5 Tips to get your Nerd On at the Edmonton Expo
If I can offer the No. 1 piece of advice for the first-time visitors to the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend, it would be this: Don’t drive. There’s construction all along Wayne Gretzky Drive. Take the LRT. It stops close to the ticketing entrance at the Northlands Expo and you don’t have to walk all the way around the building every year to get in. If you absolutely have to take the car, take the South entrance to the parking lot off of 111 Avenue. It’s not as busy.
Now that I’ve saved you some time – and money if you’re taking the LRT; since parking is $16 on-site – you should be able to spend more time reading tips on why you should go.
1. See your friends
Visiting the Expo every year is like having a summer camp reunion. I run into familiar faces everywhere and haven’t seen many of them since the last Expo. In the first five minutes this year, I ran into a half-dozen people I knew from previous years. There was Master Chief from Halo, a guy from The Witcher, and this epic Disney Princess-Wonder Woman mash-up. The mash-ups are the best. I love the creativity. There are two kinds of cosplayers: People who spend a lot of work creating costumes of favourite characters, and those who figure out a character combination that had never been seen before. Last year’s Bob Ross as Deadpool was amazing.
2. Make new friends
This is a community of like-minded people. Whatever pop-culture obsession you’ve got, chances are there’s someone who shares it. You can wear almost anything from any show, book, or game and someone will get what you’re trying to be. It’s always unpredictable. I saw Princesses, Super Heroes and characters from over a hundred different fan-doms. My five-year-old got her picture taken with a Princess Jasmine – “just like from the movie.”
3. Talk to friends about what you’re into
Do you like Star Wars? Go to the “501st Legion” at their booth. Video games? Go see the people at Extra Life (top photo) – a video game charity that supports the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Anime? Go talk to the people from Animethon. I saw the Star Trek, Firefly and Ghostbusters groups at their booths late on Friday night. There are plenty more this weekend.
4. See someone famous
Don’t feel like waiting in line for an autograph? Go see their panel and sit instead. On Friday night, Star Trek: TNG star Marina Sirtis explained why Star Trek reboot actor Karl Urban (the new McCoy) has been invited to the older show TNG’s cast meet ups. It’s because he’s “HOT,” apparently. The panels are a great way to see how fame (and a few breaks that got them there) is the only thing separating many of the guests from most of the rest of us. Just wait until you see who’s there during prime time on Saturday and Sunday. Special guests include George Takei, who played Sulu on the original Star Trek before becoming one of the most influential political activists and media stars in the world; and Edmonton’s own Mark Meer, video game voice actor and Canadian comedy star.
5. See what’s hot
The Social Media algorithms are only showing you what they think you want to see. The Expo is a great way to short-circuit that and find out what others from outside your usual circle are interested in . I love seeing what my kids are going to be into this year – before they’ve even heard of it.
In conclusion, I’ve got nothing but respect for what the people behind the Edmonton Expo have accomplished every year, in the face of challenges. Every year they book guests from a wish list of names, and inevitably lose a few right before the event (looking at you, Christopher Eccleston). They’ve got the impossible job of trying to book something for each and every one of the 40,000 people expected to show up over the weekend. They either have to top something they did during a previous year, or make up for something that didn’t go as planned.
They’re working hard. We’re all looking for an experience these days and the Expo is guaranteed to be just that.
Kelly Froese is the proprietor of the Edmonton Nerd List, the city’s online resource for pop culture and gaming activities.
