Calgary Expo 2016 Coverage

It was an interesting weekend at Calgary Expo 2016 or as I'm supposed to label it Calgary Expo in proper terms. I was granted access to the event to see what the show was offering this year and it was certainly packed. The site mainly focused on capturing cosplay day to day walking around which was a blast and we'll have highlights from each day below.

Aside from folks dressing up as their favorite characters there were also a ton of things to take in while at the event. This ranged from a number of interestings panels to things such as meeting their favorite actors whether they were from movies, TV or even voice acting. With that group we also had a number of comic creators at the show which were lined up from many popular comic runs.

To the side of that there were also many comic focused booths available which were large in size and covered the buildings at the event. These were things such as memorabilia, comics or a number of other items available to check out and purchase. It's definitely also grown in size since my last visit in 2014 and there was just about something for everyone. There also was a much better gaming scene this year though it was tucked away at the bottom of the Big 4 and was a tad dark.

Throughout the weekend they had a number of tournaments going on with the big events being Rocket League and League of Legends which we watched some of both. You were also able to watch those events outside occasionally on one of the big screens which was nice, but I'd still like to see perhaps a larger area for gaming or at least more apparent as it's a big deal these days. They also have a classic games area where I played a match of Ticket to Ride with friends and there were many options for those wanting to play a game while relaxing for a bit.
Calgary Expo 2016 Coverage
Moving on I was also quite pleased with the organization of the event and the general politeness that everyone had. There seemed to be well formed lines everywhere and no one was ever in a rush to get anywhere so it was orderly.

I was however hoping for some better management behind the scenes as the site didn't get any interviews as requested which was disappointing to a degree, though it happens and we still had a great time just going around meeting some of the cosplayers and exhibitors. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the amount of cosplay at the event as I didn't know Calgary had a decent professional cosplayer scene going on.

Within each of our cosplay highlight articles we give credit to the costume designers and professional cosplayers so be sure to check out what else they're working on as it was great. To highlight some costumes I loved The Witcher Yennifer and Triss you can see above, their group was Ellipses Cosplay and I quite liked how they captured the two characters.
Calgary Expo 2016 Coverage

As with Star Wars returning this past year we got a number of Rey's at the event and while I missed some in the last day our first day had two great Rey cosplayers. There were also some more wild ones out there this year which I always enjoy such as Groot! or a crazy advanced looking Batman.

I also felt bad missing on the last day a well dressed I believe Agent Carter along with an Elizabeth and Booker group as they were doing other things. Tried my best not to interrupt cosplayers days as they're trying to take in the event as well. A final note would be one for Lara Croft on the last day as it was rugged and captured the recent character well, which was crazy considering she was a bit more bundled up while it was hot out, so bonus points there.

I was also a bit surprised not to see some more from Star Wars and that there was no one dressed up like characters from Life is Strange as I thought that would be a bit bigger of a deal. Anyways, as far as Comic Expos go in Calgary the "Calgary Expo" is definitely the hot ticket event of the year and I was happy to check it out and hopefully we'll be back for more coverage next year. For now check out our cosplay from each day of the show and let me know if you have any other questions about the event!

Calgary Expo Cosplay Highlights Day 1
Calgary Expo Cosplay Highlights Day 2
Calgary Expo Cosplay Highlights Day 3
Calgary Expo Cosplay Highlights Day 4

Calgary Expo 2016 Coverage
Calgary Expo 2016 Coverage

Gamerheadquarters Reviewer Jason Stettner