By Jaimz Dillman
A meeting of all fandom minds came and went this past weekend in Orlando, Florida, featuring the best cosplays, vendors for all hobby enthusiasts, influencers, content creators, and celebrity signings and panels. Four days of MegaCon brought people from far and wide to unite under the Orange County Convention Center's north and south concourses, all with one thing in common – to see and be seen.
Think about it: where else can you catch Godzilla walking through a crowd of One Piece cosplayers, princesses eating overpriced pizzas next to a booth of lightsabers, and Ron, Clint, and Bryce Dallas Howard? Whether showing off their own creations or snapping pics of their favorites, the fans really took center stage over this long weekend.
A sea of booths filled with every type of merchandise and art you can imagine offered sought-after items such as the ever-popular Pops, custom paintings, collectible vintage toys, and con-only limited edition clothing. Upstairs, rooms catered to interests of all kinds, ranging from Legos to droids, improv to costuming, and even performances from Phantasmagoria. Areas for book lovers and kids also drew attendees in all weekend with curated content.
The red carpet was full all weekend for folks to show off their creations. The Nacelle toy company even kicked off the walk of fame and premiered Maxx89, the robot star of Robo Force, a new animated series produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Companies know the value of the attendees at these conventions and have started gearing their marketing toward this captive target audience. You can’t buy this kind of attention.
Panels reunited the casts of The Breakfast Club and Scream. Doctor Who and Harry Potter were well represented, as well as Star Wars and every anime you can think of. Even Mel Gibson and Priscilla Presley were there, meeting and greeting fans. Photo sessions and autographs were snatched up quickly. A "SOLD OUT" sign at Matthew Lillard’s booth Sunday morning proved that if meeting someone special was on your list, you had to get there early.
Really, the people-watching is top-notch. As soon as you hit I-Drive, you see families walking over in full wizard gear or Jedi with their young padawans. The group costumes are always impressive. Getting that many people together and coordinating is a feat in itself. And when one character recognizes someone else from their realm, squeals of delight usually follow.
Our crew met people from as far as Australia and took pictures with different people every day, earning many new Instagram friends. Social networking is real. As a mom of minors, the late-night after-parties are skipped for now, but I’ve heard they’re often lauded as the best part. Getting a chance to unwind, have a drink, and dance with a Wookiee? I can definitely see that in my future soon!
Passes can be bought for daily entry or the whole weekend. Family tickets are also available, as well as coveted VIP passes, but they sell out fast. You have to be quick on the web when they go on sale. Parking at the convention center is over $40 per car, so area garages and pedicab options are often the less expensive alternative. That leaves more money for $17 chicken tenders, lol.
This year seemed to be a little more organized than the last and also less cramped, possibly due to the move from the west side to the south/north concourses. Regardless, we definitely earned our step count and passed out shortly after returning home.
Check out https://fanexpohq.com/megaconorlando for upcoming events, guest announcements, and info. It’s definitely a weekend to remember!