Over the weekend I attended my first Fan Expo convention in Toronto, Canada.
We took the train in to Union Station early and were there when the North and South halls opened. There was no line and we were in!... After what felt like a lot of walking. We ended up at the wrong hall so after some more walking and many escalators we were at the right expo hall.
Artists' Alley was jammed, and there were a lot of different booths: Some known and unknown comic artists, lots of anime stickers and pins, some art prints and costume bits. The stickers and pins reminded me of Twitchcon's aritsts' alley, so it was nice to see something familiar and something new.
When the bear cubs wanted to continue walking through all 25 rows of Artists' Alley, I bailed and checked out more of the expo hall floor. Lots of comics collecting and retailers. What surprised me was the clothing! Both fantasy "modern witch and wizard" stuff and also just some nice things to wear. If I go back I'd like to check out the fashion and design booths more. I picked up a couple beginner-level plastic models and even found a retro video game booth selling NES games. ❤️
We left the convention for lunch and tried out an Italian restaurant nearby. Although we missed the panel we had wanted to see, it was nice to rest, eat and rehydrate.
We headed back to the North hall and wandered around vendors there before our late afternoon photo op. I'm grateful it was moved up, as by the time we finished up and got our prints, it was already time to head back. We made the quick hop back to Union Station and didn't have to catch the last train back.
We had picked Friday because the guests we wanted to see were featured that day and I'm glad we did. Reports from Saturday is that everwhere was very congested. Even on the Friday we saw big crowds using the escalators and in the hallways. Artists' Alley was jammed!
Overall, I think the trip was a success! Doing something as a family, going into the big city by train, getting to see a bunch of things we're interested in, and good food!
Vendors
Some of the vendors I grabbed cards for were
- Erinye [Instagram] - beautiful wall hangings
- Gillian Newland - beautiful paintings
- Horse Fiddle Press - bought a cute Shiba Inu enamel pin here
- JHoCircle - beautiful mech art
???
I'm assuming the bear cubs picked things up here, because I have cards for them too. 😅
- CipherStudios - anime charms
- MahchaMoon
- Ophy
- Sticker Sluts