On July 4 and 5, the first Comic Con Open Air was held at Asiat Park in Belgium. Described by the organizers as a mix of comic con and summer festival, it suffered a few hiccups and showed a lot of potential at the same time.
Given that this was the first Open Air edition, I didn’t expect as many visitors and vendors as at Comic Con Brussels in October and May. Attendance did indeed appear to be on the lower side when we visited on Saturday, but what a nice change not to navigate crowded alleys the whole day!
Let’s start with a negative point we experienced arriving, as it came up when we tried to find a space to park. No signage was provided, and we weren’t the only ones having some trouble finding the entrance. It would have helped if parking information had been visible, but fortunately the surrounding streets had places to park as well.
Once inside, we went on to discover the different areas, starting with the cosplay catwalk, before entering a few buildings that hosted the retro gaming area, the artist market and the geek vendors.
If the name “open air” could sound misleading, it was still specified on social media that the geek market would be covered and that the event would take place both indoors and outdoors. I was, however, expecting a few more opportunities to explore the outdoors part of the convention and maybe see a few more activities there, as the area provided some nice spots in the park.
I later learned that two exhibitors who were supposed to have a stand outside canceled at the last minute, so that part had been planned but unfortunately didn’t happen.
Moving on to the guests’ appearances, John Cleese (Monty Python), Tim Downie (Baldur’s Gate, Good Omens), Jazzara Jaslyn (One Piece) and Costas Mandylor (Saw) were among the actors headlining this event. A few musical artists were present as well, like Mion, Level Up Leroy and Gameboyz II Men.
Playing Baldur’s Gate, I was pretty happy about the Q&A with Tim Downie. If folklore is something you’re interested in, Downie has you covered as it’s a subject he’s passionate about. So we learned about the Ottery Tar Barrels, a tradition where barrels are lit on fire and then carried by locals running through the crowd until they disintegrate.
Even if the panels didn’t attract massive crowds, the host was quick to find ways to entertain us, keeping the conversation going when people ran out of questions and making the moment really fun overall.
Although not many, the artists were as always a highlight of the convention. Among the ones I discovered were Bluubsies, Megane Lepage and Chaotic_sheeple. Cosplayers contributed a lot to the general atmosphere of the event too, gathering for pictures and for catwalks.
There was a large steampunk camp announced, and we even encountered some steampunks who had specifically come to Vilvoorde for it. Alas, searched high and low we did, but no camp was to be found. It was only right at the moment we were leaving that we found out the steampunk group had been canceled. An announcement of this would have saved us quite a bit of time wandering about in search of them.
There was a lot more to do, though: sword fighting initiation, a painting workshop, DnD games, even a horror walk with themed cosplayers. Sadly the latter was a floor up with no way for people using mobility aids to reach it. Which was a bit of a common malaise, as there were no ramps at curbs nor proper door openings (if there were double doors, only one side would be opened, making the passageway too narrow). There were also only two food trucks (one grossly overpriced, even for convention standards) to cater the entire event. Luckily there was a supermarket not far, but in the heat that too could be an accessibility issue for some.
Other visitors too did seem to appreciate the cozier atmosphere and fun vibes, however, and we could see Comic Con Open Air has a lot of potential. Hopefully the organization will take the constructive criticism to heart and everyone will be able to enjoy it fully next summer — when we do hope they return!
