Nerds & Beyond was at the return of FAN EXPO Canada after its two-year hiatus this year. It was once again back at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from August 24-27.
This annual four-day convention covers various themes, including comics, art, gaming, anime, sci-fi, and horror. Also included this year, for the first time, was Tattoo Alley for those who wanted some fandom ink, with artists including Kennedy Knight, Steve Peace, Katrina Barse, and Marc Draven — and even a guest or two was seen getting some new ink from one of the artists!
This year was exceptionally memorable and special because it was FAN EXPO Canada’s return after being canceled for the past two years due to COVID. About which, Andrew Moyes, Vice President, FAN EXPO HQ, said,
“It’s going to be an exciting four days as we celebrate being back in a big way with our community. Last fall’s LIMITED EDITION was a blast, but it’s great to return to our full-scale gathering. There’s truly something for everyone this year with celebrity guests from all genres – sci-fi, fantasy, action, horror, comics, and superheroes – in addition to memorable cast reunions and other thrilling events and programming.”
Along with the panels, Q&A, photo ops, autographs, and other events happening, there were various specialty events fans could attend (the hard part was finding tickets). There was An Evening with The Kids in the Hall, The Four Hobbits: An Unexpected Reunion, The Friendship Onion Podcast live, and Jay & Silent Bob Get Old.
The two vendor areas between the North and South buildings offered hundreds of options for shopping opportunities. There were board games, video games, comic books, Funko Pop!s, clothing, art, collector items, and mystery boxes. Among the vendors was Apollonie, a custom/specialty studio specializing in corsets. Each item is personalized to the buyer and has cosplay, bridal fashion, and millinery products.
A favorite moment was during LeVar Burton’s panel when he had the audience singing along to the theme song of Reading Rainbow.
“Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It’s in a book
A reading rainbow”
This year’s guest list was epic, and attendees could find their favorites from multiple fandoms. Those guests included Paige O’Hara, Troy Baker, Nolan North, Sam Maggs, Nick Bradshaw, Chell Creates, Luxsteez, Charlie Hunnam, Matthew Lewis, Ryan Hurst, Kevin Smith, Jessie T. Usher, Joseph Quinn, Jamie Campbell Bower, Finn Wolfhard, Theo Rossi, Emilio Rivera, Jason Mewes, LeVar Burton, Katee Sackhoff, Brent Spiner, Elijah Wood, Robert Englund, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Sweeney Boo, the cast of The Kids in the Hall, Michael Rooker, Grace Van Dien, and so many others.
We can’t wait until next year! In the meantime, stay tuned for more news on FAN EXPO conventions.