This year, I have the privilege of attending Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC). It is an annual convention held in Seattle, Washington. This year, the event is being held on the weekend before St Patrick’s Day, the 12-15 of March. This four-day event is one of the top conventions in the Pacific Northwest and is a highly anticipated convention for some of the industry’s top tier clientele. It delivers the best that the comics and pop culture industry have to offer directly from the creators, bringing super fans exactly what they crave: interaction with quality content and guests and an inclusive space to celebrate their fandom. The event is put on by Reed Pop Entertainment, the same vendors that bring you events such as New York Comic Con and Star Wars Celebration. Also, it is held annually at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle with satellite features at the Hyatt Regency and the Sheraton Seattle hotels. The hours of the event are daily Thursday through Saturday. 10 AM to 7 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.
Headlining at Emerald City
One of the headlining events of this year’s convention is the Back to the Future reunion on Saturday, culminating in a panel with stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Tom Wilson. This is just one of the many panels available to convention goers throughout the four-day event. From conversations with stars from hit shows such as The Boys and Umbrella Academy to conversations and features of sci fi stars as Anthony Daniels and Levar Burton. There is something for everyone. There are samurai sword sparring demonstrations in the Pop Asia interactive stages. There are also adult Lightsaber dueling classes with the Saber Guild on stage TCC L2-R2. I’m personally excited to be announcing that I will be paneling with the members of the Geek Boots Military Nerds podcast on Sunday at The Hive. We will be discussing how geek culture and military living coincide and can affect one another.
Convention Floor
The convention floor is the jewel of the weekend, with exhibitors, vendors and artists galore. ECCC’s show floor brings you the best vendors in the business covering comics and manga, collectibles, apparel & accessories, games and that one really amazing thing that you forget the name of, but love coming across again while you’re walking the floor. Some of the featured vendors include Arledge Comics, Darthlolipop, Morbid Heart Design, Ultrasabers, the Queen’s Quarry, and of course Funko. The pop culture collectible figures are always a hit at ECCC, and this year there are several exclusives that collectors will be lined up for hours at a chance to obtain.
Cosplay at Emerald City Comic Con
Emerald City is well known for its cosplay content. This year is no different. Cosplay Central is the location for those interested in the cosplaying events of the convention and will be located in the Main Atrium. There will be the cosplay repair station for those in need of minor fixes to their cosplay, the PNW Guild of Cosplayers will be on hand for tips and tricks, and there will be cosplay changing rooms for those that want to make a splash in several outfits in the same day. There is also a complete schedule of cosplay panels available for all four days of the convention, from how-tos on building armor and foam props to lighting and getting the best shots for photographers. The Western Championships of Cosplay will take place on Friday evening on the Main Stage, but there are meetups scheduled all weekend long for different groups to shoot. I will be there shooting for Temple of Geek and would personally love to meet you and get a pic! In addition to the cosplay contest, there are plenty of workshops dealing with cosplay, from con crunch competitions to fandom meetups and sing-a-longs. If photoshoots are your thing, then check out TCC L2-R5 daily for different groups meeting for pictures.
Gaming
Are you into gaming? There will be tabletop gaming with the Dungeons and Dragons Adventurers League as well as plenty of discussions and panels on how D&D has shaped and molded generations of gamers, artists, and adventurers. From tabletop to consoles, the gaming area at ECCC is the go-to spot for fans to grab some friends, take a seat and try out a new game. You can even put your skills to the test in video game competition. Whether you are an expert or a novice, there is room for all skill levels! There are several featured gaming events. Included are the board game state finals in games such as Coup, Diamonds, Pyramid Poker, and Skull King, and the Catan National Qualifying tournament, whose winner gets a guaranteed seat at the National Championships at the Origins Game Fair in June 2020. Also, the Doctor Who and the Battle for New Emerald City need no experience for this tabletop RPG. The classic RPGs such as D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2, Starfinder, and various other indie games on demand will be there as well.
Pop Asia
A new event area this year for Emerald City is the Pop Asia feature entirely dedicated to anime, manga, k-pop and more! Located in the Sheraton on Level 2, come hang out with your fellow otakus. There will be areas dedicated to hands on activities as well as interactive experiences, gaming, exhibitors, community groups and more. There will be interactive Xbox gaming with titles such as Dragon Ball Fighter Z and Tekken 7, a manga reading lounge, Gundam workshops, K-pop karaoke and panels on Pokemon deck building and movie monster workshops.
If you’re interested in any of the meetups, photoshoots, or just how to get around the convention, then Emerald City has an app that you can download to your smartphone that gives you up to date times, locations, maps and schedules. Just go to Google Play on Android or the App Store on Apple devices and look for ECCC to download the app for the most up to date announcements, chatting with other attendees, and getting the most of your Emerald City experience. You can also visit https://www.emeraldcitycomiccon.com/
This will be my first year attending, and I’m especially excited to be able to go and represent both Temple of Geek as well as the Geek Boots Military Nerds! There will be tons of behind the scenes action going on at Point Blank Shot Photography and if you see me, please stop and say hi! Let’s get a selfie together, and I’ll see you at the con!
Our Cosplay Photo Gallery from Gallifrey One 2020
Corinna’s Chilling Closet Cosplay: Cosplaying Sabrina on a budget
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