"Dawan Chicken", the Firefly ACG Expo, and the Guangdong Esports Super League (GESL) are three terms that seem to belong to entirely different fields, yet during the 2026 May Day holiday, they were all embraced by young people as the new top-trending icons of "Guangdong-made products".

From the Guangzhou Cultural & Arts Centre to Canton Tower, from the Dawan Chicken Olympiad Carnival to Tianhe's business circle, the "Dawan Chicken" mascot troupe made one appearance after another over the holiday, drawing countless residents into the craze in all kinds of ways.

Online, topics related to "Dawan Chicken" have generated more than one billion views. Offline, popular commercial circles such as Grandview Mall launched "Dawan Chicken" parades. On the first day of the May Day holiday, Grandview Mall received more than 260,000 visitors in a single day, up 15% year on year.

If "Dawan Chicken" is a new viral sensation, then the Firefly ACG Expo, born in Guangzhou and held three times a year, is undoubtedly a long-established Guangdong cultural brand in the ACG community.

According to Firefly's official figures, the 38th Firefly ACG Expo attracted a total of 230,000 visitors, 45.95% of whom came from outside Guangdong Province and 4.08% from overseas. Average spending per visitor reached 615 yuan. It is expected that by May 31st, total online exposure for the 38th Firefly ACG Expo will have exceeded five billion views.

As a major province for gaming and animation, Guangdong is China's largest production base for anime derivatives and a powerhouse in the game industry. At the Firefly ACG Expo, visitors can find licensed figurines, cosplay costumes, and small merchandise shipped directly from factories in the Panyu district and Dongguan city. These premium fan merchandise items are not only purchased by local ACG fans, but also sent across China through e-commerce channels.

During the May Day holiday, the Dongguan stop of the GESL kicked off, bringing together more than 60 esports teams and nearly 300 players for offline competition. The event also featured a specialty trendy-toy market, where intangible-cultural-heritage handicrafts, esports merchandise, GESL-themed cultural and creative products, and Dongguan food stalls lined up side by side, creating a holiday scene that combined live match watching, interactive activities, and experience-based spending.

大湾鸡、萤火虫、电竞，年轻人为何跨城追“广货”？

“大湾鸡”、萤火虫漫展、电竞粤超，这三个看似出自不同次元的名词，在2026年的“五一”被年轻人共同捧为新时代的“广货”顶流。

从广州文化馆到广州塔，从大湾鸡奥体嘉年华到天河商圈，这个“五一”假期，“大湾鸡天团”在轮番登场，引得无数市民“花样追鸡”。

在线上，“大湾鸡”相关话题浏览量超过十亿。在线下，正佳广场等热门商圈推出的“大湾鸡”巡游，“五一”假期首日，正佳广场单日客流量超26万，同比上涨15%。

如果说“大湾鸡”是新晋网红，那么诞生于广州、一年三届的萤火虫动漫游戏嘉年华，就是二次元领域不折不扣的“广货老字号”。

据萤火虫官方透露，第38届萤火虫动漫游戏嘉年华共迎来23万人，其中有45.95%来自广东省外，还有4.08%来自海外。逛展人均消费615元。预计至5月31日，第38届萤火虫漫展全网传播将突破50亿次。

作为游戏和动漫大省，广东是全国最大的动漫衍生品生产基地和游戏产业高地。萤火虫漫展上，你能看到从番禺、东莞工厂直接拉来的正版手办、cos服装、轻周边。这些“硬核周边”不仅供本地漫迷消费，更通过电商发往全国。

在“五一”假期，电竞粤超东莞站打响，60余支战队、近300名选手线下集结。赛事现场同步设置了特色潮玩集市，非遗手作、电竞周边、粤超文创与东莞美食摊位一字排开，形成了集观赏赛事、参与互动、体验消费于一体的假日场景。

文 | 记者 杭莹
图 | 羊城晚报·羊城派资料图
译 | 郑奕玲
审 | 柯妃娟