Arriving a bit late and never having been to a Wizard convention, I didn’t know what to expect. The drive was a bit far to Logan, UT, but I’ve heard so many good things about Wizarding Dayz convention (con) in Salt Lake City. So, I was looking forward to this. The event wasn’t booming outside — usually you’d see several cosplayers or touristy-looking people walking to or from a con — though, it wasn’t hard to find. Parking was open and still somewhat full. Others were also arriving late or walking over to the food trucks outside.
Walking in was the usual get your pass and have your bag checked. The atmosphere was much calmer than I was used to with different conventions. Layout of the main room of the building was easy to get around with more than enough room between booths and the staging area. Displays where people could interact and take neat pictures was a great surprise. Many events like this lack this aspect of photography environments. Pop Culture Convention in Salt Lake City had a great venue area with natural lighting for beautiful picture taking which took the cake. However, Wizarding Dayz takes it a step further. The center of the floor featured different setups such as an extra large Gandalf-approved table with full dining and another for popping out of a Harry Potter-like suitcase surrounded by luggage.
One of the biggest attractions for cosplayers was the cosplay contest. “There weren’t a lot of us, [though] everyone was extremely talented,” exclaims Judge’s Choice Awarded contestant Candace Chesley portraying character Akko from “Little Witch Academia.” Regretfully, I didn’t get a chance to see all of the contestants. Those I did get the honor of seeing were definitely well done. As cosplay contest judge, Zach of QEProps, agrees that, “All of the entries were great, it was a really difficult task [to choose the winners].”
Another largely highlight of the con, according to others, was a fellow who performed with various weapons while discussing their history in depth. He covered their era, strengths and weaknesses, and how they were used. The contributors goal was to appropriately portray weapons as artists and writers as he interacted with the audience. Something that made myself intrigued was a very charismatic magician putting on a show with child volunteers.
Talking to artists, weapon salesmen, and local authors was a personal delight. Understanding how artists combating competition while learning to be an entrepreneur is an en devour I could understand at an amateur level. It’s hard to want to be an artist of any sort while having to also understand you have to also be a business person. Some of the artists shared their joys of interacting with customers and little tricks of the trade. Brianne Bradley, a student attending Salt Lake City Community College of IG @preposterous_miss_bradley displays how she’s able to combat high prices of making prints of her work to sell by visiting SLCC for cheaper prices. Her and the booth next to her, Paige IG @the_gamer_kitty both show how they’re able to make pins and other commissions right at their booth by cutting out middle men as much as possible.
Wizarding Dayz in Logan welcomed me at an individual level that I’ve never felt before at a convention or other event — understandable with larger crowds. This con did it correctly by attracting those who actually want to come and enjoy the event for what it is rather than trying to appeal to the masses and exploit what was originally a niche market. By doing so, it’s harder to keep an event from becoming stale. Visiting and partaking in what Wizarding Dayz offered makes me look forward to next year’s Logan’s event, as well as the one in Salt Lake City.
