Suit up: Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay ’23 is coming

Less than three years have elapsed since Dewey Caruthers, a comic book fan, collector and self-professed “comic nerd,” invited everyone over to play at the St. Petersburg Coliseum, for the first-ever St. Pete Comic Con.

At the time, Caruthers and his two young daughters frequently traveled to other cities to celebrate comic, anime, horror, gaming and cosplay fandom. “We realized that St. Petersburg is the 5th largest city in the state, but doesn’t have a comic con,” he told the Catalyst in January, 2022. “The other four cities that are bigger, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, they all have at least three each. Per year! And we don’t even have one.”

Even less cool, he rattled off the names of even smaller burgs – Lakeland and Pensacola among them – that at the time had their own “cons.”

So they filled the void themselves. And in best “If you start it, they will come” fashion, they came from all over, 3,500 strong. And the Caruthers haven’t looked back – they’ve had seven well-attended events so far.

The latest takes place Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 3 and 4) at the Coliseum. The second annual Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay will feature several well-known anime voice actors, four pro-level cosplayers (with an accent on holiday touches), five contests, an idol group, an internationally known body painter as well as a marketplace, contests and other activities.

Cosplay is a combination of the words “costume” and “play.” According to Caruthers, “Costume refers to when people dress up as characters from movies, TV shows, video games, anime, manga, books or pop culture. Cosplayers often invest significant money and time to recreate a costume that includes accessories, hairstyles, and makeup.”

As for the second part of the word, “the play refers to when cosplayers assume the role of their chosen character. They adopt the personality of the character, which ranges from mannerisms to vocal impersonations. Cosplayers often spend many hours practicing character poses in anticipation of photos and videos at the convention.

“I would say that cosplay is the ultimate creative expression – blending craftsmanship, imagination, and passion to bring beloved characters to life.”

The voice actors in attendance (signing autographs and posing for photos, for a fee) come from various anime shows including Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, Black Clover, Fire Force and more.

Guest cosplayers are Seams Come True, Cindrella Cosplay and The Star Cos. “I treat my cosplay guests in a similar fashion to my voice actors, comic artists and live-action actors,” Caruthers says. “Which means I cover expenses and provide other compensation – something that many conventions don’t do.”

And “We have experienced pro cosplayers as judges for our contests, which elevates the credibility of the awards,” he adds.

“I’ve always felt like St. Petersburg could support the events. Which is why I’ve invested so heavily so quickly. But I am surprised about the attendance, which has been better than expected.

“And it’s because we have a great crowd of fans who like our cons. Our attendees have become a growing community of nerds, geeks, and weirdos who come together four times a year to celebrate each other. Before you know it we will have a cosplay parade downtown – maybe in 2027?”

Holiday Cosplay Tampa Bay 2023 website.