2022 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo – Recap

The Calgary Comic And Entertainment Expo has returned! Following a small event in September 2021, The Calgary Expo has brought back its massive pop culture event at The Stampede Grounds in wonderful Calgary, Alberta after a two-year hiatus. Despite the influence of COVID-19 on such events throughout the world, this is the first full-success Calgary Expo event in three-years, as the 2019 event was hit with a nasty blizzard on the Saturday afternoon that affecting the remaining schedule, including the cancellation of some guests. But now, the residents of Cow-Town can rest easy. From the great celebrity guests, cosplay talents, and even some nice weather, The 2022 Calgary Comic And Entertainment Expo managed to be an incredible success.

As per usual, The Calgary Comic And Entertainment Expo provided an wide-array of celebrity guests. From William Shatner, and Brendan Fraser, to The Trailer Park Boys, and The Fellowship, fans of both film, and television had an incredible selection for panels, autographs, and photo-ops. Voice acting talents such as (), as well as some distinct Cosplayer’s such as () all managed to make their presence known throughout the weekend. Brendan Fraser had a unique and A with the fans at Calgary Expo, with fans focusing questions on some of his lesser-known films such as Bedazzled, George of The Jungle, and even described Monkeybone at the time as “the most expensive art house film ever made”. John Cleese had arguably one of the most entertaining panels, with him going into depot about his career, and specifically about the evolution of comedy, finishing-off by calling out the autograph portion of the event that brought the whole room down in laughter, “I do not want to sign anymore f***ing autographs” Cleese said, playing-up the room as he got a huge laugh from the crowd.

One of the biggest traditional events still managed to take place, as The Masters Of Cosplay Competition allowed for regional contestants to participate with the hopes of winning “Best In Show”, and being sent to the Finals of The Masters Of Cosplay in Toronto for Fan Expo this August. There are also winners for each of the three divisions, which are separated in “Beginner”, “Experienced”, and “Advanced”.

 

The “Best In Show” winner this year was an incredibly intricate Syf design from (). The dress featured outstanding fabric design, and craftsmanship. A little touch being that her wings actually activate, and light-up in darker surroundings, really cementing her position as the best from this year’s competition.

There were many other impressive cosplay throughout the Ground’s itself. From Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy, Ariel, squads of Spartans, and a never-ending supply of Boba Fett’s and Mandalorian’s to go around. You could certainly tell that it was a restless two-years for these con-goers to

Due to the ongoing construction project at the BMO Centre, which plays as the major facility of the event, there were quite a few features that did not appear this year. The Main Stage was now in a much smaller, and intimate environment, some of the entertainment organizations such as The Sons of Fenrir were unable to participate in regular activities due to the construction in the open-recreation areas, and many of the shopping, and celebrity booths were minimized. So, while the event was a major success, it will be even more exciting to see just how massive The Calgary Comic And Entertainment Expo will be in the coming years following the completion of these projects.

Photo credits go to Julia Langridge.