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Three years and uncountable new pop culture franchises, characters and weaving plotlines to obsess about in its absence, Edmonton Expo is finally back.
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Pandemic-paused since 2019, the sprawling caverns of cosplay, deep-geek shopping and celebrity encounters at the perfectly-named Edmonton Expo Centre will come alive with otaku mega fans and the casually curious alike amid dozens of guests and creators and hundreds of vendors Friday through Sunday.
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Familiar celebrity faces include the return of Star Trek’s William Shatner, OG Hulk Lou Ferrigno and group panels including stars from The Boys, Trailer Park Boys, Once Upon a Time, Kevin Smith’s Clerks and — inside a sweet roster of other voice actors — Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars since 2008. Kids in the Hall’s Dave Foley has even joined the entertainer buffet.
“It’s so great to be back,” says Andrew Moyes of Fan Expo HQ, the organization that throws this and 15 other such fan events across the continent. “It’s all those wonderful bits of the convention that we know and love, you know, meeting our heroes, celebrating all things pop culture.
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“But, really, for us, it’s just seeing the community come back together.”
Edmonton Expo’s been happening since 2012, and in a good year, 40,000 people roll through. Having been to them all, and as much as anything else at these fairs, the most impressive thing is the hard work and innovation poured into the costumes year after year, where folk art and improvised design skills make attendees roving weekend stars.
“These are passion-driven events,” says Moyes, who’s already helped organize a few returning Expos. “And you really have to be together to feel that electricity.”
He notes our Expo will be the same scale as before, and that they’ve specifically worked with the celerity moderators to elevate the excitement.
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While a number of guests cancelled this year, including Kevin Smith and The Mandalorian’s Ming-Na Wen, Moyes explains, “That’s just the nature of our business. Celebrities have busy schedules and we’re constantly juggling.
“And that’s why it’s such a thrill for us when they actually do land and come through the doors.”
Shatner, this year’s biggest star, was a last-minute booking.
Full info on The Family Zone, the Artists’ Alley, Star Wars Saturday, toy displays, all the gaming and anime events, and of course the full list of panels, themed cosplay meetups and entertainer guests is at fanexpohq.com/edmontonexpo, where you can also buy $32 single-day tickets to a three-day pass for $89.
Premium packages are already sold out, an indication this year will be hopping.
“It’s not just walk in and see,” says Moyes. “You can actually get in and touch and be creative. And we haven’t seen these vendors since 2019, and I’m sure there will be lots of new things people can add to their collections.”
PREVIEW
Edmonton Expo
When 4 p.m. 9 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun.
Where Edmonton Expo Centre, 7515 118 Ave.
Tickets From $32/day to $89 for a three-day pass at fanexpohq.com/edmontonexpo
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