Gusting winds blew up plans to hold the annual Parade of Wonders to kick off the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, but it didn’t stop the party. Hundreds of fans braved the cold, donned elaborate costumes and cheered on just some of the celebrities set to appear at the expo this week. “We’ll have over 100,000 people come through the show this weekend, which is incredible,” said Andrew Moyes, vice president of the Fan Expo. “This community is about celebrating together with like-minded individuals with passion and we love how our community shows up for us no matter what.” Dressed as Super Mario, complete with a giant golden wrench to ‘fix’ the water pipe around his waist, Mayor Jeromy Farkas danced along and led the opening ceremony Friday morning. “This event is what Calgary’s all about,” Farkas said. “A welcoming city where anybody can be themselves. It’s great to be able to spend the weekend with a bunch of nerds like me.” Attendees filled the BMO Centre at Stampede Park with costumes ranging from simple to elaborate. Some spent weeks and months completing their cosplay. “We started these as a COVID project and it continuously evolved until we’ve added our fourth Mandalorian this season,” said Keith Braun, who 3D printed costumes for his four-person crew, dubbed the North-West Mounted Mandalorians. “It’s amazing. We love the atmosphere here. Everybody is so welcoming and friendly,” he said. The Calgary Expo runs until Sunday evening.
