Hal-Con 2023
Hal-Con was back in full-swing this year. The science fiction and fantasy convention was sold-out! As I see it, Hal-Con has four pillars: Cosplay, sessions, gaming, and the vendor floor.
The vendor floor is a pretty remarkable spot. It's a bazaar full of booths for art and knicknacks that don't have much of a market except when a few thousand nerds get together. Where else but at Hal-Con (or a similar event) can you buy a custom spray-painted sci-fi painting, or a handmade snowglobe with a Pokémon inside?
The gaming area is a whole floor of the convention centre dedicated to board games, tabletop RPGs, miniatures, and video gaming. My friends and I tried a D&D-like role playing game called Numenéra and a board game called Cartographers. We also played a Hal-Con specific kinetic game, Hungry, Hungry Humans, and also a live version of Clue that saw us traipsing around the gaming floor to solve a mystery.
The sessions are my favourite part of the convention, an opportunity to learn new things. I attended the following panels:
- How Our Favourite Characters Have Real-World Impacts On Us (parasocial relationships)
- Pop Culture And Content Creation (how to create fan-lead content on YouTube)
- From Play To Podcast (how to stream a D&D session)
- Far Far Away And In Our Own Backyard: Astronomy And Science Fiction (JWST research)
- Not Everything Needs To Be Set In New York (Canada's appearances in comics)
- Egyptian Mummy Gothic Fiction (Victorian and Edwardian colonialism reflected in creepy romances)
- World Building For All Occasions (how fictional places fit into fiction)
- Writing As A Side-Hustle (tips for getting published)
Of course, you're probably not reading this post to hear about the sessions, or the gaming, or even the vendor floor. You want the Cosplay! And no wonder; I overheard two panellists remark how Hal-Con seems to get more people in costume than most other conventions. There are so many fandoms represented at Hal-Con, I am not sure who all of these are!
This rather round Toad hat was made by combining a yoga ball and a construction hat!
There were several Kens wandering around, but this was the only pair dressed as Barbenheimer.
Beedle and Impa!!!
It's always nice to see a Korok who's found his friend!
I am a little shocked that this incredible marionette was not in the costume contest.
These Weeping Angels were very cool, and very terrifying.
This costume is filled with blue LED striplights! And, the mask is motorized!
Now we move onto my photos from the costume contest. This year, we were fairly early in the line, and my friend had a plan for finding a good seat. We had excellent sightlines to the third pose-mark on the stage.
Many of the costume contest participants really nailed getting into their characters. I find their facial expressions just a fascinating as the rest of their costumes.
And it wasn't just faces, either... Among two participants there was a bit of an "arms race"!
This pair included a dwarf and a dragon with wings that folded out.
The pair who were announcing the costume content entrants noted that Andrew Lloyd Webber was well-represented. In addition to this Christine Daaé and Phantom, there was also a Mister Mistoffelees.
And to end it off, my costume!