How to convince your friends to go to a pop culture convention such as Comic Con Cape Town

Comic Con Cape Town, the festival to geek out. The fun-filled festival at the CTICC features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements across virtually all genres, including international and local Comic Artists, Film and TV celebrities, and Cosplay championships. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)

Comic Con Cape Town, the festival to geek out. The fun-filled festival at the CTICC features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements across virtually all genres, including international and local Comic Artists, Film and TV celebrities, and Cosplay championships. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Apr 29, 2023

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A staggering 6 000 pop culture lovers made their way to the Cape Town Convention Centre on Saturday to geek out, buy cool things or play games, among many more.

Comic Con Cape Town kicked off on Thursday and will end on Sunday, so if you didn’t or couldn’t make it this weekend, here are a few ways to convince your friends and loved ones to go with you to a Con.

Esport: “1v1 me, bruh”

For your gaming friend, there is the Doritos Crunch Cup to test your COD skills. There were also several opportunities to win big (*cough* big cash *cough*) including Tekken on Saturday and FIFA on Sunday. Players go head-to-head in hopes of winning the daily prize of R7 000 and an Xbox.

If FIFA is more the vibe, Telkom v Gaming had a FIFA King of Hill offering which was open to gamers looking for a thrill.

Cosplay: “Is she cosplaying Makima from Chainsaw man?”

For your cosplayer friend, there are several cosplay competitions. If you aren’t ready to go on stage for a competition, just come in cosplay, walk around and watch how all the festival goers marvel at your talent at putting together something remarkable.

Celebrities: “OMG I can’t believe it’s actually them!”

For your celebrity fangirl and fanboy friends, Comic Cons bring in talent every year. This year, American actors Tati Gabrielle, Jason Moore, Ross Marquand and Kat Graham returned to the Main Stage to engage with their fans.

The Guest Spotlight Sessions offer an opportunity for festival-goers to interact with their favourite actors, streamers, illustrators and cosplayers, through a question-and-answer format. These are usually fun and the hype is real.

Animation: “So that is how it’s made. That’s so cool!”

If animation is more your thing, the Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) saw hundreds of guests in and out of their whimsical activation, boasting a variety of activities geared toward animation enthusiasts.

After spotlighting French-produced anime, director and animator, Ulysse Malassagne took the audience through the past decade or so of the animation industry, highlighting the various challenges of crafting 2D animations.

Character animator, Annike Pienaar gave fans the low-down on the ins and outs of the animation industry in a session entitled “Things I Wish I Knew Before”.

Pienaar also talked about her favourite projects that she’s worked on, which included Sing 2 and Revolting Rhymes, which has received international recognition.

Comics and cartoons: “These people are so talented. I can just draw stick figures

And let us not forget the The Artist Alley Spotlight Stage. This is for the comic fans. This attracted hundreds of comic fans as satirical cartoonist Zapiro took to the stage to discuss the impact of cartooning, as well as how it connects people around the world.

Streaming: “Is it too late to quit my job for streaming or nah?“

As the world goes digital and more are embracing the streamer life, StreamerCon gave content creators fantastic hacks on how to elevate their content.

Hero27_Creations, Chloe_ZA, DaddyCOolZA, ConCon, and RustyPieLovers joined forces to equip creators with the know-how to gain followers and increased engagement.

There is something for everyone. It is up to you to take the first step and finding what that something is for you.

IOL