WAR PRISONER! Parade of Wonders, Canada’s largest cosplay parade in downtown Calgary.

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From Super Mario Brothers to Beetlejuice, the Parade of Wonders… or POW! – attracted more than 1,000 cosplayers dressed as their favorite characters, kicking off the Calgary Expo weekend.

In the parade’s 10th year, Stephen Avenue Walk was filled with more than 10,000 spectators on Friday morning. Andrew Moyes, vice-president of Fan Expo HQ, said turnout was excellent despite the dreary weather conditions.

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“What a great way to kick off a weekend of fandom here in Calgary,” he said. “Thousands of people line the streets, all culminating in Olympic Plaza; I mean, it really gives you that feeling of energy throughout the city.”

It’s a signature event for Calgary, Moyes said. “We’re the second largest; we’ve been here for many years and it’s wonderful to see that journey among the community.”

Canadian comic book creator Todd McFarlane, best known as the artist of The Amazing Spider-Man, served as parade marshal.

“He has a connection to Calgary, he’s one of the biggest comic book creators on planet Earth right now, so to have him marching down Stephen Avenue is really exciting,” Moyes said.

“But ultimately it’s just seeing the passion of all the fans and all the costumes – it’s a visual sensation. And to see people supporting him is just wonderful.”

Moyes said the Fan Expo team has prepared for every potential eventuality.

“That’s all part of the best fan experience: to make sure that no matter what, no matter what happens, we continue to work behind the scenes while everyone has a wonderful celebration,” he said.

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“It’s about community; it’s about people understanding that there are like-minded people who are here to connect. We’ve had an absence of that to some extent in recent years, and I think we’ve all recognized how important that face-to-face connection is. Therefore, offering that type of platform is very important for us.”

Evan Stern flew from Toronto to Calgary for the first time. Stern played the character Roald in the Canadian comedy Letterkenny.

“I’m surprised to see people of all ages here, like so many kids who don’t go to school sitting on the side,” Stern said, laughing. “Did those kids have to miss school because of this? And they were all dressed up; “It’s extremely sweet.”

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This is Stern’s first show and she said she’s looking forward to meeting other cosplayers.

“I’m a big fan of the Scream franchise, so I’m not going to say anything to those actors, but I’ll admire them from afar; I’m too nervous.”

Lee Waddell is the original Ghostface of the Scream series, and probably one of the people Stern is nervous about meeting.

Like Stern, this is also Waddell’s first time visiting Calgary.

“This is what it’s all about: all these beautiful fans here,” said Waddell, who flew in from Texas. “If it wasn’t for them coming here and hanging out with us, this wouldn’t exist.

“It’s generational; “Now we have three generations that are involved in the Scream franchise and have been talking about it for almost 30 years.”

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