I heard several people wonder out loud which there would be more of wandering throughout the five hotels, part of a convention center, and sidewalks that make up Dragon Con. It looked like Rey pulled ahead early, but by the second day Harley Quinn was back to giving the heroine of The Force Awakens a run for her credits. While I have no idea which character actually reigned supreme during the 4-day convention, I did count 43 different people wearing Rey costumes over one 10-hour period (children, women, and men included). We’ve come a long way from last year when I wore a Rey costume and more than one person asked me if I was “one of those Mad Max wives”.
If you’re unfamiliar with Dragon Con, it’s a pop culture event that runs just about 24 hours a day. This year, for its 30th anniversary, over 77,000 people showed up to the party. And a very large percentage of them wear costumes or cosplay – from the casual attire to the year-in-the-making ensembles, Dragon Con has a little bit of everything you can think of… and then some things you hadn’t.
In my costume and cosplay highlights gallery you’ll find robots, mash-ups, superheroes, villains, a bit of geek fashion, Doctor Who, Marvel, DC, and, of course, my speciality – Star Wars.
Hancock and Nick Valentine from Fallout 4
Alice and the Mad Hatter from Alice Through the Looking Glass
Admiral Ackbar has a warning for you. (Star Wars)
It's a life-size Nao robot!
Star Wars speeder bike, coming through!
Mad Max: Fury Road meets The Force Awakens
Clockwork Robots from Doctor Who
A whole Marvel group! Jessica Jones, Captain Marvel, SpiderGwen, Elektra
Hello, Neverending Story.
A taun-taun with Luke Skywalker rider AND Captain America!
Catwoman and Batman are hanging out these days.
It's the whole Suicide Squad (from the movie).
Bria of White Hot Room sporting an Elhoffer Design Scavenger Dress
Classy generations of Star Wars bad guys. Shoretrooper, Captain Phasma, First Order Stormtrooper, Imperial Officer.
Looks like Captain Ithano might have found Luke Skywalker before Rey did. (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
This Glenn from The Walking Dead was pretty easy to find.
Miss Piggy from The Muppet Show's Pigs in Space sketch
All Rey, all the time. (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
The best part is everyone kept calling him Matt Damon from The Martian instead of his character name.
The Scooby Gang caught John Wick!
One of the many many Holtzmanns.
The 10th Doctor is ready to see you now. (Doctor Who)
Two Avocados-At-Law! (Daredevil)
Dr. Ellie Satler and Dr. Ian Malcom pre-running and screaming (Jurassic Park)
Preacher meets John Wick
A giant Ewok! Ahhhhh! (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
Sam the Eagle seemed very please with this historical costume
Director Krennic vs Mon Mothma (Rogue One)
Black Panther fresh off Captain America: Civil War and ready for his own movie
Jessica Jones is so happy to be at Dragon Con.
Stand back, the Seventh Sister from Star Wars Rebels has her helicopter lightsaber.
It's a whole The Clone Wars group with (unsurprisingly) a Harley Quinn photobomber.
The coolest Darth Vader at Dragon Con – from the end of Return of the Jedi. The Force lightning flashed and smoke came out of his helmet.
One of the many Suicide Squad Harley Quinns conquering those heels.
Double Padmé Amidala all the way. (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones)
The Incredibles were spot-on. They even have a Syndrome and Henchmen!
Poe Dameron is ready to kick some First Order butt. (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Had to take a photo from the back too because this Doctor Strange cloak has so much detail.
Robbie the Robot wouldn't hurt anybody.
A whole group full of Star Wars-inspired geek fashion.
Supergirl was protecting Baymax.
Futurama has a few robots.
That's right. There was an entire family of Reys. (Star Wars)
Kylo Ren is taking a post-battle break on the Puppetry Arts throne.
So. Many. Lightsabers.
A great Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels.
I admire a good Rachael costume. Fun fact: Blade Runner and The Force Awakens had the same costume designer.
Han and Leia aren't too thrilled about this carbonite thing. (Star Wars)
This Arya was too well done and committed to the character not to photograph. (Game of Thrones)
Labryrinth costumes made a few appearances.
Dragon Con is a great place to find mash-up costumes. This one combines Fallout with Star Wars.
Miss Sinister makes the best Asajj Ventress.
I'd been looking forward to seeing Bria's take on the Seventh Sister from Star Wars Rebels.
A glimpse into what it looks like from the costumer's side.
If Asajj Ventress and the Seventh Sister are blocking the bar, you might want to go to another bar.
Photos by Kay. Please don’t republish this post without my permission.
She grew up wanting to be an astronaut. After seeing Star Wars, she wanted to be Princess Leia, Han Solo, and an astronaut. Life’s taken her on a bit of a different path, but she’s okay with that.
Kay is FANgirl's resident geek fashion expert and co-host of the Hyperspace Theories podcast. She reviews books and movies for the site with a heart for storytelling and a mind that likes to analyze. Kay's been a guest on various podcasts sharing her love and knowledge of storytelling, film-making, fashion, and of course, Star Wars.
Most days are filled with her work as a creative services professional - designing websites & branding, photographing, voice acting, editing, and more. Kay spends the little bit of free time she has reading, costuming, and, of course, making pew pew noises. She would pick up more jobs and hobbies if she was a Time Lord.
She grew up wanting to be an astronaut. After seeing Star Wars, she wanted to be Princess Leia, Han Solo, and an astronaut. Life’s taken her on a bit of a different path, but she’s okay with that.
Kay is FANgirl's resident geek fashion expert and co-host of the Hyperspace Theories podcast. She reviews books and movies for the site with a heart for storytelling and a mind that likes to analyze. Kay's been a guest on various podcasts sharing her love and knowledge of storytelling, film-making, fashion, and of course, Star Wars.
Most days are filled with her work as a creative services professional - designing websites & branding, photographing, voice acting, editing, and more. Kay spends the little bit of free time she has reading, costuming, and, of course, making pew pew noises. She would pick up more jobs and hobbies if she was a Time Lord.
