Comic Con Brussels 2019
Less than a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit 1UP and it’s already time to talk about another convention on Belgian soil. Belgium got three Comic Cons and the first one of the set takes place in Brussels. Past weekend, Tour & Taxis got transformed into a whole anime and game fest. Let’s see how they evolved in the heart of the capital city.
This year, the convention was spread out across all eight halls of the center, providing a variety of activities and booths. First of all, upon entering the event you were greeted by several props and other awesome decorations. For example, a huge Bumblebee was towering over the whole area while there were some cars from several iconic movies parked as well. In the mood for some Jurassic Park? Well, the scenery was completely built, giving you the impression you could get attacked by a dinosaur at any second. When you had your fun here, you could go and visit the other hall, which had some remnants of movie props. Want to pose with a huge Jabba The Hutt or interested in Star Wars? Look no further. In this hall, you could also get some drinks and watch the separate stage where some of the invitees had some panels. These awesome guests were also available for autographs and photos. This was located in a different hall and truth be told, it felt rather unorganized. Some lines were huge and didn’t seem to go forward, blocking pathways for other attendees.
Of course, one of the biggest elements of a convention are the shops. The guest hall had some amazing artists showing off and selling their creations while the shops where located in two separate halls. The layout of the different booths was sometimes a bit chaotic and unhandy because you could easily miss some of the shops, as they were all clustered in small blocks. You had to go around every area before hopping to the next one, but with the amount of convention-goers this was hard to do. The organizers tried to provide a variety of goods, going from dried fruits and delicious desserts to Funko Pops and game stalls. Up for some Japanese beverages? You could take a small stop in the bar, located in the middle of the shopping area.
After a while, you probably get rather hungry, which means it is time for the nomnom hall. Here there were several food trucks available to provide yummy food for all those bellies. Naturally, as the convention was really crowded, this meant that there were huge waiting lines, even with the several food stalls. You could always try your luck outside as there were some food vendors located there as well. If you finally were able to score some lunch, the next problem was finding a spot to sit. The hall had an amount of picnic tables but this was barely enough. Also, there weren’t that many garbage bins placed across the whole event, meaning that if you did a walking lunch you still had your leftover plates in your hands.
In need for some action after gobbling down your food? You could try and have a go in the laser tag game or feel like a real Jedi at the lightsaber initiation. Up for some dancing? Next to the DDR, you could also go to the silent disco area and go wild there … in silence. If you’d rather have some time to rest, you could always play some games in the arcade area. Cosplay was a big aspect of the convention as well, with several parades and the competition. Just walking around was already enough to see all the beauty the cosplay community has to offer. With the new Master Coscrafter competition, people could see how some people teamed together to finish a certain project in a limited time.
Conclusion
Comic Con Brussels kicks off the new comic convention year with a bang. With all the halls packed, there was a lot to see and do, but this also means that it was a lot more crowded than last year. Sometimes it was even impossible to get through because everything was blocked. The lack of a lot of sitting areas might make it unpleasant while having a nomnom. Of course, the organization is trying to innovate and add new elements like the silent disco. Hopefully they will also keep in mind that there is a bigger crowd attending and to act upon it. We’re looking forward to what next year will bring as it seems that even Tour & Taxis is almost bursting.
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