For the first time, Mike and I went to the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo!
We joined our friends Jack and Nicole, who are avid Expo-goers, for a jam-packed day of geeky fun! And I say geeky in the best way.
I think anyone who is passionate about something is a geek about it and that’s a great thing.
Mike and I are geeky about a whole lot of pop culture topics, which makes Expos high on our list of things we like to check out.
It’s convenient then that Calgary is home to Canada’s second biggest Expo, and it’s just a 3-hour drive away!
As far as ‘Travel Alberta’ staycation destinations go – trips to Calgary are a no-brainer.
Checking out the cosplay competition at Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo 2016.
- Panels
- Shopping
- Gaming
- Food Trucks
- Cosplay
We chose not to do any meet and greets or photo ops to save time for other Expo activities (though the Doctor Who fan in me was really itching to get something with Billie Piper and John Barrowman – a.k.a. Rose and Captain Jack from Doctor Who!)
No meet + greet with John Barrowman but we did attend his awesome panel!
The panels we went to (Alan Tudyk and John Barrowman) were completely filled, and I met a group of friends in the front row who make it a point to be front row at these panels. That’s their ideal Expo, and I totally get the appeal.
Alan Tudyk at Calgary Expo.
Both Alan Tudyk and John Barrowman had totally different styles of panels (Alan’s was moderated, John’s was led by him), and interacted with fans in different ways. John even broke out in song! (He has a fantastic voice).
At @Calgaryexpo panel, @Team_Barrowman sings our wedding song 1,000 years!! ?? @MikethyKing #CalgaryExpo pic.twitter.com/TGQVC6KS7X
— Linda Hoang (@lindork) April 30, 2016
On the other hand, when we discovered the LAN Gaming Centre, Mike almost didn’t want to leave!
A gaming Expo is really Mike’s ideal Expo, and even I’ll admit watching a LAN competition live is a lot of fun – quite an experience.
We went back twice to see players compete in a game called Rocket League (think futuristic, space car soccer lol).
The competition had its own play-by-play announcers and at a few different points the entire audience would jump up from their seats and yell (including us).
Don’t knock it til you try it, it really was a lot of fun!
Watching my first LAN video gaming tournament. On the edge of our seats lol ?? @LANified @Calgaryexpo #CalgaryExpo pic.twitter.com/FjBIXJh0rK
— Linda Hoang (@lindork) April 30, 2016
Then you’ve got the people who dress up and participate in cosplay at the Expo.
I swear, this is where I see some of the most incredible, elaborate costumes I can’t even begin to understand how to make.
Amazing cosplay!
The cutest Lego superhero family!
Incredible cosplay at Calgary Expo!
Deadpool vs. Wolverine!
Mike and Jack with someone from some anime they like, lol.
You might also have a very particular way you check out all the exhibitors. For example, Mike and I like to go down entire rows from one end of the hall to the other, before winding back down the opposite end.
Our friends Jack and Nicole like to go sort of in vendor squares – ensuring they’ve visited all the booths in one chunk before moving onto the next chunk.
Checking out merch.
You should go to the Expo with a reasonable expectation to spend a bit of money on vendors.
Mystery Box intrigued us!
The T.A.R.D.I.S. we really wanted to carry around with us so people would understand better the ‘costumes’ that Mike and I dressed up in, lol.
What Doctor Who goodies do we have here!
No one asked us for pictures though (this was not the Expo year for Doctor Who) but we did ask this Eleventh Doctor for a photo!
(His Eleventh Doctor pose is excellent. Cosplay really is an art).
Met up with the Eleventh Doctor!
Line-ups for the food trucks.
Banh mi (Vietnamese submarines) at Calgary Expo!
Missing their leader!
Mike and I only went for the Saturday so I felt like it was a really packed day because we wanted to make sure we did as much as we could in a short amount of time.
Depending on your Expo preference (panels, meet and greets, just vendor shopping and people watching), how many days you need to go will change, but I know for our friends they found great value in their 4-day pass.
Busy Calgary Expo!
Friends and fun at Calgary Expo!
It’s definitely worth the drive down – in fact, make it a whole weekend trip and check out other Calgary attractions/restaurants too!
If I were to offer a few tips to make the most of your Expo experience, it would be:
- Plan before you go! Map out what you want to do, who you want to see, and expect a degree of line-ups
- Dress up! Expos are infinitely more fun when you’re dressed as your favourite pop culture character. Try doing something a bit more elaborate but give yourself lots of time to prepare
- Come with spending money. With 600+ exhibitors, you should expect to spend a bit of cash on some great pieces. That being said, make sure to scope out as many vendors as possible before making a purchase, just in case there’s something better in the next aisle
- Check out an area that may not initially interest you! The live gaming competition was new for us and was honestly one of the highlights of the weekend. Try something new!
- Consider going for at least 2 days instead of 1, otherwise it may be overwhelming trying to cram in everything
- Be sure to plan other Calgary activities to make your staycation excursion more well-rounded! For me, that meant packing as many restaurant visits as possible lol
The Twelfth Doctor + Clara Oswald!
So have you been to the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo?
What did you think?! What are your go-to/must dos?
Linda
Disclaimer: I will always provide my 100% honest opinion on this blog. We received Saturday media passes to attend the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. This has no impact on opinions stated in this post.