Get Magical with Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con
Wizard World Philly, If wizards and magic is something your into than this convention is the place for you. This fun magical event knows how to create quite the experience. Here's what you can expect when attending:
Wizard World Comic Con-Philly is one of the conventions that is run by Wizard Entertainment (they also do cons in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, Sacramento, Austin and other places). If you get your tickets early enough, you can snatch a 4-day for $60 ($70 with taxes and fees). As it’s a con that has a pretty sturdy history - i’d say that the pricing is reasonable if you wanna go all weekend.
Located at the Pennsylvania Convention center I can tell you right now - it’s huge. Two massive multiple story buildings conjoined together and broken apart by pedestrian sidewalks...and absolutely no signs directing to where the convention was. Luckily I spotted some cosplayers and followed them but even they went through the wrong entrance and were redirected by a guard inside. For someone who’s going there first time that’s very confusing. While large cons like NYCC has volunteers on every block to direct them to their destination, this one didn’t even have a flag or a banner until you see a large screen INSIDE the convention telling you that you made it to the right place.
After you go though airport security (there was an amazing Thanos cosplayer that had to actually remove most of his cosplay to go through), you’re provided with a bracelet (depending if you got a weekend or day, it’s either plastic or laminated paper) rather than a badge. After going around the escalator we finally make it to the show floor!
A huge plus is that there is a lot of space. The aisles are very spaced out, giving enough distance for walking between vendors - no more issues about cosplayers stopping for photos and causing a traffic jam. Which other large conventions should take into consideration more often as cosplayers play a part in the convention scene.
First thing that you’re greeted with is a stage where various performers take place throughout the day. Down the middle are the meet and greets and in the very back there are photo ops (hidden behind black curtains) and a gaming section. To the right side are various vendors and the left side are cosplayers and artist alley. The gaming area was set up as laptops at the table so i didn’t recognize it immediately.
Guest wise, the con was filled with the “Vampire Diaries” cast (Ian Somerhalder), “Once Upon A Time”(Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader, Jared Gilmore) and “RWBY, as well as favorites like “Smallville”, “Firefly”, “Charmed” and quite a few wrestlers. There were also a lot of sponsors (like T Mobile) and broadcasting studios- offering freebies and photo ops (which were real fun!). There was a wonderful “How to Train your Dragon” photo set up, and also “Annabelle” was there too. The con also had a designated children’s area (as there were quite a few kids at this con).
Food wise I highly recommend the grilled cheese vendor (apparently they come every year) but overall the food court is extremely limited and lines get quite long. Outside of it there is a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and some other food options if you willing to walk for about 10min.
Vendors and Artists were really good! Merchandise was diverse and reasonably priced. It was a good balance between comics, anime and general geeky culture (you can even find merchandise for theater lovers!). Another unique feature: tattoo artists! There was a whole section of professionals where you can get some amazing geeky tattoos right there! That was definitely something I’m not used to seeing outside of tattoo expos. The artist alley was beautiful! There were a lot of amazing prints and handmade items such as Elfen crowns and more!
Overall Wizard World Comic Con Philly is a fun con with a great selection of vendors and guests. It has something for everyone: for comic lovers, for anime enthusiasts, show watchers, medieval fantasies, and if you like something creepy - they have you covered too. If you don’t like crowds, this is good one to check out. I spoke with a few frequent attendees and they all commented that in the past they had bigger names and felt bigger. I recommend that they get more volunteers and please get some signs outside and on the way to the convention center so attendees know where they’re going.
*Be sure to check out if your cosplay made it into our gallery!
