Announcements for one of my favorite conventions have starting streaming out this month–The Great Philadelphia Comic Con, April 12th – 14th in Oaks, PA. They have a great mix of media guests, their Artist Alley is impressive, and the vendors in the two years that I’ve attended have been phenomenal!
My first visit to this con was in 2017 at the urging of longtime cosplay guest, The Smoke. I spent the weekend hanging out at the table that he shares with his amazing wife, Adya Cosplay, soaking up all the sights and sounds of the floor. I returned the following year and did much the same, chatting face-to-face with people I’d only met through social media, sharing resources and admiring costumes, sampling hot sauce (the vendors are truly “lit”, as the kids say), and taking pictures of/with/for completely awesome strangers.
This year, I’ll be attending The Great Philadelphia Comic Con as a Cosplay Guest. As a hobbyist, this is an opportunity for me to extol the positives of learning new skills, like sewing, just for the fun of it. I’m looking forward to geeking out with old and new friends all weekend, and I’ll be bringing the Take & Make bin for anyone looking to start a sewing adventure.
GPCC has an excellent layout, grouping cosplayers in a way that encourages socializing, photos ops, and peeking at media guests from a good distance. My mom attended this event for her very first comic con, dressed as Guinan (Star Trek) and met Levar Burton while casually strolling past tables. Her entire weekend was made with a simple “Hello.” This year, Michael Dorn is on the schedule, and I feel the need for another appearance of the Starship Hope crew.
For Everyone: You can visit the site to order weekend and single-day tickets now. Guests, artists, and vendors are being added constantly, and the show schedule will be up in the weeks closest to the event. This show has its own app to help you keep track of panels and photo ops–super helpful!
Families: This is a family-friendly show. There is kid-friendly space. Our geeklings had a great time at this convention both years, coloring, interacting with guests, and visiting the pirate ship. The con exhibit hall is large and flat, so aside from people volume, strollers can get around just fine. In years past, the Kid’s Cosplay Exhibition was on Sunday. It’s very fun and full of smiles.
Costumers/Cosplayers & Photographers: Please take the time to read and understand the show policies. Weapons check is important for the safety of all attendees, and you need to take it seriously. The Cosplay Contest is usually on Saturday, judged by experienced costumers. Throughout the hall, there’s good empty wall space and black curtained booth dividers for taking photos, just be sure not to block traffic.
I really hope that everyone can get out to support this show. The atmosphere is open, the restrooms have reasonable lines, and everyone is super nice. Also, bring a sturdy convention bag to hold all your shopping finds!
Comment below if you plan on coming out, and I’ll bring you a gift! Go Team!
Green Linen Shirt 