Fans of all ages are enjoying the tenth annual Northern Fancon

By Tommy Osborne

Northern Fancon

Tenth annual Northern Fancon brings memorable experiences, thousands of passionate fans

May 4, 2024 | 4:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The tenth annual Northern Fancon is taking place at the CN Centre this weekend, and this year’s iteration is once again delivering on the fandom celebration many have come to expect. Running from May 3 to 5, this year’s iteration of the convention brought thousands of fans, merchandise and art relating to many popular fandoms, and of course, celebrities and famous cosplayers. Among the celebrities this year is none other than Darth Vader himself! Spencer Wilding was the physical portrayal of Darth Vader in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and he is one of several celebrities here to meet some fans, sign autographs, and take part in the festivities.

“The force is strong with that sort of character, you know? I played some gnarly characters over the past 20 years. And, Darth Vader is the most iconic bad guy on the silver screen. I was like, ‘oh, I don’t know about that.’ But then when I connected with the character and he took over me, I got it, you know? I mean, he’s the dark side,” Wilding said on his role as one of the most iconic villains of all time.

Darth Vader is just one of many roles Wilding has taken on, as he’s also acted in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Batman Begins, Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves, Guardians of the Galaxy, and many more. His wide range of characters and experience in fantasy movies has been a dream come true, as he says he truly enjoys having the chance to bring these characters to life.

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“I’m a big kid inside as well, so getting to play the likes of Darth Vader and things like that, it’s great. And to connect with the presence, the spirit of the character, it’s just awesome, man. Taking direction of the directors in these massive productions, it’s just, living the dream, I’m loving it,” Wilding said

Beyond the actors who’ve shown up on the big screen, Northern Fancon also saw many professional cosplayers and famous sociel media personalities, like Cos.Sweetie, who has close to 85 thousand Tiktok followers.

“I love this con. I was here last year as well, and so I was really glad when they reached out to invite me back, because I had so much fun last year,” she said.

Being a professional fulltime cosplayer takes a lot of work, and Cos.Sweetie explained most of her outfits can take around three weeks to put together. However, she wasn’t always at the level she’s at today, and she says it took years of cosplaying to get her to where she is now. While it’s a fulltime job now, it started out as just a hobby, and she loves the chance to share her passion with other fans at events like Northern Fancon.

“I have a huge love for anime and video games and different fandoms and characters. And I love visual art, so I think for me, combining the two is just kind of the dream,” she said.

Northern Fancon continues today, and will also run all day tomorrow at the CN Centre. You can find a full schedule and additional details on its website here.

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