The POW! Parade of Wonders Marches in to Downtown Calgary April 26th

In case you’ve missed the social media blizzard that is #POWParade here are some details of Downtown Calgary’s newest parade!

Everyone is invited down to Eau Claire to participate in or to watch downtown Calgary’s very first Cosplay parade. If you’re unfamiliar with Cosplay, it’s the art/activity of dressing up as a favourite fictional character for events such as the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.

The art of Cosplay comes from the meticulously crafted costumes fans make or purchase. These costumes are more much more than Halloween costumes, that’s for sure! Costume competitions are a regular occurrence at conventions and big prizes (along with bragging rights) are usually on the line for best costume.

CosPlay comes from Japan where many die-hard Animé & Manga fans have been dressing up as their favourite characters for years. CosPlay isn’t a Japanese word however, it’s a combination of the English words Costume and Roleplay. Through CosPlay, fans are able to be creative, give a shout-out to their favourite characters and become someone else for a short while. Who wouldn’t want to swap their boring 9-5 job to become Batman, Luke Skywalker or Hellboy?

This will be an event people will be talking about, so don’t miss out. Take lunch early and stake-out a spot on Stephen Avenue or on Barclay Parade to get the best view. Post pictures on social media using #POWParade and you could win a prize package from the Downtown Calgary association.

The parade will start with check-in at 10am at Eau Claire market. Participants who’ve registered can sign-in for their Expo credentials before heading to the BMO Centre. This means that if you’ve purchased a weekend pass, you can skip the sign-in process at the BMO Centre. Registration is also important so we can organize the parade based on theme; comic book heroes, Game of Thrones, Animé, Star Wars, etc.

Once the parade gets underway at 11am, it will make it’s way south on 3rd street, the west on Stephen Avenue (8th ave SW) and finally make it’s way to Olympic Plaza for the opening ceremonies.

Expect special guests, prizes and a whole lot of fun! Keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and Website for more details in the coming days. You can also check out the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo website and Twitter for up-to-the-minute details as they are announced!

Tagged as: calgary comic con, calgary cosplay, calgary expo, comic expo, parade of wonders, pow, pow parade