Five Tips To Survive Your First London Comic Con
Comic-Con has been one of those events which I have seen a lot about and come across but I’ve never managed to attend myself, that is before this October. For year’s I’d see people’s Cosplay outfits on Instagram and yearn to be part of it, it was even on my 30 before 30 lists but now I can tick it off my list. But I didn’t know if I would be able to survive your first London Comic Con on my own.
Twice a year the fan convention is held at the Excel center and invites thousands of pop culture fans to Cosplay, interact and explore the event. I had decided quite early that I wanted to go as Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas as it’s my favourite movie and it was a great excuse to buy the patchwork dress. Due to the makeup, I planned to do I was awake around 6.20 am on Saturday morning to get ready, don my outfit and jump in the car to the Excel.
If you’re thinking of heading to Comic-Con here are some tips on how to survive.
Survive your first London Comic Con by wearing comfortable shoes
You will find yourself walking around A LOT during Comic-Con. As the exhibition center covers two massive halls make sure you’re comfortable with what’s on your feet and don’t make the mistake I made of wearing boots which pinched my feet and left me in a bit of pain.
Choose to drive
Driving is something I couldn’t recommend enough, not only do you have the comfort of not having to get onto a packed train in Cosplay if you dress up but if you buy things throughout the day you can pop down to put them in your car and not have to lug them around all day. Yes, the parking might be pretty expensive at £20 but once a pair of you have paid for train tickets you won’t be spending much different, especially if you’re coming from outside London.
Surviving Comic Con: Priority entry isn’t essential
We chose to get Priority Entry tickets which gained us entry an hour before the general tickets but to be honest, it was reasonably busy all day so I don’t think this is necessarily essential, although it does give you a bit more breathing space for an hour. If you have a real game plan and there are particular items you want to buy or particular areas you want to visit then it might be worth it.
Enjoy the Cosplay
Quite a lot of people dress up, but then again quite a lot of people don’t so do what’s comfortable for you. If the idea of dressing up isn’t for you don’t feel you have to but embrace others costumes as some people put a lot of time and effort into their costumes. For example, we saw a K2SO and it looked pretty much like it does on film with someone walking behind it moving it, and someone had a huge lego costume which was amazing. Don’t be afraid to ask people to take photos with them as this is a good ego boost for them.
Have cash with you
A huge part of Comic-Con is the stalls within the exhibition center which sell so much stuff but make sure you plan your money beforehand and take out cash. While some stalls do take cards not all of them do and the queues for the cash points at the Excel are ridiculous (think festival lengths). It’s always best to have too much on you rather than not enough as you’ll kick yourself that you didn’t buy that exclusive item.
Have you ever been to Comic-con or a convention?
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30 responses to “Five Tips To Survive Your First London Comic Con”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
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I’ve never been to a comic con as I don’t follow comics much but I love all the pictures with the dressing up and costumes! Looks like fun!
Oooh this looks like fun! I have a friend who is well into this kind of thing, I had no idea so many people did it but these are great tips!
Looks like a fabulous day out. It’s great to know that you don’t actually have to dress up if you don’t want to either, I always thought it was a mandatory thing… Love your costume! 🙂
It looks like a great event. Ive never actually been myself
Best two tips for me is the flat shoes and carry cash. I’m always using card these days x
Oooh this looks like fun!I love all the pictures
Great tips. I went to Cardiff Comicon this year but it really doesn’t compare to London, so I would love to go there. I definitely second needing comfortable shoes. I think that’s an easy thing to forget when you’re dressing up for the day, but it is a LOT of being on your feet.
this looks so much fun ive never been but seen how serious people take this
I have been to cos play events before, they are so much fun! Comfortable shoes are a must
I’ve never been however I know this is the kind of thing my husband would love.
I would absolutely LOVE to attend this one year! I love dressing up in costumes 🙂
I’ve never been to anything like this before but sounds like so much fun. Great tips and your outfit was gorgeous (that dress would probably make a lovely summer outfit with a pair of sandals, too!).
Oh my goodness this looks amazing, what a great event to attend, thank you for the tips!
Comfy shoes are definite for any event like this – I’ve come home completely crippled from so many conventions in the past!
C x
How fun! A a fan of all things comics, movie, and science fiction, my husband would love to attend. You made a perfect Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. What was the best thing you saw while you were there? x
It looks like so much fun, I would just enjoy the dressing up part! I’ve only seen them on TV so it’s nice to read about a normal persons experience of it x
I would love to go to a comic con and I think the best part would be dressing up! Your costume was fabulous and I think it was a perfect choice for you xx
I’ve always wanted to attend the Comic Con but never quite got the timings right. Your advice is great, especially the one about wearing comfy shoes. Your costume is amazing, by the way!
It looks like so much fun. My husband has always wanted to go, so maybe next time.
I NEVER think about driving to London, but as you say £20 to park is less than train tickets. I would definitely consider it in the future.
Driving and thus having somewhere to stash your stuff on the day makes tons of sense.
I’d love to comic-con one day but would really have to save up for it and prepare myself mentally. I don’t do well in London or in crowds.
Taking cash is a must! It is great some stalls accept cards and hopefully more will in the future.
I’ve never been to Comic Con before, but I did go to The Clothes Show quite a few times, which is quite similar in terms of how and where it’s held, so I totally agree with all these tips! You look fab in your costume too. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas 🙂
Louise x
ah this looks so fun, I’ve never been to Comic Con but love seeing all the pictures of everyones outfits! x
This looks a LOT better than the Manchester Comic Con. I was so disappointed when I went as all the stands were selling the same old tat. It looks like making the trip to London would be much more worth while. I absolutely love the fact this was on your 30 before 30 list – a girl after my own heart! That’s an early wake up call for your outfit, but it definitely paid off. 🙂
I’ve never been to Comic Con but I have been to an event in Excel that was on on the same day a previous year. It was great to see all the eccentric costumes and how much effort was put into them. I actually sat people watching outside at one point, glad you got to tick it off your list
I plan on going to comic con sometime soon! It always looks so much fun! I never would have thought about bring cash – thanks for the helpful tips and reminders!
Not sure Comic Con would really be my kinda thing, as I’m not really into cartoons or comics (DC/Marvel etc). but I have a friend who goes to this every year and she absolutely loves it! x
Thanks for this article, it’s exactly what I wanted to know about whether to choose priority tickets and driving there! Looking forward to my first visit to comic con.