Ava Expo 2015 – a failure, but still a win

The Russian geek community is growing and developing more and more every year, and along with it, events are developing that were previously known only in a narrow circle.
As you may remember, I already told, or rather, showed you what Starcon 2013 and the Geek Picnic were like. A lot of different stands, lectures, quests and other interactive activities, fighting game tournaments, cosplay fashion shows, premiere shows – all this has appeared with us quite recently. Geek Picnic is only a couple of years old (and it has already gone downhill :D), Starcon was previously made purely for Star Wars fans, and Ava Expo was a small Anifesto dedicated to Japanese culture.

Anifest, 2009 (from Google)

Ava Expo, 2013 (from Google)

It’s quite nice to see that something like this in St. Petersburg was not only warmly received, but also attracted people from all over the country, thanks to which the festivals are becoming wider and more interesting, the costumes are more complex and of better quality, the stands are more diverse. Well… at least they’re trying… No, really… Well, yes, the latest Ava is still a small step back.

Ava Expo 2015 at Lenexpo. Now send my photos, yes.

A huge hall with stands and another with a stage. Thousands of people, hundreds of costumes, dozens of stands, famous bloggers, complete confusion with the layout, a terrible dressing room, ridiculous presenters and a DJ who sometimes wanted to shoot. Oh yes, and the wardrobe. If you’ve been to the fest, you already know that "needs to build a wardrobe" is one of Ava ’15’s local memes. There were two options: either you carry everything you own with you, or you agree that your jacket will most likely lie on the floor in a common pile. I was luckier, my friends had access to the dressing room, all my things ended up lying there.

Many came immediately in suits. They were lucky, and they didn’t even suspect what was going on in the dressing room.

There is no light. No https://slotsnogamstop.co.uk/review/slots-amigo/ hot water (critical for makeup). Not enough mirrors. There are few tables and benches. Elements of costumes sometimes just lay on the floor; on the second day, Snake’s box was used to store small items. He, of course, complained that without the box he became less interesting to others.

But in return he brought Patriot!

The lighting in the hall was simply disgusting. The constant dark blue light did not allow mere mortals to capture their favorite characters… or make another selfie with them in an embrace. This, of course, did not bother professional photographers; here and there flashes and umbrellas appeared placed around the perimeter. Most of all, the second hall was enlivened by the presenters, but, as they say, “the toastmaster was good, and the competitions were interesting,” but only constant errors in the names of fandoms, characters, and sometimes just pathetic attempts to keep the audience near the stage (which is not entirely clear, because the main movement, after all, was not on it) sometimes made me want to ask them to just shut up. The only thing worse was the DJ, who simply did not understand what was needed from him, and played as inappropriate and moronic music as possible. Many left the night party simply because they were unable to listen to this horror. And the completely inappropriate music during the performances of many participants in the cosplay fashion show confused. At least during the final everything was fine… Well, because the participants prepared the sound themselves. Watching the finale was really interesting, but for many it was a kind of torture: they had to stand for more than one hour, because there was almost nowhere to sit. In addition to the stairs to the DJ and a ledge against one wall, there was… 1 ottoman for the entire hall..

All blue shades were simply removed from the photo.

And this blue color is almost constant.

There is little trash, the food is expensive, and there is nowhere else to really eat, there is little interaction at the stands, everything is located extremely inconveniently, the organizers ended up pushing one of the stands into the very corner facing the exit, which is why people came across it extremely rarely, many did not even know that there was anything there. Rudeness on the part of some members of the geekers team or volunteers, very strange security… And still, personally, I am still delighted. Why? Because such events are made by their visitors. And they were great.

I was at the festival both days. From the very beginning to the very end… except for the after-party, I didn’t last long there.

Well, you got it.
Moreover, the festival opened (for mere mortals) at 12. I stood there from 10 on Saturday. Friends cosplayers, their entrance was two hours earlier, I couldn’t help but see them off. Of course, I wasn’t the only one; a small crowd had already formed at the entrance. It’s about 1 degree Celsius outside and it’s windy, there’s still a long time before it starts, people are standing, freezing, talking. None of my friends. After half an hour there were so many acquaintances that it was simply impossible not to bump into one of the new acquaintances inside. Well, my acquaintance with the girl in the Kitana costume began with quite long warm hugs. :3

They saw each other for the first time.

We actually noticed this girl by accident, and she’s already telling my friend “Bad pony.”!"…Yes, my friends cosplayed as ponies. Ponies are generally worth mentioning separately at this festival. But a little later. Otherwise I’ll scare away Stig.

As is usual at festivals, “everyone is our own here”. And that’s great! It’s especially great when the same cosplayers not only realize this, but also take advantage of it. They are not shy about the public, they get into character and they absolutely love it. They have fun and bring it to others. The same applies to ordinary visitors who did not hesitate to participate in what was happening. Well, those who simply walked and watched received an ongoing interactive and completely unpredictable performance. Sometimes they were pulled in against their will, but looking at how the girl, screaming and laughing, rushes after the deadpool who stole her stuffed alpaca (such an animal), you understand that they don’t mind.

What about the dragon?? And the dragon sat down to rest. Have you ever seen how a baby dragon cuddles when you scratch it?? And I was scratching. By the way, a participant of the winning stand in the “Most Interactive Stand” nomination

Diagon Alley literally lived its own life. Hogwarts students were constantly scurrying back and forth, writing something, passing it on, casting spells.

… Black, however, was a little bored.

But Peter is like a rat poking his nose everywhere. The man, by the way, got into the role 100%, leaving none of those who met him at the festival indifferent.

And even if all sorts of tomfoolery and performances are not that interesting to you, there was still something to see at the festival. Yes, cosplay. The most diverse. The most unpredictable. Well, except for a bunch of Deadpools, Spidermen, Jokers and Harlequins. The degree to which they entered into the role varied; there were those who simply stood like a mannequin, showing off their costume and that was it. Not very interesting scenically, but aesthetically quite!

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