NO GO Niagara Falls Comic Con cancelled for 2021, plans are for return next year
One of region’s biggest events won’t happen for second straight year
It will be another year without Niagara Falls Comic Con.
Organizers of the city's largest pop culture event were hoping it would return in June after the pandemic forced its cancellation last year. But as the province begins a month-long lockdown, co-founder Chris Dabrowski knew even The Avengers couldn’t stop the inevitable.
The planned June 4 to 6 event for this year will instead take place June 3 to 5, 2022.
Dabrowski said there were too many “inconsistencies” in the provincial guidelines and couldn’t see anything changing by June. “Big box stores are able to operate safely with hundreds of people at one time, but events can’t,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me, but it is what it is.
“Large event spaces like the (Scotiabank) Convention Centre are ideal for running an event with generous social distancing measures in place. But we don’t seem to be on the province’s radar.”
Unlike other businesses, Dabrowski said, the events industry hasn’t been able to open since the pandemic began last March.
And even when the lockdown ends, the province’s colour-coded system of reopening makes it difficult — under the red zone only 10 people can gather indoors, and only 50 for orange, yellow and green.
Dabrowski is holding out hope large events like the comic con can operate with at least 30 per cent capacity. That way, hundreds of people could be let in and more days and extended hours could be added to accommodate everyone.
“We’re one of the hardest hit industries and we’re the last talked about by the government,” he said. “When it comes to when we’re allowed to operate again and how we might be able to open our doors safely down the road, it’s radio silence for the events industry for a year and a half now.”
This year’s comic con was to feature many of the guests and artists from last year’s cancelled event, including legendary comic creator Frank Miller, “Hockey Night in Canada” icon Don Cherry and “Doctor Who” star Sylvester Mccoy.
Many of them have agreed to do the 2022 show, said Dabrowski.
Adding to Dabrowski’s frustration, the Niagara Falls Comic Con was set to celebrate its 10th anniversary last year. Now, it has to wait another year.
He doesn’t even want to think about having to wait until 2023.
“There’s no way we’re going to take four years to celebrate our tenth anniversary.”
In the meantime, the convention will continue to do online auctions and, starting Monday, private celebrity signings with stars like Henry Winkler and Ernie Hudson.
“We’re trying to provide the fans with something. If they can’t walk into a comic con and meet their favourite celebrity, at least they can do it with a signing we do virtually.”
All tickets purchased for the 2020 or 2021 Niagara Falls Comic Con are valid for 2022.