The Calgary Expo is fully underway at the BMO Centre, delighting thousands of fans.
Scores of people lined the downtown streets Friday as the Parade of Wonders made its way along a new route from Haultain Park, to Centre Street, to 17 Avenue and ending at the BMO Centre.
“This is an annual tradition for many families — kids have grown up with this and now they’re bringing their kids. It is incredible,” said Mayor Joyti Gondek.
The mayor is known for putting in a big effort into dressing up for the parade each year. This year she came as Thor.
“This is the second biggest event that Calgary hosts after Calgary Stampede, and you can just see the amount of energy,” Gondek said. “People are pumped for this.”
Indeed. Every genre is represented and both young and old dress up as their favourite characters to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.
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“I love that the parade kicks off the event, and looking around at everyone in their costume makes me so happy,” gushed Adam Savage, the star of Mythbusters. He, along with many other celebrities, rode in cool cars to give fans a smile and a wave.
“It’s good to be Shredder!” laughed Francois Chau, who plays Shredder in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. He and all the turtles, who rode in a giant green truck, took part in the parade.
“These events, you feel like a family. And I’m excited to meet more fans from Calgary,” said Peter Facinelli of Twilight fame. He was in Calgary with his co-star Kellan Lutz.
Lutz said he is excited to take a trip to Banff after the convention wraps up.
The Expo is a huge boost to the Calgary economy. Every year it brings in millions of dollars to the hospitality sector. Hotels, restaurants and more benefit from the influx of visitors. The Calgary Expo has earned a reputation as one many A-list celebrities want to attend.
“(I) learned a little bit about the history of the city and of course about the Stampede and all of the things that go into that. So I want to come back in July when I can see that in person,” said Lucas Grabeel, a star of High School Musical.
Other celebrities attending the weekend event include Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, Heather Locklear, Steve Guttenberg, Nicholas Hoult and John Boyega.
Marking the 40th Anniversary of Back to the Future, Michael J Fox is joining fellow co-stars Christopher Lloyd, James Tolkan and Claudia Wells for special panels for fans. Fox was born in Edmonton.
The Calgary Expo continues all weekend until Sunday.
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