Niagara Falls Comic Con bounces back to pre-pandemic visitor levels

After a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, the Niagara Falls Comic Con came roaring this past weekend (June 3 to 5) with a geek-level vengeance that could have rocked the Falls themselves.

Organizer and Niagara Falls Councillor Chris Dabrowski told local media afterwards that the 2022 version of the Con, now in its 10 year, was the biggest ever, likely in the 25,000 attendee range.

He cited pent-up demand after the two year absence as a huge factor as folks were ready to get their cosplay on.

Line-ups to get in nearly circled the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, where the wannabe Spider-Man, Iron Man and Batgirl cosplayers patiently waited for their chance to get inside.

For the 2022 version, the celebrity attendance level was off the charts, featuring Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, Ron Perlman, Kim Coates, Ryan Hurst and Mark Boone Junior from the TV show, “Sons of Anarchy”, Richard (“Al”) Karn and Debbe (“Heidi”) Dunning from the hit TV comedy, “Home Improvement”, James Marsters (“Brainiac”) and Laura Vandervoort (“Supergirl”) from the Superman-as-a-teen WB show “Smallville” and Eric Estrada and Larry Wilcox from the 1970s TV show “CHIPS,” as well as many more.

Dabrowski said the ArriveCAN app, necessary to cross the Canadian border from the U.S., probably slowed down American attendance to the event. However, as one of the first Comic Cons held in Ontario post-pandemic, local attendance from Canadians sky-rocketed.

Next up for Dabrowski is the Hamilton Comic Con, September 24 and 25 at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope.

 James Marsters (“Brainiac”), left, and Laura Vandervoort (“Supergirl”) from the
Superman-as-a-teen WB show “Smallville” were two of the celebrities at the Niagara
Falls Comic Con on the weekend. (Photo: CW-Warner Brothers)