“No matter what your fandom, we have you covered,” says the Ottawa Geek Market website, and they are not kidding. While walking around the Nepean Sportsplex, one could see everything from the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, to Frozen princesses, or even a wolverine on a motorcycle.
After the first Geek Market in 2012, the event has expanded to two locations to support the extent of “geeky-ness.” The Capital Gaming Expo and the Ottawa Geek Market grow each year. This time, from Oct. 3-4, the Nepean Sportsplex was transformed to hold booths for all ages and interests including sci-fi, fantasy, comics, anime, steampunk, and horror.
But don’t get turned away when you hear the term “geek.” There is something for everyone, including some quality shopping for crafts or maybe your next Halloween costume.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a nerd, but my boyfriend loves to dress up,” said 23-year-old Danielle Brooke. “I came to see if we could find, I don’t know, something fun.”
Walking out of the Jessica Rouseau panel, Creative Makeup for Fantasy and Cosplay, market-goer Howard Paquette explained he waits for the market each year.
“It’s the only place to buy decent cosplay rather than online . . . I mean, you learn from these artists in person changes the application of your face. Beats YouTube any day,” Howard said.
Paquette said he is looking forward to Halloween now, but still doesn’t have a plan for a character.
“I change my mind every day—there’s too much cool stuff everywhere,” he said.
The attention at the Ottawa Geek Market is on the Scholarship Costume Contest or hosted panels, but there are a few corners with hidden treasures. Picture an entire space sectioned off just to be creative with Lego. There was even a bouncy castle open to all ages.
Third-year journalism student Kevin MacDonald shared his opinion on the assortment of things found at the market.
“They maybe have one or two panels, and then everyone else is just there to buy,” MacDonald said. “I ended up buying a Tetris mug. Big fan of Tetris, which is a weird thing to be fan of—I know.”
“I don’t really go for any specific fandoms or specific things,” he said. “I just like having the option to be in a big room and buy a lot of stuff.”
For a first-time convention attender, the Sportsplex seemed like a new universe filled with fictional characters, almost overwhelming, with multiple versions of each character everywhere one turns.
“Don’t be embarrassed to ask who I am—it means I picked the right villain,” a Skeletor laughed.
“It’s interesting because I don’t really interact with a lot of fan communities in my personal life,” MacDonald said. Other than going to the Geek Market, but as still a “geek” enthusiast, he said he encourages others to try it out.
“It is a nice little gateway convention to go to other conventions,” he said.
