The POW! Parade of Wonders was cancelled in downtown Calgary Friday morning due to heavy snowfall.
The parade was meant to start at 10:30 a.m. to officially kick off the first full-scale Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo the city has seen in three years.
However, a snowfall warning was issued for the city just after 10 a.m., forcing the organization to cancel the parade.
“Due to the large snowstorm in Calgary, and for the safety of everyone involved, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the POW! Parade of Wonders event this year,” Calgary Expo said on Twitter.
“Calgary Expo remains open and we have many great events continuing to happen today. Thanks for understanding.”
Upwards of 10 to 15 centimetres of snow is expected to fall in and around the city Friday morning before tapering off in the afternoon.
While the expo festivities got underway Thursday night, the colourful parade through downtown Calgary was meant to get the cosplay officially underway.
The Parade of Wonders is Canada’s biggest cosplay parade celebrating all things pop culture and creativity.
The parade was expected to make its way down Stephen Avenue between 8 Street S.W. and Olympic Plaza.
The 2022 POW! Parade of Wonders route in downtown Calgary.
This year’s honorary parade marshal was meant to be Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
The Calgary Expo was cancelled in 2020 due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the event was held in a much smaller, scaled-back capacity.
Stars at this year’s event include William Shatner, John Cleese, the cast of Cobra Kai and Brendan Fraser.
“For me, it’s about seeing the community come back together. For me, the fans are the star of the show. Everyone will be out in cosplay, reconnecting in the aisles and picking up on those friendships,” said Andrew Moyes, vice president of Fan Expo HQ.
“That, for me, is what’s most important this weekend.”
Calgary’s tourism industry said this weekend’s event at Stampede Park is a clear signal that events are coming back.
“It is absolutely fantastic for our partners to start to see restaurants being full. You’re starting to see retail get activity downtown, especially with the event being held in the BMO Centre,” said Carson Ackroyd, vice president of sales with Tourism Calgary.
Carson said an event like this is key to bringing back business and helping the economy recover.
“It’s a lifeline for our industries.”
The Calgary Expo runs until Sunday. For more information, visit the Calgary fan expo website.
- 7 sent to hospital after carbon monoxide poisoning incident in northwest Calgary
- Calgary man accused of embezzling millions while working as financial adviser in Red Deer
- New Calgary puppet show encourages kids to find ‘magic moments’ in nature
- Speed a factor in serious-injury collision that sent motorcyclist to hospital: Calgary police
Comments