SEATTLE — Emerald City Comic Con is back for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are expecting about 40,000 people and the community vibe is so excited and people are so excited to come together, celebrate fandoms, cosplay together," said Fallon Prinzivalli, Marketing Director for ReedPop. "This city in particular, and this community, in particular, is so excited and passionate about their local vendors and local artists, and I think that makes this community really different from a lot of different ones."
In light of the pandemic, ECCC has rolled out a number of prevention measures- including requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test, and mandating face coverings. Prinzivalli says they hope it creates a safe environment for fans to enjoy meeting celebrities, patronizing vendors and reuniting with one another.
"Honestly it makes me a little emotional to come back," Prinzivalli said. "It's been really fantastic to see everyone, fans running to hug each other across the lobby, because they haven't seen each other in so long, so it's really nice to see the community so welcoming, ready to be back, and just meeting vendors and artists and celebrities. I think people are excited to be in community together- playing games together, talking about anime together, talking about comics, so it's been fantastic.
"That's the heartbeat of this show, really, is the community and those fans. Finding like-minded people you can interact with."
This year's event runs through Sunday.