There was no shortage of characters, costumes and cosplay at this year’s Hal-Con convention. “It’s just a large gathering for a lot of people that like anime and very different fandoms. It’s like a safe space for people,” says attendee Anne Liu. It was a record-breaking year for the sci-fi and fantasy convention. Organizers say tickets sold out in less than a month. “We see roughly like 17 to 20,000, give or take,” says Charity Baker, the chair of Hal-Con’s board of directors. “We’ve certainly seen high sales for a lot of our premium passes in the past, but this is the first year where we sold out more than four months prior to the event.” It was a dream come true for 11-year-old Penelope Bonnell, who travelled from Riverview, N.B., to show-off her handmade ‘Gargoyles’ costume. “I chose this costume because when I was little, I started watching the show, and I really, really liked it. And so now that I’m old enough and I had the skills to make the costume, I said, you know what, why not?” says Bonnell. “It’s been really fun so far. I’ve enjoyed looking at all the costumes and the booths and stuff.” For Aimee Brooks, it was a chance to let her imagination run wild. “I’ve always been that way ever since I was a kid. always making things, always drawing things out. I’m pretty much right at home here,” she says. “It’s so fun being around so many other people who are into some of the same things I am. This is one place where I feel like I can really express myself that way and have people say ‘that’s cool’ instead of “you’re weird.” Together, attendees enjoyed and appreciated each other’s creativity. “Theres no limits, there’s no genre. There’s just any age, any group. kids, adults, anybody. it’s just something we look forward to every year,” says attendee Christina Wagner. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
