Avalon Expo convention covering 'all things geek' in St. John's

Avalon Expo convention covering 'all things geek' in St. John's

Self-proclaimed geeks in St. John's, rejoice.

A three-day convention catering to characters of other worlds, realms and dimensions has arrived on planet Earth.

Or, more specifically, St. John's.

Avalon Expo's website says convention goers can expect to see "all things geek."

"We've got a whole bunch of different workshops and panels Q&A sessions with special guests," organizer Justin Foley told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

"We've got a number of vendors and a lot of geeky groups that are going to be there that you can just walk around and buy cool stuff."

Geek speed dating

There's also speed dating for geeks at this year's Avalon Expo, which is in its second year.

"It's typically they pick a genre, horror comics, what have you, knowing that you're both already into that," cosplayer Northern Belle Rogue of Toronto explained.

"And then it's very much like regular speed dating but you already have a common ground."

What is cosplay?

Rogue is a guest at Avalon Expo. She's been attending conventions in a myriad of costumes since 2009.

This weekend, Foley said Rogue won't be the only one dressed in cosplay — or costume play, in which fans of a character dress in their likeness.

"I know of a couple of local guys here who make costumes out of EVA [ethylene-vinyl acetate] foam, which is the same material they make yoga mats from," he said.

"They go around as eight-foot or ten-foot-tall monsters that look just absolutely incredible and they're relatively light weight."

Avalon Expo is in its second year. The convention runs until Sunday at Centre des Grands-Vents on Ridge Road in St. John's.