the cosplayers to catch water dripping directly off their feet, and others grabbing and licking her feet in front of onlookers.

Near the stalls, notices were displayed attempting to frame the activity for visitors. A message on a tablet or sign near the booth read: It is for entertainment only. We do not intend to guide in an inappropriate way, or For entertainment purposes only; no improper inducement intended, as noted by mainland media reports. Despite these disclaimers, demand outpaced supply as dozens of curious onlookers crowded the area, and all cups were reportedly sold in an instant.

Organizer Evictions and Online Backlash Follow the Stunt

As the scenes escalated into disorder and attracted widespread attention, organizers intervened and evicted several cosplayers, throwing them out of the anime convention. The act triggered widespread outrage online over hygiene and public decorum, sparking heated discussions across social media and triggering chaotic scenes. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) report on the 30th (local time), the incident caused controversy over sensationalism.

Commenters expressed shock over hygiene and public decorum. Some users noted that an online comment read: Some people lined up to taste the feet juice is 10000 years ahead of the world, as shared by an account on X (formerly Twitter) named Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) on July 30, 2026.

Tracing the Trend Back to a California Convention in May

This bizarre marketing stunt originated outside China earlier in the year. The Guangzhou activity mirrored a similar stunt at a US anime event in May, generating widespread controversy and heated discussions globally. Specifically, the trend originated in May 2026 when a Hatsune Miku cosplayer went viral at a Parkon event running alongside FanimeCon in San Jose.

During the American event, participants and a number of cosplayers sold their feet juice for US$10 to US$30 per cup. The stunt at the US event sold out in under an hour, generating widespread controversy and heated discussions globally before the idea made its way to Asia, culminating in the events at Guangzhou’s Firefly Comic Convention.