Colossalcon Wins Over Another Newbie
Colossalcon is an annual anime, gaming, and Japanese culture convention that takes place at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. Going in for its 13th year, Colossalcon takes place every year in June, making it a perfect con to kick off the summer.
Ever since I saw the MLZ Studios cosplay music video from Colossalcon 2013, I’ve wanted to attend that con. The appeal was all there — not only was it a summertime con, it was held at a waterpark resort, which also had an arcade, indoor/outdoor water park attractions, and a petting zoo. So I was instantly curious to learn more about it. This was my first time attending the con, and I have to be honest — Colossalcon is possibly the greatest con experience I have had since DragonCon 2014.
The convention center itself was pretty average. It wasn’t very big, sort of smaller than I was expecting. I felt the artist alley and dealer’s room was pretty basic. Not much to see or do except maybe pick up some art or prints from the dealers that were there vending. There also was an indoor arcade, filled with plenty of games, as well as con-run video game tournaments for games such as Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros, and Injustice. I did like the indoor bouncy house-style slides. Odd choice for a con but actually was pretty nice to try out. But to be honest, the dealers room/artist alley was the only thing about the con I personally didn’t care for. Everything else however was pretty amazing.
The con’s selling point is that it takes place at a waterpark resort. It is where I spent most of my time. With a selection of slides to choose from, the lazy river, a huge wave pool, and a hot tub bar there was never a lack of something to do at the water park. Most cosplayers could be seen winding down at the hot tub locations after a long day. There also was an indoor jungle gym which I’m not going to lie, was pretty cool. It was huge, and it was fun going through it with a few of my friends being goofs. The slides were possible my favorite things to do. I rode each one, and each one was different from the other. Some being very easy to do A favorite of mine and my friends had to be the SWAHILI SWIRL. I can’t count how many times I rode did that slide during the course of my stay.
Another amazing attraction at the Kalahari is the petting zoo, with a plethora of animals from small little birds to camels. You can experience everything from petting rabbits, to holding birds that eat off you, and riding on camel back. One of the things I didn’t get to do was play with the baby tiger and lion cubs. Even though I wasn’t able to play with them just seeing the videos and photos friends of mine got was enough. Maybe next year I’ll get the chance to play with them when I cosplay Scar.
The outdoor pool area is where you could find the majority of Colossalcon’s cosplayers (like in the featured image above of Bubblesgal0re as Blink, taken by That Portrait Dude, and featured here). Needless to say a lot of swimsuit cosplays were around as well as water-type Pokemon gijinkas. One thing I liked about Colossalcon was that the lifeguards weren’t super strict. Some photographers even brought full photo equipment into the pool for photoshoots. While at some of the other cons I’ve been to, you can’t even set up lights, here they seemed a lot more chill.
While the Kalahari was packed with both cosplayers, con goers, and families it never felt overcrowded. If anything it felt very spacious, I never felt it was crowded to the point I felt uncomfortable anywhere in the resort. There was never not something to do. Even riding the same ride multiple times was entertaining. Not to mention that the con itself stands out from a lot of the cons I have been to in the past.
Whether you’re there to get some cosplay summer shots, enjoy the amazing waterpark, or just looking for an awesome convention, Colossalcon is definitely the con to start off the summer season. If you were fortunate to get a room for Colossalcon next year, trust me, you will really enjoy it.
