Avalon Expo Summer 14, St. John’s bi-annual popular culture convention, has come and gone, having taken place July 4-6.
Taking place twice a year in the summer and fall, Avalon Expo takes up two of the big three annual conventions in St. John’s, alongside Sci-Fi on the Rock, which takes place in the spring.
Cosplay is common among attendees, with many dressing up as their favourite characters from all across the popular culture landscape. It’s not uncommon for someone you’ve never met to compliment you on how well your costume is made. This is all celebrated with a costume parade, where everyone in costume roams throughout the venue.
Taking place downtown in the St. John’s Convention Centre, this year’s Avalon Expo featured many different attractions. The main attractions every time is the vendor hall, full of vendors selling all sorts of things. Here you can find artwork, collectibles, clothes, used video games, and much more, all run by local artists and vendors.
Of these many different types of vendors, artwork of different varieties appeared to be the most prevalent. Posters, stickers, pins and more could be found all over the vendor room, all depicting all kinds of characters and media from countless different franchises.
Some take the opportunity to try and gather interest for upcoming events, especially when the audiences overlap. “There’s definitely crossover in who would be interested in a comic show,” said Paul Tucker, who was promoting the upcoming St. John’s Comic Arts Fest, a two-day festival celebrating comics taking place this September on Memorial University campus.
A staple of Avalon Expo both times a year is their partnership with Sandbox Gaming, a local non-profit organization with the goal of raising money for local charities, and to build and expand the gaming community in Newfoundland & Labrador.
Sandbox Gaming gets their own room at conventions such as Avalon Expo, where they have various different setups for all kinds of video games and board games. Additionally, they held tournaments for multiple games over the span of the weekend, such as Mario Kart World, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Pokémon TCG Pocket.
The video games section at Avalon Expo seemed to have had a great turnout overall. “I’ve seen plenty of people around,” said Megan King, one of the organizers at the event.
Additionally, special guests are brought in for conventions such as Avalon Expo. This year, the guests were comic illustrator Brianna June, science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer, and voice actor Jenny Yokobori, who all got to interact with fans, and experience Newfoundland culture.
“[Interacting with fans] is one of my favourite parts of the job,” said Yokobori. You may recognize her from her work on The Simpsons, One Piece, Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Genshin Impact, Demon’s Souls, and more.
“This is my second time in St. John’s, and both times everyone has been so sweet, kind and welcoming.”
Avalon Expo blends the openness of popular fandoms with Newfoundland hospitality in a way that is hard to see anywhere else. People from all walks of life come together to celebrate the various interests they share, and possibly discovering new ones in the process, while potentially creating friendships that will last a lifetime.
