Organised by Tarryn Light Productions, the two-day celebration of geekdom’s weirdest and hottest trends will be held at the Fairview Sports Centre on the weekend of November 2 and November 3. The convention will feature stalls, stage acts, games, cosplay, competitions, and food trucks, which have become hallmarks of the event since its inception a decade ago.
A highlight of this year’s event is the return of South African cosplay legend, Anzel Schultz, aka Baka Sakura. Schultz, who won the Master’s Needlework division at Comic Con Cape Town in 2021 and represented South Africa at the World Cosplay Summit 2023, will be a special guest judge at Sunday’s cosplay competition. Fans will also have the opportunity to meet her during a photo-signing session.
The programme includes stage acts by the School of Aikido, Urban Playground Parkour, local K-pop dancer, Kayleen Lottering, and songs from returning emcee, Tarryn Light. There will be a competition for children aged five to 15 on Saturday and a free introduction session to the popular role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.
Local cosplayers can showcase their costumes during the cosplay masquerade, while the Geek Quiz, hosted by Triple M Productions, will take place on the main stage on both days. The Con.ect Hot Sauce Challenge, hosted by Chilli Changas, is also a hot-ticket item on Sunday.
E-Kings Gaming will showcase the growth of gaming favourites like the Tekken franchise at the Gaming Through the Ages station, with amazing prizes up for grabs. Additionally, a specially-built Con.ect Arcade machine, valued at R5 000, will be available for play, with a singles elimination tournament on Sunday.
The Tabletop Gaming Arena, hosted by The Den and Unplug Yourself, will offer con-goers the chance to learn and play various board and card games, with spot prizes for Pokémon and Magic the Gathering casual play.
Light said this year’s event would be elevated by the presence of conference-style boxes, preparing con-goers for the full convention planned for 2025. Con.ect has also teamed up with GES Cosplay, organisers of the cosplay competitions for Comic Con Africa, to further enhance its stature and provide a platform for Eastern Cape cosplayers to test their skills.
Ticket prices are as follows:
. R100 for a day pass (either Saturday or Sunday)
. R140 for the Early Bird weekend passes (limited to the first 100 people) and R180 for a normal weekend pass.
. VIP weekend pass for R280.
. Children under the age of 6 get in for free.
Tickets are available at Quicket.
