What a weekend!
I don’t know what time we got to bed last night but I know that when we arrived back on the mountain it was a beautiful clear night, the stars like an extension of the earlier firework display. A wonderful end to a great day.
We all started the day slowly and the boys didn’t wake up until we woke them for lunch and after completing all of the household chores, and making sure all the animals were fed and happy, we set off for Lucca for the 2014 Comic Festival.
Last year we stumbled across the festival and didn’t really know what to expect and this year we knew how much fun it would be so we set of with great expectation. However last year we didn’t go on the main festival day and if we had thought Borgo Mozzano was busy this was much busier, hoards of people everywhere. Again a mix of young and old and I am always surprised at how well behaved everyone is, no sign of hooligans, bad manners, nothing, everyone just enjoying the entertainment and atmosphere.
Here its not called “dressing up” its now called “cosplay” and the festival is designed to allow the most ardent of fans to enact their favorite comic characters whilst seeing all up and coming films, games and new technology. You could tell the ardent fans by their costumes, no shop brought out of the packet outfits will do for their heroes and heroines. Their elaborate hand crafted, larger than life, created to perfection costumes captured their heroes or heroines to perfection. Thankfully Charlie was with us as I didn’t know many of the characters not having a PS2 or any other gaming consol but he knew all of them, reeling their names off one by one as they went past.
There’s even a staged talent contest and these fans emulated every single move and facial expression, one had even gone to the trouble of making a box, an exact replica to the packaging a toy would be brought with. As I said no expense spared and to watch these Comic Characters coming to life was spectacular.
On both events, Borgo a Mozzano’s Halloween Festival and the Comic Festival complimenti to the organizers. Both have pulled together a vast array of displays, shops and entertainment to create memorable memories. The published figures for The Comic Festival over the weekend were over 400,000 people.
Again in Lucca every street was packed with people, not in an uncomfortable way, the people that were in costume were willing to pose for photographs and the whole ambiance is one of jubilance and fun. The Director of the Festival Renato Genovese had all the staff giving “Free Hugs” to everyone. What a great idea, the first one felt a little strange but it did become easier as we went around, but what a great idea to bring the staff and the customers a little closer together.
With great sponsors across the movie and comic arena they have been able to create an interactive festival full of contests, and they encourage spectator participation. It is so much more than “dressing up”, previews of the latest films from Disney the whole pavilion in Piazza Anfiteatro dedicated to Star Wars together with all the most awaited news by Disney and Marvel. From Japan previews of the best short movies from the Japan Media Arts Festival to name but two of the large displays. You can meet famous authors, cartoon artists, board game designers and so much more. You can buy costumes, jewelry, hand crafter leather boots and shoes; the list goes on and on.
Check out their website for all of the exciting news and information
Charlie and Noah had a wonderful time, at one stage after dinner Rich and I stayed at the restaurant whilst the boys wondered around for a couple of hours, we enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine, the constant movement of the crowd like a movie screen, so our evenings events hadn’t ended by any means. When they arrived back at the table there was still so much to see and do, infact I know we didn’t even see half of the things we wanted to, but none the less Charlie likes it so much it draws him from England each year, this being his second time at the festival.
There was no need of a kebab today thank goodness and even the drive home didn’t feel too tedious, in fact Charlie soon fell asleep, Noah and I weren’t far behind either! Thankfully our driver stayed fully alert all the way home.
Article by Sensone