‘The right decision’: Capital City Comic Con on hiatus for 2023

Hold on to your comics and capes.

Organizers of Capital City Comic Con have announced a hiatus for 2023, meaning the well-known Victoria-based event won’t be returning next year.

The sci-fi and comic convention packed the Victoria Conference Centre downtown for three days this past September, months later than initially scheduled and following a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presenting partners, including Destination Greater Victoria, the Downtown Victoria Business Association and The National Toy Museum of Canada, represented by Cherry Bomb Toys, say this year’s event was well received and well attended.

However, given the resources and demands required to plan the annual event in its traditional month of March, hosting one next year is “beyond the capacity of the organizations,” according to the partners.

A hiatus is “the right decision,” said Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, in a news release Monday.

While noting the event attracts both out-of-town visitors and locals, bringing in talent from shows and movies including Star Trek, Scary Movie and Pokemon, Bray says the spring is fast approaching.

“We have set the bar high for this event and want to deliver the best product possible. Holding the event in March 2023 is too soon. I support taking a step back, evaluating the event and considering how best to proceed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, says given his non-profit’s limited resources, staff must “weigh the effort required to hold a successful event with our focus on marketing, sales, and enhancing sustainable tourism development” locally.

“We want to deliver for our members and stakeholders in our many lines of business. This is where our focus will be in 2023,” Nursey said.

For Candice Woodward, owner of Cherry Bomb Toys, the event has been a passion of hers since the beginning, especially since she loves the Cosplay, fan culture, community, and seeing so many happy faces and families attend.

Yet Woodward echoes Bray and Nursey, saying a successful comic con is a lot of work and navigating the event amid a pandemic, given its size, isn’t easy. 

“We appreciate everyone’s support of our non-profit convention over the years and we will revisit putting on another in the future. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so special,” added Woodward.

Editorial Policies Report an Error