Fans lined up to have their picture taken with this giant Eevee at the 2024 Bruce County Comicon. Photo submitted.
Fans and organizers are gearing up for the second annual Bruce County Comicon (BCC) on Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Southampton.
Taking place at the accessible Coliseum and Annex between 11am and 5pm, BCC will bring together fans and enthusiasts alike under one roof, whether their love be of comics, a television show or movie, a particular Marvel or DC character or franchise, Pokémon, or video games.
"Everyone is a fan of something," said Comicon organizer and Hamilton collectibles business owner Julia Barac. "To see people from all walks of life find things in common with one another at an event like this is something special," she said.
"We travel to Comicons and trade shows almost every weekend throughout the year," Barac said. Southampton is a special place for her and she and her brother purchased their mom's cottage in Southampton in 2023 to honour her legacy. "Knowing that there weren't any events like this in the area, I figured I'd give it a shot given my experience as a vendor and having travelled all over the country to other shows," she said.
"I wanted to create a fun, local, community oriented event that we can host for years to come," Barac said.
Guests of all ages are welcome to the Southampton event. They can come as they are or dress in their favourite cosplay and take in the sites and sounds of over 25,000 square feet of comics - vintage and modern; trading cards, video games - retro and current; artwork, toys and memorabilia, and limited edition collectibles.
Bruce County Comicon will feature more than 200 vendors, a free play arcade, photo opportunities, and celebrity guests including an Optimus Prime Replica Truck, voice actor Frederick B. Owens, and cosplay guests The Amazing Spider-Guy and Spider Girl.
This year's event will see over 200 vendors. Photo submitted.
"Last year at our first ever event, we had over 3000 people come through the doors," said Barac, adding that the admission line wrapped the entire building three times with the first attendees arriving at 7am.
"It was very unexpected but goes to show that the Bruce County region really wanted to see an event like this," she said.
Barac expects an even bigger turnout this year and organizers have expanded their footprint to accommodate the crowds. "Due to the success of the event last year, we have doubled the size of the venue expanding to the Annex side of the Coliseum. We have also added more attractions, giveaways, and activities for our guests to enjoy," she said, adding that last year saw attendees come from as far away as Sarnia, Windsor, Barrie, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and the GTA.
People from all walks of life attended the first annual Bruce County Comicon in 2024. Photo submitted.
Barac said this year there's a lot of fan focus on Pokemon as well as video games and as such the event will have a dedicated Pokémon zone and a free play arcade.
The first 100 guests will receive a VIP shopping bag filled with collectibles and goodies.
"We're very excited for this year's event and truly hope that our guests enjoy the convention," said Barac.
Admission is $5 and children under 12 can attend for free.
For more information, visit www.brucecountycomicon.com.
