Lee County Library System’s annual Fandom Fest to bring cosplay and pop culture to Fort Myers
Lee County Library System’s annual Fandom Fest, a free, all-ages celebration of fandoms, cosplay and pop culture, will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Fort Myers Regional Library outdoor plaza, 2450 First St., Fort Myers.
Fandom Fest was created to support literacy for all ages through comics and pop culture, while reinforcing Lee County libraries as a community center for connection, creativity, self-expression and learning. Throughout the day, free comics will be given to festival attendees, with a range of choices for kids and teens.
“The library system is proud of this annual tradition that reaches new library users each year through common interests,” Library Director Mindi Simon said. “It is a great starting point to encourage a love reading especially for reluctant readers.”
Festival attendees can enjoy a variety of fun, family-friendly activities, including a costume contest for all ages, a cosplay DIY makerspace, face painting, a bounce house obstacle course, crafts and more. A STEM-based, Super Mario tech zone will feature selfies with Mario and interactive library technology including a Clixo magnet build, Sphero Indi racecourse and Cubetto robots.
Character meet-and-greets and photo ops will fill the day, perfect for fans of KPop Demon Hunters, Dragons of Berk, Ghostbusters, the Addams Family, Pokémon, Star Wars, Disney, DC and Marvel. Plus, a North Pole area with Santa Claus and other pre-K favorites, like Bluey and Baby Shark, will be available for younger fans.
Live entertainment will feature a student steel drum concert and a K-pop dance performance from the Residance group, “Spotlight.” The cosplay costume contest starts at 1 p.m. for all age categories: Pre-K (ages up to 5), Kids (ages 6-11), Teen (ages 12-17), Adult (ages 18 and up) and new this year, Groups (all ages). Visit leelibrary.net/fandomfest for all the contest details.
To support the event, Fandom Fest merchandise will be available for purchase, including T-shirts, hats, stickers, koozies and drawstring backpacks. Food trucks also will be on-site selling hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, Mexican and Puerto Rican cuisine, lemonade and shaved ice.
Throughout the library system, branches will be hosting related programs in early December, leading up to festival day, including themed storytimes, games, crafts and other activities.
To ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment of Fandom Fest, attendees must observe the following rules on festival day:
• Costumes with real or realistic looking weapons, hate speech or lack of clothing (missing shoes, tops, bottoms) are not permitted.
• Attendees must abide by the library system’s Patron Code of Conduct.
• Fandom Fest representatives, library staff and security personnel reserve the right to inspect costumes and/or accessories.
• Attendees who do not comply with the rules and regulations will be asked to leave the premises.
For more information about Fandom Fest, visit: www.leelibrary.net/fandomfest.
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