Fan Expo Vancouver can be considered a spin-off of Fan Expo Canada that takes place in Toronto. The convention is dedicated to all aspects of contemporary popular culture such as anime, manga, comic books, films, television shows, board games, video games, collectibles, cosplay, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and anything in between. Every year, the convention attracts about 25,000 geeks from British Columbia and other provinces. Of course, it is not the limit for a fan convention (for example, the famous San Diego Comic-Con International draws more than 130,000 fans), but it is still quite an impressive number.
Of course, a fan convention cannot do without special guests. Fan Expo Vancouver features celebrity guests, anime guests, animation guests, comic guests, cosplayers, authors, and other special guests that have something to do with pop culture. For example, the 2016 edition’s celebrity guest list included John Barrowman (Doctor Who/Torchwood, Arrow), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, Hannibal), Kevin Smith (View Askewniverse), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Tom Felton (the Harry Potter film series, Arrow), Jewel Saite (Firefly/Serenity, Stargate Atlantis), and Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Supergirl).
Along with meet & greets, Q&A sessions, autograph sessions and photo-ops with guests, the program of the convention includes a costume competition and cosplay panels, workshops and seminars conducted by industry professionals, the exhibitor area, the retailer area, Artist Alley, Fan Expo’s famous sketch duels, the Indy Press Pavilion, and more. At Fan Expo Vancouver, media companies showcase their upcoming projects and organize contests, while retailers specializing in sci-fi, comics, anime, gaming, and horror offer various merchandise.
Photo: fanexpovancouver.com
