It’s almost time for Oz Comic-Con to hit Sydney – well, a COVID-safe version of Comic-Con. Find out all there is to know about the event right here.
While most of you will know Oz Comic-Con for the event that rakes in tens of thousands of attendees, 2020 unfortunately put those plans on hold. Now that Australian pandemic restrictions are easing up, Oz Comic-Con have taken the opportunity to hold a pop-up weekend in Sydney.
It’s going down from Saturday March 6 to Sunday March 7, with a morning and late session available each day. Rather than the usual focus on guests, OCC’s Sydney Pop-Up will be all about the pop culture communities you love – expect to find a place for cosplayers, comic writers and artists, family activities, places for tabletop and console gamers alike, and heaps more.
The basics
But first, can you actually make it? The event goes down this weekend (March 6-7) at Sydney Showground inside Olympic Park. To comply with the current COVID-19 regulations the NSW government has us all following, the Pop Up will be a little different from your usual Comic-Con experience.
For starters, each day will be divided into two sessions, roughly in the morning and evening. Check out the session times below.
Saturday 6th March:
9:00am – 1:00pm
1:30pm – 5:30pm
Sunday 7th March:
10:00am – 1:30pm
2:00pm – 5:30pm
A limited number of full day tickets will also be available, so make sure you get in fast if you really have to be there for the entire day. Also bear in mind that the event will be cleared out between sessions, so make sure you grab tickets to the same session as your mates!
Getting to the venue is easy as – Olympic Park has a train station, various bus routes, and is simple enough to drive to. Parking options are plentiful, especially with events running at a limited capacity.
What’s on the schedule?
If you’d rather lock in your schedule ahead of time than mill around the event at your own pace, there’s heaps to look forward to across multiple stages and zones.
For the cosplayers, three cosplay parades will be going down. First up is a special Kids Cosplay at 10:00am on the Saturday morning, then two full-on Cosplay Parades at 3:20PM on Saturday and 4:40PM on Sunday. If you’d like to participate in any of these, make sure you hit the Cosplay Central registration desk before 3:00PM on the day you’re attending.
The Comic Stage will be your home for all things comics and more. No tickets are required for all these sessions – just show up, grab a seat, and enjoy the show. Expect panel discussions and workshops with the likes of Christopher Sequeira, Chewie Chan, Nicola Scott, Andrew Constant, and more. Check out the full Comic Stage timetable here.
The Community Stage is your one-stop shop for all things creative – here you’ll find workshops for everything from starting a TikTok channel to getting into cosplay. Hear from industry leaders in whatever field you’re itching to break into, be it comic writing or video game art direction. Check out the full Community Stage timetable here.
If Speedrunning is your jam, sessions will be going on all weekend for classics such as Super Meat Boy, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Tony Hawk’s Underground, and more. Check out when each run will be happening right here.
I’d rather play games
Of course, if you’re coming to Comic-Con to play some games, there’ll be plenty of room to do just that. For console gamers, multiple first in best dressed tournaments will be going on throughout the day. If you’re interested in strutting your stuff make sure to get in fast – you’ll be signed up and receive a notification when it’s your turn to play.
Find out more about Console Gaming at the Oz Comic-Con Pop Up here.
Tabletop will also have a huge presence at the event. Turn left as soon as you enter to check out the board game library, brought to you by Good Games. A number of tabletop classics will be available to play with other enthusiasts, and Good Games has a spot on the showfloor in case you want to take home any of the games you try out.
Find out more about Tabletop Gaming at the Oz Comic-Con Pop Up here.
Four to the floor
Speaking of the showfloor, this will definitely be amongst the Pop Up’s main attractions. This will be home to a huge number of organisations, those new to Comic-Con and those who you’ve likely encountered before.
Artists such as Matthew Lin, Marcelo Baez, Chewie Chan, and heaps more will personally be there, as will a number of companies covering collectibles, clothing, comics, and heaps more.
Happy Mag will also be there! If you’re at Comic-Con this weekend, come past our stall on the showfloor to check out our first-ever Gaming Issue featuring interviews with Rockstar Games’ music director Ivan Pavlovich, Overwatch composer Adam Burgess, Australian musicians and Twitch streamers Montaigne, Woodes, and Roy Molly, and a bunch more of the good stuff.
A full list of exhibitors can be found right here.
You’ve sold me, where do I get tickets?
As mentioned, tickets to the Oz Comic-Con Pop Up are available in four sessions; two on Saturday March 6th, two on Sunday March 7th. Before taking the plunge, definitely check out the schedules mentioned above and pick out which session will hit most of the events you want to head to.
Once you’ve chosen your preferred session (or sessions), head here to grab your tickets.
See you there! For more information, head to the Oz Comic-Con website.
