Calgary Expo shatters records and anticipates 10th Anniversary in 2015‏

Calgary Comic & Entertainment breaks records with outstanding 9^th convention
View the official Calgary Expo 2014 Photo Stream here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/calgaryexpo/

Hours after closing the doors on the 9th annual Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (April 24-27), organizers have confirmed that the event shattered records with confirmation that over 97,000 guests. The annual collection of all things comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and more took place this past weekend at Calgary Stampede Park. The event was sold out of VIP, regular/deluxe four-day passes, Regular Saturday tickets, and Regular Sunday tickets before the event even started, with additional tickets purchased online throughout the extended weekend.

“We are so grateful to all of our incredible volunteers, fans, vendors, guests, and media who have contributed to the energy and growth of this event,” said Calgary Expo’s hostess and spokesperson Emily Expo. “This was an incredible weekend and we’re excited to get into planning for our 10th anniversary in 2015.”

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo 2015 will take place April 16-19, at Stampede Park.

Calgary Expo 2014 by the numbers:

• First year that Calgary Expo expanded to 3.5 days (adding a Thursday evening preview night)
• More square footage than ever before! This year Calgary Expo included the Grandstand (Admissions), expanded use of the Big Four, and even constructed a 30,000 heated pavilion to accommodate more programming, seating and exhibitions.
• Over 1,200 extraordinary, generous volunteers.
• Thanks to a first-year relationship with DIG, 50% of waste was diverted from the landfills to recycling and compost.
• 30 connections made at ‘Geek Speed Dating’
• Largest Canadian-owned pop culture convention in the country; Second largest event of it’s kind in Canada; Among the 5 largest conventions in North America.

Calgary Expo 2014 highlights:

• The POW! Parade of Wonders, a free public event in partnership with Downtown Calgary, kicked off the event on Friday, April 25 in spectacular style. Hundred of fans dressed in costume to walk the downtown streets led by Parade Marshall Mayor Nenshi (dressed as Doctor Who) and joined by Calgary Expo special guests Kim Coates & Mark Boone Junior (Sons of Anarchy), Anthony Daniels (“C3PO, Star Wars”), Felicia Day (The Guild, Dr.Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog), Middle-earth’s own Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Mark Fergusion, Mark Hadlow, Sadwyn Brophy, Craig Parker, and Dean O’Gorman, Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager) and world-renowned cosplayers Lindsay Elyse, Monika Lee, and Jessica Nigri.
• Incredible comic creators, graphic novel artists, and legendary writers including RL Stine, Max Brooks, J Scott Campbell, David Lloyd and more.
• Doctor Who’s 11th doctor Matt Smith and his companion Karen Gillan in their first appearance at at Canadian convention
• The Calgary Expo costume contest, which awarded prizes to locals in handcrafted costumes.
• Jim Byrnes EXPOsed featured blues legend (and Highlander: The Series star) Jim Byrnes for an unique, intimate performance with stories and incredible music.
• Aliens EXPOsed – the largest cast reunion of Aliens (1986) since the premiere itself including Sigourney Weaver and Bill Paxton and more retelling the creation of the iconic sci-fi masterpiece and discussing the massive impact it had on the sci-fi genre and gender roles in pop culture.
• Middle-earth EXPOsed – featuring cast members from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies performing interviews, improv, songs, and never-before-told stories in tribute to Weta Workshop Founder and President, Richard Taylor. The evening was a dream come true for Tolkien fans, including one lucky Calgarian, Jason Campbell, who was transformed into an ‘Orc’ by Taylor himself on stage.

You can also check out our coverage of the 2014 expo right here. See you next year for a crazy 10th anniversary event!

About Calgary Expo

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is a non-profit organization showcasing pop culture including comics, sci-fi, gaming, anime, and horror. Since 2006, the convention has grown to host over 97,000 attendees annually and is Canada’s second largest pop culture convention. Calgary Expo April 16-19, 2015 at BMO Centre, Stampede Park, in Calgary, AB, Canada. www.calgaryexpo.com