It’s on like Comic Gong!

Image: Lord Mayor Cr Gordon Bradbery is joined by Battlecry LARP.

Only a few days to go before Wollongong’s original pop-culture festival - Comic Gong - makes its triumphant return on Saturday 14 May.

Presented by Wollongong City Libraries and Wollongong Council, Comic Gong is held across five locations: Wollongong Library, Wollongong Town Hall, Arts Precinct, Arts Gallery and the Crown Street Mall.

The free event offers something for everyone to enjoy including LEGO robots, the Illawarra Mercury Cosplay Competitions, kids’ activities, face painting, artist and trade stalls, Live Action Role Play (LARP) demonstrations, the Batmobile, arcade games and pinball machines, and much, much more!

“Comic Gong is such a fun community event that brings a range of different people together with eclectic tastes and interests to celebrate everything pop-culture, comics, art and cosplay,” Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.

“From past events, we know that Comic Gong attracts a diverse crowd of people from families with little kids who love to see all the great costumes, to die-hard comic and pop-culture fans keen to find a bargain, to adults who enjoy an event that brings out their inner child’s sense of wonder.

“This year’s event will bring back some of the Comic Gong nostalgia by focussing on the elements of Comic Gong that our community knows and loves. It’s a perfect return – or you could call it a sequel - especially considering the challenges we’ve faced to bring major events to our city over the past couple of years due to the pandemic.”

Download the Comic Gong 2022 Program or pick up a copy on the day.

For the first time ever, Comic Gong will spread out to the Crown Street Mall with even more trade stalls and artists as well as an “After Party” featuring DJ Sandeux and Steampunk Vagabonds from 3.30-5.30pm. There’s no need to book to attend the After Party, everyone’s welcome to enjoy the music.

“We know that our cosplay competitions are easily one of the most iconic part of Comic Gong and we’re sure the past two years has given people ample time to build a creative costume,” Cr Bradbery said.

Cosplay refers to the practice of dressing up as a character from a favourite film, book or even video game. Although it’s not mandatory to attend, many Comic Gong attendees choose to dress up for the event.

“It’s not uncommon for people of all ages to put an incredible amount of effort and passion into developing a cosplay costume. There can often be a lot of skill involved in creating elaborate and accurate costumes,” Cr Bradbery said.

“Due to the popularity of the cosplay competitions, we’ve made it so that registration opens on the day, an hour before the start of each competition. This keeps it fair as we only have so many hours in the day and only so many spots available to compete.

“There are different cosplay competition categories which are mostly split by age group and people can watch the competitions at the Art Gallery and participate in or watch the cosplay parade. If this interests you, all the details are available on the Wollongong City Libraries website. Good luck to those who enter and we look forward to seeing your cosplay!”

The details - Comic Gong

WHEN: Saturday 14 May, 10am-4pm

WHERE: Wollongong Library, Wollongong Town Hall, Arts Gallery, Arts Precinct & Crown Street Mall.

COST: Free! Download the Comic Gong program.

Illawarra Mercury Cosplay Competitions

WHERE: Wollongong Art Gallery, Bluescope Gallery

HOW TO REGISTER: Registrations open one hour before the competition round starts. Registration desk is located at the front of the Art Gallery.

EVENT DETAILS:

• 11am: 0-12 years
• 12noon: 12-17 years
• 1pm: Cosplay Parade (starts outside the Art Gallery)
• 2.30pm: 18+ years
• 3.15pm: Groups

Comic Gong After Party

WHEN: Saturday 14 May, 3.30-5.30pm

WHERE: Upper Crown Street Mall, Wollongong

Featuring DJ Sandeux and the Steampunk Vagabonds, join us for music, dancing, fantastic costumes and fun as we say goodbye to another year of Comic Gong.

COST: Free! No need to book, just show up.

Thanks to our event sponsors