Boston International Cosplay Day took place on August 24, 2013 in the Boston Common in downtown Boston. While I do not know much about the origins of International Cosplay Day, I have heard of it, but never quite celebrated it. This is not to be confused with Gail Simone's "Cosplay Appreciation Day." What I know for sure this came first. The event was organized by the creative team behind Marmalade Sky photography. While I am used to cosplay picnics and cosplay meet ups, this was more than just your average cosplay gathering. What really made this event stood out is that it was event by the cosplay community for the cosplay community. It's been years since I have seen a sense of community in cosplay - this event really showed it.

Boston International Cosplay Day 2013 Gallery

Almost 200 people showed up to this event. There was always something to do and pockets of people to talk to. Everyone was fairly friendly, there was no sense of elitism. For many, it was nice to reconnect after Anime Boston. Even Anime Boston's mascot, B-kun showed up (but in disguise!). There were games organized - ninja, ice breakers, dating game, and Pokemon death match. While the Boston Common is a huge tourist attraction, we had some tourists with children who wanted to join in on Ninja. Curious people were friendly - some college students even wanted photos with us.

Kristine of Marmalade Sky also was doing private photoshoots. Both Scarlet Rhapsody writers, Scarlet and Li Mei, were dressed up as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Though we were cosplaying from a a popular fandom, we had a very diverse mix of fandoms present - Homestuck, Vocoloid,Naruto, Bleach, BBC, Marvel, DC, Madoka, etc. The attendees were fairly in their early 20s, but there were a few 90s anime fans in the mix. An Anime Boston staffer represented Yomiko Readman from Read or Die.

At the end of the day, we had the cosplay contest. It was fairly low key; there were about 30 contestants. I was nudged to join in as Fluttershy; so both Scarlet Rhapsody ponies entered in as a pair. The contest was based on audience cheers - a first, second, and third honors were given out. However, the most memorable costume was a kid dressed up as Nightwing. The contest was very low pressue (unlike a certain reality TV show.) No American Idol style judging, just a chance to show off your costume and character in front of the Boston cosplay community.

Following the contest, we had a raffle for door prizes. Each prize was a themed set - giant robots, shoujo, shounen, etc. However, the big one was the video game set - an exclusive Max Payne figure, Silent Hill, Assassins Creed, exclusive shirts from Game Stop, posters, pins, etc were all a part of this coveted prize package. Following the raffle, we also had a surprise marriage proposal from Your Local Rock Lee to her girlfriend.

Overall, this was a pretty fun event. Over the past year, I've grown to really enjoy the Boston cosplay community. For the first time, since living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I really felt a sense of community. I'm really happy to be a part of it all and I cannot thank enough the Marmalade Sky crew for holding such an amazing event. In honor of International Cosplay Day, I thought this song would be rather appropriate for a music video highlighting our local Boston cosplay heroes:

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