Grab your D20, prepare your best cosplay, and ready your lightsabers, ComicCon is returning to Winnipeg.
Fast off the departure of the Central Canada Comic Con (C4), which announced in September it would not be returning, a new group has volunteered to fill the void.
Montreal-based CapeFlow Productions announced Wednesday that Winnipeg ComicCon will be held at the RBC Convention Centre Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2020.
“All the dates are set in stone, everything is signed, and we’ve been building the website for some time now,” said programming director Cliff Caporale.
The website should go live sometime between the middle of December and January, which is also when tickets will go on sale, said Caporale.
“We’ve already started working on guests, and we’ll be announcing at least one guest by the time tickets go on sale.”
Caporale was tight-lipped about who might be making an appearance, only cryptically saying with a laugh “The first guest will deliver in… entertainment.”
CapeFlow Productions is no stranger to pop culture conventions, according to Caporale, having already hosted nearly 50 of the events in cities like Ottawa and Quebec City.
“A lot of people have been reaching out in the community, because what we offer is like a big show floor with exhibitors, artists, celebrities, props, fan groups, stuff like that,” Caporale said.
“We have a really good relationship with agents, the artists, and the retailers that have come to our shows.”
However, Caporale says the exhibition floor isn’t filled yet, and they’re hoping to connect with local partners from video game or tech companies, artists, or anybody who fits into a “geeky environment.”
“We want people to know the prices will be very fair for exhibitors and artists, especially artists, because we know they’re central to our event, so we want to make sure they can afford being at the event.”
That theme of affordability also extends to families.
Children under 12 years old will be able to get in to ComicCon for free all three days, provided they’re accompanied by an adult.
Additionally, he says nearly all the programming and entertainment will be included in the price of the ticket.
Fans of Winnipeg’s largest pop culture convention, C4, have been on edge singe April, when CEO Michael Paille announced 2019’s event wouldn’t be going forward due in part to a lack of available dates and rising rental fees and related costs.
The plug was pulled on the 25-year-old event for good in September.
Caporale said it’s hard to gauge what turnout might be like, but they’re hoping for around the same number of people as when they held their first event in Ottawa in 2012 – 20,000 over two days.