Townsville Pop Fest 2023 attracts big crowd of nerds, geeks and cosplayers in its first year

Dedicated cosplayers such as Scott Driscoll joined NQ’s pop culture starved geeks at Townsville Pop Fest 2023, delighted to have a convention staged locally. Check out the costumes.

Like a magnet, the first Townsville Pop Fest 2023 has attracted self-confessed nerds, geeks and cosplayers out of the woodwork to get their fill of everything pop culture without travelling to a capital city.

Hailing from Brisbane, where he works as a telecommunications provisioning officer, veteran cosplayer Scott Driscoll, 51, was one of over thousand colourfully-dressed people who poured through the doors of the Townsville Stadium on Sunday.

The convention was a showcase for all things cosplay, comics, collectables, anime movies, gaming, art panels, live entertainment, vendors, and shopping.

In town to perform in one of the North Australian Festival of Arts’ theatre sports shows, Mr Driscoll leapt at the opportunity to dress up as the Red Guardian from the Marvel films.

A veteran cosplayer who had been dressing up in costumes since the mid-1970s, he was delighted to see the hobby widely embraced by North Queenslanders.

Brisbane cosplayer Scott Driscoll was at Townsville Pop Fest 2023, delighted to attend a regional pop culture convention. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Liam Howell, Kimberley Morgans and CJ Beazley took a step back in time at the Townsville Pop Fest 2023. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“The stark difference from when I was a kid and a teenager to now with these sort of pop culture events is amazing,” he said.

“You come here, it feels like a community feels like a family. Everyone’s here for the same reason. There’s no aggro, it’s just joy, basically.”

Having travelled to capital cities for similar pop culture events, he said it was great to see it happening at a regional location.

Andrew Blackman got cooking at Townsville Pop Fest 2023 with his Swedish Chef Muppet character costume. Picture: Leighton Smith.

It was no joking matter for Joshua Henderson and Holly Nielsen at Townsville Pop Fest 2023. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“The fact that it’s spreading so wide and people were able to come out and do this sort of thing is just amazing,” he said.

The convention was organised by the local family-run business Hone Events, with mum Bev Hone amazed to see their expected crowd figure of 500, more than doubled within a few hours of doors opening.

“The nerds have united and the nerds have come out of the nooks and crannies this weekend and we’re absolutely ecstatic that they have,” Ms Hone said.

“It definitely will happen next year and hopefully years after that as well.”

'This is the way' for Jordana O'Brien and Brendan John at Townsville Pop Fest 2023. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Townsville Pop Fest 2023 organisers Hone Events' Tiffany and Bev Hone. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Members of the 501st Legion posed for pictures at Townsville Pop Fest 2023. Picture: Leighton Smith.

She said visiting comic book artists Dean Rankine, who illustrated the Simpsons, and My Little Pony’s Paul Abstruse, were popular attractions, along with the vendor stalls, the 501st legion Star Wars cosplayers, and Steamkittens – one of the biggest names in Australian cosplay photography.

Despite the event clashing with the NTI Townsville 500, Ms Hone said people were finding ways to come along to Pop Fest, either by attending the race on Saturday, or visiting the race after getting their fill of pop culture goodness.

For more information visit: www.townsvillepopfest.com

Originally published as Townsville Pop Fest 2023 attracts big crowd of nerds, geeks and cosplayers in its first year