Latest news with #comicconvention
CBC
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Sask Expo Regina cancellation leaves vendors out their deposits
A long running comic convention hosted at Regina's REAL District has shut down and vendors who put down deposits are wondering where that money went. Sask Expo Regina — a gathering of cosplayers, comic book lovers and celebrities — was cancelled last year due to an organizer's health concerns. Expo staff told vendors their deposits would carry over to this year. Now, the event has completely dissolved. In the official statement, Sask Expo Regina said it couldn't longer continue due to lowered attendance since the pandemic, venue issues and other unspecified challenges. Brandi Oliver, co-owner of AP Spray Art, said she is out a $750 deposit she made in 2024 to secure a place for her booth. "We were out all that money for our supplies, plus we were out the money we would have made, and now we're out our vendor fee." She said the organizers of Sask Expo Regina have completely stopped communicating with vendors, leaving her and others with little hope to get their money back. "We had to borrow money to pay some of our bills," Oliver said. "That's like a $3,000 weekend for us. It was really, really hard. We went to family, we went to friends just to keep our own stuff afloat." Some blamed REAL, which operates the building where the event was to take place, for the missing deposits. REAL responded with a statement. "[REAL] was not the organizer of this event and is not responsible for collecting or refunding vendor deposits. All financial transactions, including deposits, were managed directly by the event organizers of Sask Expo Regina," the statement said. Don Sparrow, a Saskatoon illustrator who has been a recurring guest at the Regina event, said the loss of the show is disappointing. "It's a real heartbreaker," he said. "I've done shows in the United States and France and all across Canada, but Regina was definitely my favourite." Oliver said losing her deposit makes her reluctant to be a vendor at future Regina events. "Some of us are hoping that somebody else will take it over, but I'm not sure if that's actually going to happen. I don't know if vendors are going to trust people anymore," she said.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Annual Regina comic book convention goes the way of planet Krypton
REGINA — An annual Saskatchewan comic and pop culture convention has gone the way of Superman's planet Krypton, leaving behind a trail of sad and disappointed fans. The Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo says on social media it's dissolving due to low attendance in recent years, venue issues and other problems. Chad Boudreau, owner of the ComicReaders store in Regina, says it's a loss for the fandom. He says the convention never fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't again been able to attract high-calibre celebrity guests. In 2023, the convention brought in celebrities from 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'The Walking Dead' and 'Power Rangers,' but there was no event last year. The Regina Folk Festival earlier announced it was shutting down for good and the Regina Fringe Festival said it was cancelling its 2025 event. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
CBC
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Calling all Indiginerds: Elsipogtog First Nation set to host first ever comic-con event
For the first time ever, Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick will host Elsi-Con — its very own comic convention. The event promises something for everyone and was developed by Susan Levi-Peters, who came up with the idea while supporting her daughter, a digital artist. "People are really excited about this," said Levi-Peters. For years, Levi-Peters and her family have sold crafts and art at East Coast Comic Expo, a comic convention based in Moncton, N.B., to help fuel her daughter's creative passion. Through attending these events, Levi-Peters found herself inspired by the welcoming and creative community. "It'd be two days of us forgetting about everything and enjoying life," she said. "I wanted our whole community to experience the comic convention in Moncton, instead I brought it home." The result is Elsi-Con, a historic full day event packed with excitement hosted in Elsipogtog, a Mi'kmaw community 90 kilometres north of Moncton. Levi-Peters said she believes the cosplay aspect will be a big hit in Elsipogtog. "The most popular day in Elsipogtog is Halloween because Indians just love to dress up, people in Big Cove [Elsipogtog], anyway," said Levi-Peters. "I know they're gonna go all out." To help bring this vision to life, Levi-Peters connected with Scott Tingley and Brad MacDonald, two organizers of East Coast Comic Expo, during the show this past June. Tingley said lot of ideas with different organizations have come and gone, with nothing coming to fruition. But mere hours after mentioning the idea in June, Levi-Peters had the venue, Chief Young Eagle Hockey Arena, and security already booked. "The fact that it's the first time being done here was the selling feature for us," explained MacDonald. "That's historic." The duo said their Moncton-based expo draws in crowds of thousands to the area, and hope Elsi-Con will be the same. Support comes in East Coast Comic Expo is helping Elsipogtog organizers with the basics in organizing with the hope that the community will be able to grow this event in the future and become self-sufficient. "We absolutely don't have all the answers, but we know a lot of the right questions," said Tingley. Kylie Francis, Elsipogtog's recreation manager, is being trained in skills like hiring talent, organizing vendors, organizing artists and managing finances. "Everything is just falling into my lap," said Francis. "They're training me to continue [Elsi-Con]." Francis said she is especially excited to showcase talented artists from Elsipogtog, who haven't had the opportunity to take part in something like this before. "We're really excited to get them to come out and open up their vendor booths or just to show their art and their creativity," said Francis. "This is a space where they can feel safe and have fun." Susan Levi-Peters, said because of her community's support, she is confident the day-long event will go well. "Once they know how it is, they're gonna love it," she said. Elsi-Con is slated for Sat., Aug. 23 and is open to all. Organizers say they are still accepting vendor and sponsorship applications.
