Supanova a hit
Organisers want event to evolve
BROADBEACH’S marketing body is in talks with the organisers of the annual Supanova pop culture convention about how to keep evolving the hugely popular weekend.
This year’s Supanova attracted 25,000 through the doors of the Convention Centre in Broadbeach, slightly down on last year.
But an extra 1000 people are estimated to have turned out for the country’s biggest cosplay showcase – the Supanova Superhero Parade – on Sunday through central Broadbeach.
This was the parade’s seventh year and organisers said it was the biggest yet, with more than 10,000 lining the streets of Broadbeach to watch.
Last year’s Superhero Parade drew a crowd of around 9000.
Broadbeach Alliance’s Partnerships Manager Lou McGregor said the event was a “once in a year” opportunity for cosplayers and spectators alike.
“We’re currently in conversation with Supanova to work out where it’s going to go next because it has grown so significantly in the last couple years,” she said.
“People have an opportunity to be involved, it is for the community and it is for those cosplayers who want to be in the parade. So those people come back year after year.
“We mix up the different people who we have (in the parade) too … so you’ve got some things for the newer fans and some things for people who have been around a long time.”
It attracts cosplays fans from afar, including Brisbane father-of-three Shane Bryer.
The avid cosplayer joined the rest of his family as superheroes The Incredibles.
There was added excitement as they donned the fanfavourite outfits this time around – this is the first time the entire family has joined the parade.
“My kids and I cosplayed as The Incredibles a few years ago when it was just me, my son and my daughter,” he said.
“We’ve been trying to convince my wife to join in with us and then this year with having another son, it was like, ‘The Incredibles would be perfect, we’ve got exactly the right amount of people’.”
Leading the parade were Australian actors and Mad Max stars Steve Bisley and Hugh Keays-Byrne, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original film.
They were joined by Hot Wheels Race Cars, members of the 501st Legion (Star Wars) as well as several Gold Coast charities.
But the Superhero Parade wasn’t just a chance to dress up – for Lou Peac, 24, and her friends it’s a chance to feel empowered.
Ms Peac, who has EhlersDanlos Syndrome, has been using a wheelchair for the past four years, and joined the parade with friend Sarah Styles and her son Oscar, 20, who also have the condition.
“I’ve always wanted to (cosplay) but I’ve never had the means to do it. Sarah really pushed me to do it this time and I’m so glad she did,” she said. “Seeing kids faces light up makes me so happy, especially young kids who have disabilities themselves and see us as inspiration.”
More than 25,000 attended Supanova over its three days.
“We’re a few percentage points down (in numbers) but that’s just one of those things … the natural ebbing and flowing of people,” founder and event director Daniel Zachariou said.