The Magic of Florida Supercon 2016

By Aimee Mahmoud

It’s summer, and that can only mean one thing – fan convention season is back! For self-proclaimed geeks and lovers of comic books, anime, and video games, conventions (or simply “cons”) are the pinnacle of fandom. With all of the newest film, comic book, and video game releases out and about, fans are all too eager to head on over to their local convention centers for a chance to meet their favorite stars and dress in their best cosplay renditions of their favorite characters. South Florida’s very own Supercon, held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is a star-studded event in its own right, enough to rival the infamous San Diego Comic-Con International. 

This year’s Supercon attracted some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry – the entire cast of the iconic Star Trek series, Harry Potter stars Natalia Tena and Devon Murray, and pro-wrestling superstars like Diamond Dallas Page, Mick Foley, and Jerry “The King” Lawler, just to name a few! Kicking off the Independence Day weekend, Florida Supercon 2016 was ‘the’ place to be for South Florida’s surprisingly huge comic book, anime, and video game fan-base. For all of its enormity, the Miami Beach Convention Center was jam-packed with an estimated 50,000+ attendees, many of whom traveled thousands of miles to meet their ‘geek idols’. This year’s overall attendance was billed as the biggest ever since the event’s inception and stepping into the convention showroom – it was pretty evident. 

Photos By Steve Cranston: Top: Left, Right / Bottom: Left, Center Left, Center Right, Right / BY-SA

Squeezing through the hundreds and hundreds of attendees, many of them clad in elaborate cosplay costumes, you could tell off the bat that this year’s Supercon was unlike any other. And for a good reason, too – summer is by far the prime season for fan conventions like Atlanta’s DragonCon and the immensely popular San Diego Comic-Con International. When putting things into perspective, there’s really no better way to get a few months’ head-start on Halloween! Crafting a costume (or buying a prepackaged one) to morph into your favorite comic book, anime, video game, or movie character is the kind of thing that shouldn’t be limited to just one night out of the year. Fans of cosplay know this better than anyone, and that’s probably one of the things that the Florida Supercon owes its tremendous success to. 

Some attendees make the trip just to people-watch and take photos with creative and over-the-top cosplayers! And with the U.S. release of the Pokemon Go! App, more and more opportunities for creative cosplay and fandom reunions are at hand. There’s really no better way to get hyped up for all of the inevitable opportunities to play dress-up this fall. There’s an unmistakable charm that comes with cosplay and all sorts of costuming – that thrilling concept of being someone else, someone different for a day. Whether you’ve shaken off the fun of 2016’s Florida Supercon, or you’re planning to take a trip on over to another of the many amazing cons held throughout the United States this summer, rest assured that the aftermath will have you looking at Halloween in a whole different light!