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Five things you don't want to miss at Edmonton Expo this weekend

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Time to slip on those Vulcan-Hobbit ears and empty that Bag of Holding for all your incoming loot — Edmonton Expo is back Friday through Sunday!

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Now part of the international Fan Expo machine with more than a dozen sister conventions around the continent, Edmonton’s attendance is among the highest, with 40,000-plus enthused attendees.

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Paid and random celebrity encounters, dazzling cosplay, kids activities including Ghostbusters slime-making and LEGO free play, Epic D&D, knight fights, art (comic and otherwise), serious gaming, and endless identity markers to buy, wear and wield are all through starting 4 p.m. Friday for the general public, 2 p.m. for VIP and advance 3-Day pass holders.

Here a few must-sees in and around the Expo tornado this weekend, the con proper’s hours 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. -7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, with various one-day to all-weekend passes at edmontonexpo.com, starting at $89 for a three-day pass, pre fees, with many other options.

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Hobbitses! The big-via-little celebrity draw this year happens at Expo’s post-event climax, as Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and brand-new SAG-AFTRA labour union president Sean Astin — the true hero of The Lord of the Rings Sam Gamgee — all appear together on the mega-panel The Four Hobbits: An Unexpected Reunion.

Besides the separately ticketed, on-stage buddy bond Sunday (watch for the review here afterwards), you can buy photos with the individual or paired-off actors — or all four for $424.94.

Note that the Q&A panel is separately ticketed, but also requires Edmonton Expo admission — though if you have a One Ring you might be able to invisibly slip through…

Details: 5 p.m. Sunday at Edmonton Expo Centre Hall D, ranging $26.63/GA to $1063.94/backstage

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Avatar voices: The great Mako left this terrestrial plain in the midst of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender’s production two decades back, but voice actor Greg Baldwin boldly stepped in to fill the sandals of Uncle Iroh.

One of the cartoon’s other great characters was surly and extremely long-loved metal-bender Toph Beifong, played by Michaela Jill Murphy.

Mae Whitman (Katara) and Dante Brasco (Prince Zuko) cancelled — but Murphy and Baldwin will be doing a Saturday panel and are around all weekend. Look for them sitting at their tables and come say hi and get a (cash only) autograph among other luminaries like Christopher Lloyd and Claudia Wells from Back to the Future 2, Luke Cage’s Mike Colter and Robert Patrick of T2 and The X-Files.

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Christopher Lloyd
Come get a photo with Christopher Lloyd at Edmonton Expo this weekend. Photo by supplied photo

Details: 2:45 p.m. Saturday Q&A in Hall D and all weekend in Hall G


Cosplay meetups: If you’ve ever wanted to see ten simultaneous Spider-Mans — Spiders-Man? — these identity muster points are for you.

Every day has numerous themed gatherings of what’s currently fire, so see the schedule. But in order of appearance, Friday it’s Marvel Universe, Fairy Tail, Jujutsu Kaisen, Nintendo and Baldur’s Gate.

Then, Saturday, enjoy costume meetups for Avatar, Umamusume Pretty Derby, How to Train Your Dragon, My Hero Academia, Frieren, Arcane, Apothecary Diaries, Marvel again, Sailor Moon, DC, general furries, One Piece, Hellaverse and general villains.

Sunday, it’s Back to the Future, Studio Ghibli, more Hellaverse, Dragon Ball, Star Wars, KPop Demon Hunters, Demon Slayer, Lord of the Rings, Solo Leveling, Disney and Dandadan.

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There are also mega meetups at the end of Saturday and Sunday, and — fun! — Cosplay Karaoke 5 p.m. Saturday in Room 301. Dress for success!

Edmonton Expo
There are themed cosplay meetups aplenty at Edmonton Expo this weekend. Photo by supplied photo

Details: all weekend, see schedule


Strengthen the Honmoon: KPop Demon Hunters is kind of the biggest thing in pop culture right now, and voice actor May Hong (Mira) is here for a Q&A to talk all about the hit Netfix show, 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Hall D.

The sleeper panel this year might be The Legacy of Superman, though, in the same spot and time Sunday, where Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh, Smallville Lois Lane Erica Durance and animated Superman voice actors Greg Newbern and Tim Daly discuss the last son of Krypton from their various entry points.

Happily, no wannabe ICE agents on stage.

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Details: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday in Hall D


Nerdlesque Extravaganza Party: Besides the after-hours events on site, including rapper Wordburglar at the 8:30 p.m. Friday Fandom Festival Block Party in Hall D, this offsite Booth Babe Burlesque event will feature geeky goodness, nerdy fun and dance performances by artists Sweetie Blue, Wailing Fae and Amelia DeVille.

Sexy Pikachu or the Fallout Vault costumes? Only one way to find out…

Details: 7 p.m. at The Rec Room South (1725 99 St.), $22.63 at therecroom.com

fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com

@fisheyefoto.bsky.social

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