Comiccon draws 66,000 cosplayers to Montreal through Sunday with mental health thread

Montreal's Comiccon is drawing 66,000 cosplayers through Sunday at Palais des congrès, and behind the costumes and elaborate makeup lies a community bound by something deeper than fandom: a shared refuge from isolation.

For the 16th edition, attendees move between hundreds of vendor kiosks buying merchandise, posing with favourite characters, and sharing costume-making secrets. But several participants point to a salvific effect the community has on their everyday lives.

Marie-Pier Brochu-Savard, dressed as Poison Ivy, attends for the second time. "I come because it lets me disconnect from my job," she said. "I feel like I'm in another world, and for once, I can just let myself go." Her friend Noémie Bellefleur, who has practised cosplay for four years, echoes that sentiment: "When I'm here, I feel more like myself than anywhere else. It puts me in a state of pure happiness and pulls me out of my daily routine. Work is hard on morale, but when I see all these happy people, it lifts me."

For Vanessa Langlais, a trans woman cosplaying as Mirko from "My Hero Academia," the practice offers concrete support during her gender transition. "It gives me confidence," she explained. "It motivates me to train at the gym to look like the character, but also it helps with my transition. It's a combination of all three: I get to embody a character I love, show the world I'm confident in myself, and express my gender identity." The cosplay lets her emphasize her femininity in ways that feel authentic to her.

The event also serves neurodivergent attendees who struggle with social interaction. Alexia Laperriere, dressed as the video-game character Sonic, said the cosplay framework makes it easier to approach strangers and build connection.

Vendors and the broader convention floor fill the space, but the real draw for many is the permission the event grants to step outside daily life and find people who share their passions.