*RayeRaye's Corner* 

My first ever MCM Comic Con away from London happened this year! Me, my husband and my good bud Mark all drove up to Birmingham to check out the event on Saturday 21st March and we were so glad we did!

The event was very well planned, we got in easily after buying later entry tickets to save a few pounds but we got into the hall really quickly. The venue was the NEC in Birmingham, my first ever visit! The parking was so simple, you just have to pay a one-off fee in cash for the whole day, there is a free bus that drives round the complex and takes you straight to the front door (perfect for anyone with stuff to carry!).

A word of warning if you are a cosplayer though, be prepared to change in a small toilet like I did, or find the cosplay area in the main hall (which I found later!). I decided to cosplay as Yuna from Final Fantasy X and whilst getting into costume was like trying to complete a complex challenge in the crystal maze, the effort was worth it to be recognised and build up many chats with different cosplayers and fans alike. Shout out to the Doctor (tenth) who asked how my pilgrimage was going, to the awesome Auron who I had photos with, and all the lovely fans and dealers who wanted a chat and to hold my home-made staff! Also the guys at CEX for being so friendly, taking my photo with their octopus/squid thingy and also trying to help me find the bell that flew off my staff! The MCM staff overall were very helpful and friendly too, they even tried to duck out of people photos, bless them! Joe Black did a spectacular job as always on the main stage (which was inflatable!) and the masquerade cosplayers seem to be getting more and more talented with every event I go to, which is great to see!

Food and drink at the NEC appeared to be a challenge at first due to the numbers of attendees, but luckily my husband fought his way through the weatherspoons to nab a table which meant we had tasty panini’s for lunch and a much needed drink after the event! During lunch we watched the long walk of cosplayers, predominately star wars ones, so we got film and photos without moving from our seats! Maybe one of those storm troopers was Tom Felton in disguise doing his show about fans? His one-off show “Tom Felton Meets The Superfans” (BBC Three) is definitely worth a watch and it name dropped MCM Comic Con!

Lastly, to end a brilliant event, we all decided to visit a pub a short drive away which makes its own beer (I don’t drink beer myself but the lads loved it) and the cider suited me just fine!

All in all I will definitely consider going to another MCM Comic Con outside of London! http://www.mcmcomiccon.com