'A great place to escape': Winnipeg Comiccon celebrates third year in Manitoba

Winnipeg Comiccon confirmed 30,000 people attended the convention over the three-day event. Caporale said Winnipeg fans have embraced Comiccon with open arms. (Source: Zach Kitchen, CTV News)

Downtown Winnipeg was full of superheroes, villains, and every other type of character in between as thousands descended on the third annual Winnipeg Comiccon at the RBC Convention Centre this weekend.

The convention, run by a Montreal-based company, made its debut in Winnipeg in 2021 after cancelling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show attracted 14,000 attendees in that first year, then doubled attendance to 28,000 in 2022 with its first restriction-free event.

Programming director Cliff Caporale thinks even more people have walked the convention floor this weekend.

"I'm thinking we're going to leave here with 30, 35 thousand people," said Caporale Sunday afternoon.

Winnipeg Comiccon confirmed 30,000 people attended the convention over the three-day event. Caporale said Winnipeg fans have embraced Comiccon with open arms.

"Everybody's been very happy, showing off their cosplay or buying geeky things that they can't find anywhere else, checking out celebrities they want to meet in person," he said.

Celebrity guests included Hollywood actors Carl Weathers, Michael Rooker, Giancarlo Esposito, and Robert Patrick, among others. Canadian TV stars the Trailer Park Boys were also at the convention centre this weekend, as well as Kim's Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.

Fans were able to purchase autographs and photo ops from the celebrity guests, as well as watch them speak on various panels.

Caporale said a highlight of the weekend for him was a panel featuring four actors from the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

"It is an escape from the reality of the outside world by coming here with friends and family and hanging out," Caporale said. "It's a great place to escape."

Winnipeg Comiccon will return in October 2024. Caporale said they've already started planning next year's lineup.

He's encouraging Comiccon attendees to feed back online. "Tell us what you want to see, tell us what kind of artists you're looking for, what kind of guests you're looking for, the different kinds of activities that you want to see," said Caporale.

Tickets for Winnipeg Comiccon 2024 will be on sale in December, with guest announcements coming next summer.