Toronto Cosplay Picnic 2013!

June 29th marked the 10th annual Toronto Cosplay Picnic, and the healthy turnout showed that the event is still going strong.

Started in 2003 by veterans to the cosplay community, Pan and Elemental, the idea was to provide an opportunity for Canadian geeks to get together during the summer and enjoy each other’s company and cosplay in a more relaxed setting than a typical convention would provide. Since then and without fail, cosplayers from all over the Greater Toronto Area (and beyond!) have annually flocked to Toronto’s Centre Island for food, photos, and camaraderie. As of 2012, the original organizers retired from running the event, turning leadership over to the hands of the community. Thankfully, this year was just as welcoming and exciting as previous picnics. The new, grassroots-style organizing helped keep a genuine sense of community.

Being a sucker for a chance to dress up myself, I pulled my Tifa Lockhart costume out of storage and made some adorable Moogle-themed cupcakes to bring along with me (thank you, Instructables!). I wish that I had made more than 16, because once everyone got to the island and unpacked, the batch lasted about 20 minutes. Lovely cosplays worn by very talented folks were in abundance and I was very glad to be able to photograph some.

Overall, this year’s picnic was an agreeable affair. No matter how many weird looks we got from civilian visitors to the island because of our funny clothes, it’s a relief to see that our cosplay scene has become capable of self-governing with maturity and inclusiveness. Here’s hoping for another 10 years!