Thousands of video game, movie, television show and comic book lovers yesterday flocked to the biggest event on the popular culture calendar in Bahrain.
The Bahrain Comic Con (BCC) kicked off yesterday at the Bahrain International Circuit and will conclude today.
The third edition of the BCC is being held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who attended the opening festivities yesterday afternoon.
Six celebrities are the key draw at the two-day convention: Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders), Aimee Garcia (Ella in Lucifer and Jamie in Dexter), Clive Standen (Rollo in Vikings), Mason Dye (Jason Carver in Stranger Things), Leilani Shiu (Teeka in Obi-Wan Kenobi) and David Angelo Roman (artist of cult classic comic book Rick and Morty).
Question-and-answer sessions with the celebrities were held yesterday, during which the top actors responded to burning questions, ranging from favourite movie and scenes to films in their respective series.
“I am going to be telling the entire cast of Lucifer to come to Bahrain!” Ms Garcia told fans, when asked about whom she enjoyed working with.
“Having been to conventions all over the world, I can confidently say coming here is amazing. And my ‘habibi’ (significant other) actually lived in Bahrain for two years, so he is a bit jealous right now that I am back here. He has even given me a list of places to visit and restaurants to enjoy.”
After their Q&A sessions, celebrities were ‘given’ a Bahraini name based on popular cheer vote. Among these, Ms Garcia became Ameena and Mr Dye became Abbas.
Meanwhile, there were booths throughout the BIC for attendees to stock up on their favourite pop culture-inspired merchandise and learn about upcoming games and comic books.
Artists from Bahrain and across the region showcased their talents in the Artists’ Alley, one of the most crowded areas during the first day of the event. Stickers, pop culture-inspired art pieces, on-the-spot portraits and caricatures of visitors, costume pieces like masks and more were sold and showcased by more than 25 artists.
In the next halls, entertainment of all kinds ranging from video games to board games and tabletop roleplaying took centre stage as players participated in casual gaming sessions.
Throughout the day, die-hard fans showed their passion by dressing up as their favourite characters, with many of them entering the cosplay competition to be judged by professional cosplayers, including Aisha Alhammdi, better known as ‘Paris’ and Majed Alkanderi known as ‘Majed Cosplay’.
The Bahrain Comic Con was last held in the kingdom in 2019, and featured guests including David Harbour, Alison Sudol and Pom Klementieff.
This year saw the popular convention return for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))