Dear Mummy, I’ve just had the best daddy daughter day! I’ve mentioned before that daddy is a big Star Wars fan so when Portsmouth Comic Con announced it was coming back for a second year he couldn’t wait to take me. It’s the largest International Comic Fair in the South outside of London and a short journey from our house.

The event ran across two days and this year coincided with May 4th which, for Star Wars fans, is always a celebrated day, something about May the Forth be with you, I think daddy keeps saying!

Held at Portsmouth Guildhall, the weekend provided fans with the opportunity to attend in cosplay (costume), buy merchandise, meet actor’s, authors and illustrators and sit in on discussion panels. Of course there was plenty of exhibitions, board gaming, retro gaming (online gaming) and of course comics galore, all in a safe environment where everyone is welcome no matter what you are into or passionate about.

What amazed me from the moment we got to the Guildhall was how friendly and welcoming people were. Even though it was busy, we didn’t queue for long and it was well organised with the security team actively sharing in the spirit of the day. Diversity and acceptance of others is something that mummy and daddy help me to embrace, so an event like this is a great opportunity to not only embrace the world of fantasy but all celebrate creativity. With art workshops and street art it was a wonderful opportunity to learn. From painting my own Star Wars moon to learning how to draw my own cartoons this event was suitable for the whole family.

Because I’m little I have yet to be introduced to all of the different flavours that are part of Cosplay so I didn’t really understand it but I found it fascinating and enjoyable. From us little ones to adults there were a number that had come dressed as their favourite characters from books to films, comics to anime. All of the Cosplayers at the event including actual attendees where happy for me to have my photo taken with them and always very friendly and willing to stop to talk to me. We were really impressed at the quality and dedication to immerse themselves fully into the event.

Whether you were participating in the kid and adult cosplay competitions or just enjoying the opportunity to dress up and be yourself in a welcoming environment, I found myself being drawn to all the various stands offering collectibles and memorabilia. With my pocket money I fell in love with Pikachu who became my comic con buddy and with the new film coming out it couldn’t be better timing!

Dry weather on the day meant that we could sit outside and soak up the atmosphere as well as meet many professional cosplayers like Wonder Woman to Spiderman and then to my daddy’s favourites from the world of Star Wars thanks to the various groups that (daddy tells me) give up their time to attend and raise money for charities by appearing.

We enjoyed walking around the four levels stopping to look at the various exhibits from Doctor Who to Marvel, Star Wars to Back to the Future, there really was no end to all the different themes covered. We would have liked to see a costuming stand offering Cosplay advice.

Every space the Guildhall was utilised for the event from panel sessions in the meeting rooms to the basement corridor used for Steam Punk exhibits it really was a feast for the eyes. It’s always going to be a bit surreal sharing a lift with Darth Vader and Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels.

Our day ended watching the Cosplay competition from the steps of the Guildhall munching on food from the street vendors. There were lots of amazing costumes and I was sorry my daddy hadn’t gone in his, maybe next year we’ll both go dressed up! It really was a great day out and you don’t have to be a massive fan of anything particularly associated to a Comic Con to enjoy and appreciate the passion people have.

We very much look forward to next year following the news that Portsmouth Comic Con will be back even stronger in 2020! Who knows we may be dressed up this time and maybe persuade mummy to come! MTFBWYA.

Love Bella x

Disclosure: We were invited to Portsmouth Comic Con in order to review. All images and thoughts are our own. Check out our InstaStories of the event!