Over the weekend, I had the awesome opportunity to attend Villicon 2022 – a convention celebrating cosplay, the dark side of fandom, and individual artistry. Featuring friendly competitions, fascinating celebrity interviews, and talented vendors; this event was filled with so many great activities. Thank you, Villicon, for inviting us to your convention!
Now, let’s take a look at all the Villain-filled fun this event had to offer!
In Celebration of Cosplay
The creators of Villicon are dedicated to an atmosphere of inclusion and creativity, and nowhere is this better demonstrated in the various cosplay competitions and demonstrations throughout the weekend!
Villicon Cosplay Competitions
During the three days of the convention, Villicon hosted a total of FIVE cosplay competitions:
- Show Us Your Brad Majors – A Rocky Horror themed cosplay contest
- Naughty Cosplay – An adult cosplay contest
- Couples Cosplay Contest
- Cosplay Unleashed – Mega cosplay contest featuring all types of fandoms as well as original characters
- Kosplay Wars – Teams battle to create a cosplay with only provided materials
Even though I don’t really participate in cosplay, I enjoyed watching some of the competitions and appreciating the creativity and talent in creating these amazingly detailed outfits!
Villicon Cosplay Educational Sessions and Demonstrations
In addition to exciting cosplay competitions, Villicon hosted a variety of educational sessions and demonstrations about the craft. Intended as an introduction for newbie cosplayers or opportunities to hone your existing skills, sessions included “Make Up for All Genders,” “Don’t Dream It, Stream It;” and “A Cosplay 101 Guide.”
As someone who hasn’t participated in cosplay before, I learned a lot from the Cosplay 101 session – led by Life Like Cosplay. The session included tips and tricks on choosing your first character, designing your first costume, and budgeting advice!
In Celebration of Fandom
Representing a wide variety of fandoms, Villicon welcomed several celebrity guests including Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror Picture Show), Tab Murphy (screenwriter of Disney favorites like Brother Bear, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Tarzan), and – my personal favorites – Star Trek actors Garrett Wang and Denise Crosby!
Just like most other cons, celebrities were available for personalized selfies and autographs as well fascinating panels! I enjoyed listening to Tab Murphy reminisce about his exciting career and Garrett Wang share stories from the Voyager set!
In Celebration of Creativity
During my pre-event interview with Villicon creators, Luis and Naomi, they spoke about their love and passion for the Orlando community and its expansive array of artists and creatives. Striving to create opportunities for new businesses and individual craftsmen, Villicon featured a HUGE vendor area! Attendees could find all sorts of booths ranging from handmade art, home goods, accessories, oddities, authors, and even tarot card readers!
Here is just a small taste of the vendors we met at Villicon 2022:
Five Lemons
Creating unique stud and dangle earrings, Five Lemons features a variety of beautiful floral, retro, and fandom designs. Some popular themes include Disney, horror, animals, and more!
Disappointed you didn’t pick up your own pair during the convention? You can still shop Five Lemons’ selection on their Etsy website. And be sure to follow them on Instagram for updates!
Twisted Stitches
A true product of pandemic creativity, Teresa Thornton first began designing unique and colorful masks for family and friends. This useful hobby grew into a fabulous passion, and today she creates beautiful handbags, coffin-shaped purses, wallets and more!
You can check out more of her products on her website! Follow her on Facebook and Instagram for the all the latest updates!
Alkemie & Artistry
If you are a fan of shadowbox artwork, then you HAVE to see these stunning lanterns produced by Alkemie & Artistry! Using polymer clay and LED fairy lights, these fandom lanterns are absolutely stunning!
Check out more of their awesome lanterns on Alkemie & Artistry’s website! You’ll also find a selection of gorgeous necklaces and OctoCuties original artwork!
Make sure to follow Alkemie & Artistry on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and products!
Freaky Thoughts: Villicon 2022
Villicon 2022 was a great opportunity to learn about cosplay, meet new members of the Orlando community, and connect with beloved fandom celebrities. While I’ll admit that there were not as many villain-themed activities as I expected, I very much enjoyed the main stage Q & A’s, the variety of artists and performances, as well as the many of the educational sessions. If you enjoy conventions and the darker side of fandom, consider attending Villicon next year (Keep tabs on their website for more information)! In the meantime, stay tuned to Orlando Decoded for more awesome things to do in Central Florida!
Edited to Add: The creators of Villicon have, since the writing of this article, announced that there will be no future events. This post was added to their social media as of 1/26/22 –
