No but I bet you've been arrested before...
It's that time of year again (well the 1st) and MCM Expo is back as usual at Excel in London. The convention has, in the past, been seen as primarily an anime haven but over the years the variety in geek loves has expanded in equal amounts across the board. Now you've got sci-fi, web comics known and just getting out there, games and apparel. The usual fare but for a high fare.
The day didn't start off at the Excel centre, but rather at a funky little bar with gaming arcades, comic books and a nifty cocktail chemistry selection, aka The Old School Yard near London Bridge. Onwards to Excel we marched.
The stores at MCM offer a nice option in merchandise and clothing, a lot of the stuff can only be got online so it's nice to see items in person but they are somewhat costly and MCM operates in terms of market trading rules whereby you need cash to buy stuff. Which means the only cash machines on the grounds are always queue-arific and they machines charge. So be prepare when you go to any con or even market...take cash.
As usual a big draw of MCM is the Cosplay. Last year some friends of mine wet as a PikaGang (whereas I went as some sort of I dunno...chipotle?). This year they've chosen Togo as Men in black and as with last year got stopped by attendees to pose for photographs.
There's not much can be said about MCMExpo that hasn't before, I've attended a couple of years in a row now and found that overall the experience is quite similiar. I think they difference comes from being a cosdplayer or trader, more than a repeated walk-around spectator. What I look forward to the most, given that I don't cosplay or trade there, is interacting with various individuals and groups. If you're into people watching (in the non creepy way), it certainly won't disappoint. The aftermath, not to say the Expo itself is like a war-zone, usually winds down the evening and night well. Practically adjoined to the Excel centre is The Fox, a large open bar where majority of Expo attendees will hit up for some socialising and drinkage. It's a perfect spot and there outside section is spacious and welcome especially as the May Expo tends to be quite warm, especially if you're naturally pasty and I'm not saying cosplayers are pasty...but cosplayers are pasty.
Overall it's a big deal for many people, it's good fun and £10 is worth spending for an event that in it's essence caters to all forms of geekdom, but the main appeal for hitting it up, is definitely the people.
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