After much count-down, we finally reached D-Day. If you are new to the Comic Con, I would say that how much you spend/ enjoy would depends on what is being exhibited. Personally, I don't belong into any "camps" so I don't have one or the other sort of likes and dislikes. This year marks the year I spent the most at any Comic Con because it featured a lot of cute blind boxes (which I am horribly weak for) and transformers!
It doesn't help that it coincided with Disney's 100 so there was a lot of Disney Merch being sold. I had to put in a lot of self-restraint. If you have a family and a home (i.e. space to display), this is an awesome convention to look at statement pieces to decorate your crib. :)
- Go every alternate year. The Comic Con does charge an entrance fees which can be quite steep especially if you are a student. I don't usually go for consecutive years, not just to save money money but because I like to see a bigger change. For this year, I could observe quite a huge change in the blind box scene. A lot more Chinese brands (which means more choice for us) and darn they hit me on the right spot that I even bought a few back.
- View every store first before you make your purchase. There is quite a lot to see and you will soon realize that you can't buy everything before you burn your wallet. So set a budget and make your decision. You usually see me shopping at the last hour. But note that popular items can get sold out. One of my plushie got sold out :'(
- Bring cash! Some foreign vendors charge a bit more when you try to pay by card. Photography is free by the way. So if you are a looker (like me in the past), you won't end up spending much. Some of the items that I thought was really pretty included the mage handcrafted resin dice, hand-drawn scarves and glass printed posters.
- Go with like-minded friends. Maybe it is me, I just don't think I can walk the grounds alone. I think I will end up spending too much or leaving early. It is more enjoyable when you have friends acting like your voice of reason :D
- Free activities: There are free activities - like the painting of the figurine. I have been getting better and faster at it :D There are giveaways too but this year I was so busy shopping I didn't have the time to hunt them down.
- Food Booths: I don't remember there being food booths the last time I went. But there was this round and the price was really reasonable. We didn't grab food but we did get the drinks.
- Super Kids-friendly! They even had Bluey down this year and I saw young families pushing strollers and baby-carrying. I didn't bring my kids but I sure think they would have enjoyed it too (and may end up grabbing a toy or 2 back) if they were 5 and above.
