Gamers, Hobbits, and Comics, Oh My!
Twin Cities Con returned to Minneapolis for the weekend - with large and vibrant attendance but a complete lack of organization.
BY BEATRICE HANDLIN WITH ART BY MEGAN BORMANN
This may seem like an odd thought to have but I would prefer my weekend to not involve seeing Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey dressed in full Hobbit cosplay while he reads out a speech taken from Lord of the Rings. I suspect many other people feel this way, though it seems unlikely to occur.
However, my weekend did involve seeing Mayor Frey in full LOTR cosplay at Twin Cities Con. Mayor Frey was at the convention to announce November 12th as Middle Earth Day in Minneapolis at a Q&A panel held by Elijah Wood and Sean Astin.
Twin Cities Con was held November 11th-13th at Minneapolis Convention Center, featuring many creators, stars, and exhibitors from fandom spaces, including the aforementioned actors. Over the weekend, the con hosted Q&As with guests, celebrity meet and greets, tabletop and video game tournaments, creative workshops, costume contests, and exhibitors selling art, comics, props, and more. Attendees from any fanbase, from anime to wrestling, of any level of commitment had something for them. I personally spent a lot of time checking out booths run by comic book vendors and local artists and ended up going way over my budget.
This is the second year the convention has been hosted, and it hasn’t quite grown into the popularity it has amassed. The schedules and maps for panels were often incorrectly labeled and the overall set up was disorganized and not built for the number of attendees at the convention.
Aside from the disorganization, the con was pretty fun to attend and every creator or vendor I got a chance to speak to was very excited to be there and meet fans from across the Midwest. If you enjoy fandom culture, or you just love going to flea markets or art fairs - Twin Cities Con is something I recommend attending. Hopefully Twin Cities Con will continue to grow and welcome more creators and fans alike for years to come - hopefully with better planning.
Sources: