Colossalcon East 2025 Cosplay Gallery Part 2
In this, my second article on Colossalcon East 2025, I’ll be doing an editorial style piece, mainly focusing on feedback I’ve gathered from other convention attendees. I made a post on an unofficial CCE Facebook group page shortly after the end of the convention, as I have done for the past several years, asking for any and all feedback that anyone would like to share. Most of this article will be focused on the comments made on said post. Before I get started, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone that took the time to share their thoughts. The scope of what I can see and experience at Colosslacon, or just about any other convention for that matter, is quite limited, so the feedback of other attendees is invaluable when it comes to getting an idea of how things went overall during the course of the event.
There are a couple of things I’d like to make note of before I begin. First, there was actually a fairly good balance of positive comments from attendees lauding things they enjoyed versus comments identifying weaknesses and suggesting ideas for improvement. That sounds like a long way of saying “positive vs. negative” comments, but my professional background has taught me that proposing changes to make something better should under no circumstances be considered negativity.
I’d also like to mention that many of the comments fall out of the scope of the actual convention space. Unlike other conventions, there’s a lot outside of what a convention badge gets you that attendees engage in during their weekend at the resort, so I think it’s still pertinent to discuss these things as part of what I call “the Colossalcon experience”.
Complaints
The top comment made on the Facebook post, based on the number of “reacts,” was “STOP STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF WALKWAYS,” with a number of similar comments made including “For the love of the gods step to the side for pictures. Don’t stop in the middle of hallways and walking areas.” This is not an uncommon problem at conventions, and it’s one that is very difficult for convention or venue staff to do much about. That being the case, it’s an issue that probably needs some self-policing. I don’t think anyone is trying to be malicious or even realizes they’re part of the problem when they are, but it’s a good idea for everyone to keep this sort of thing in mind in order to keep foot traffic running smoothly.
One thing I saw repeated numerous times throughout the comments was concerns about the rising price of tickets to the after-hours waterpark party. Looking back on my CCE articles from previous years, I noted that in 2018, the second year of the convention, it was $25 for one night, and $40 for two nights (the waterpark party was Friday and Saturday night only back then). The prices have risen steadily, at a rate of about a $5 increase per year for a one-night pass, and this year the price was $45 for one night, and $125 for all three nights. Some attendees suggested that if the price climbs any higher, they’ll definitely have to second guess spending the money to attend the late-night party, citing that it’s a steep price for an event lasting only four hours.
Bogus room charges from the Kalahari have been a common complaint from guests staying at the venue for a long time, and the numerous comments about this on the Facebook post I made indicate that this is as big a problem as ever. In particular, many have mentioned that they were charged for snacks that are left on a tray in every room at the Kalahari, which they never took any of. I’ve also seen this mentioned many times in a Kalahari Poconos Facebook group page I check in on throughout the year, so this is apparently an issue that occurs at the venue all year-round. I would strongly advise that all guests check their bills thoroughly when checking out, as the Kalahari seems to make a lot of possibly not so accidental billing “mistakes.”
I saw quite a few people mention that they found the panels at Colossalcon East this year to be a bit lacking. I can’t personally comment on that matter since I don’t really pay much attention to panels, but it was mentioned enough times on the Facebook post that I thought I should include it. I also noticed some attendees expressing disappointment because some hosts didn’t show up for their panels.
Kudos
The topic of panels and programming allows me for a nice segue into some of the positive comments about the convention and the “convention experience.” In previous years, Colossalcon East panel hosts only received 1/3 off the price of a weekend badge for every 1 hour of programming performed. This year, CCE increased compensation for all approved panelists to receive a multi-day badge to the event, regardless of the number of hours of programming performed. This is a nice improvement over the previous years which I think may have gone under the radar of many attendees, as I hadn’t heard anything about it until after the convention was over.
Many attendees mentioned that they really enjoyed the ribbon and trinket trading events. One attendee stated “The ribbon and trinket trading this year was SOOOOO great. Definitely feel like it boosted everyone’s moods to receive a tiny little guy that fits in your hand”. Some of the little things like this are what gives this convention its character, and help to make it truly unique.
Another “little thing” that was a source of entertainment to many people wandering the venue was admiring and interacting with different things that people posted on their room doors at the Kalahari. Taking a walk down a random hallway in the Kalahari, one could stop by and rearrange anime series or characters on a tier list posted on one guest’s door, write their darkest secrets from the weekend on the next, and finish things off by writing in their vote on which anime character has the best feet on the board on another door. With Peggy Hill being the only correct response to that final inquiry, of course.
In that same vein, many attendees enjoyed the random little “shrines” created in the Kalahari hallways. One I recall distinctly was dominated by a framed piece of meme art featuring LeBron James, followed by an inflatable cow with a half gallon of possibly expired milk left as tribute beside it. Yes, things at Colossalcon East get weird sometimes, but it’s generally weird in a hilarious sort of way, depending upon one’s sense of humor.
The new macaroni and cheese shop at the Kalahari called MACS was given rave reviews in the comments. I wish I could personally tell you how delicious everything there was, but as I starved myself throughout the weekend to save money, I’ll take the people’s word for it.
Again, overall, there was quite a bit of positive feedback about the convention this year, which was a great sign. Just a couple of years ago, there was an overwhelming number of complaints, some citing some fairly serious issues with Kalahari staff in particular. Fortunately, it seems that those insufferable staff members have either moved on, or were put in their place since then, because complaints about staff were few and far in between this year. In fact, I noticed a few waterpark and restaurant staff members in cosplay, which is a pretty good indication that they were delighted to see the convention return.
Here’s hoping that Colossalcon East stays on this positive course, leading to even more fun and exciting experiences for all attendees every year!
Cosplayers in the second of three general galleries include ceruleanpixie, witch.tastic, lavenderlattecosplay, aixngel, divinelykylie, hallucifer, ultimatemcuspidey, tsrest814, thedarkdoe, kasumikuncosplay, babypeachesareyellow, kayluna_cosplay, styx.cosplays, solarsweets_cosplay, theday.hascome, rufflebutt_cosplay, juiiccebox, candyxneko, and many more.
We now use Smugmug to present cosplay photo galleries and will post all photos there, with a link to each gallery in its own gallery article. This will allow us to give you higher resolution images to download — still for free.
To view the entire gallery, just click on the image below. If you are pictured in any of our galleries, feel free to download the images and use them non-commercially on social media, with appropriate credit.
If you like our work and want to show your appreciation, feel free to tip us at Ko-fi or become a patron on Patreon.
