Carlisle Megacon is set to go ahead this year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking place on Saturday August 19 at Richard Rose Central Academy – it is set to feature over 40 trader stalls, target wrestling, cosplay competitions, trading card tournaments, space radio sci-fi comedy and more.
The event was first set up in 2011 by Levi McGlinchey but is now being organised by Carlisle Gamers, a non-profit initiative that is the largest permanent gaming club in Cumbria.
Designed for pop culture enthusiasts, organisers said they hoped to make Levi proud by continuing the event on for years to come.
Alongside some of the main events on-the-day surprises will also take place along with the annual raffle that gives entrants the chance to win a giant Snorlax plushie.
Gaming, anime, and comic-related merchandise will be on sale and a super smash bros tournament will also go ahead.
One of the organisers, Ali Metcalf, 27, from Carlisle, said: “Megacon has been in Carlisle for quite a long time, but this is the first time it’s been on since COVID, so this is our returning one.
“It’s an exciting and nervous time. Because it’s such an established event it has a bit of protectiveness around it from people in the area and there is definitely a high bar we have to reach.
“We have to make sure that it is the same calibre as they were before COVID and there’s definitely a sense we need to do it justice.
“But we’re sure it’ll be a fantastic day, we just want to put something on that local people come visit and enjoy.”
She added that she felt events like the Megacon were especially important in Cumbria for giving people with similar interests a place to socialise locally.
She said: “I think they’re really diverse events. It’s a place where people don’t have to pretend to be something they’re not and where they can just geek out and have fun.
“It also provides a really good social hub for people to meet up and bond over similar things and it’s completely different from going to the pub.”
She also said it was an opportunity for people to show off their creativity.
Ali added: “It really inspired creativity and part of the Megacon is the cosplay competition. A lot of people make their costumes from scratch.
“There’s no guidelines, they’ll just see a photo of a costume and somehow make it into something they can wear – it’s absolutely mind blowing. It can be shown off and appreciated in spaces like these instead of maybe mocked or seen as something a bit weird.”
“But even just seeing kids or toddlers et to meet Superman and seeing their little faces light up it’s just really heart-warming.”
