Montreal Comiccon sets attendance record with more than 60,000 fans

Batman, Rorschach and Darth Vader were among the record-setting 60,000 Montreal Comiccon attendees over the weekend.

Well, people dressed up as those characters, that is.

Passionate cosplayer flocked to the Palais des Congrès for three days of being immersed in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, anime, comic books and video games.

It was the 13th edition of Montreal Comiccon, which spokesperson Jason Rockman says set a new attendance record.

“It’s really the biggest celebration of pop culture in the city,” Rockman said. “This year we are overwhelmed by the response.”

The convention was filled with vibrant costumes, showcasing the creative spirit of cosplayers. The annual event serves as a gathering place for fans of comics, movies and TV shows to express themselves in the most extraordinary way.

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Here’s what some cosplayers had to say:

“I think the reason why so many cosplayers do it is because the crowd is incredible.”

“The thing about cosplaying at Comiccon, it’s really about the community for me and all the people I get to meet, all the new friends.”

“Except for Halloween, it’s the only time a year where I can be dress up and in public without it being weird.”

“This costume is really hot and it’s really hard to see but whenever people see me and recognize this character from their childhood, and they ask for a photo and they smile, then it’s all worth it for me.”

“We like to make the person to come to life.”

“For Comiccon, it’s mostly all the people who want to take pictures and see the smiles on their face. It’s just a beautiful thing.”

“The costume itself is very warm, uncomfortable, but hey, the kids love it, the adults love it and that’s why I do it.”

“For a lot of cosplayers, it’s about bringing the magic to other people and see their eyes light up. It’s just a really great crowd, really great energy, wonderful way of meeting people and just having a great time.”