Tampa Bay Comic Con is this weekend. Meet your host for the cosplay competition

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WUSF YouTube

Sailor Geek has been creating and wearing cosplays for more than 20 years. This Saturday, they’re hosting the cosplay competition at Tampa Bay Comic Con. Here’s how to get tickets.

One of the biggest events to come to Tampa is happening this weekend.

The Tampa Bay Comic Convention starts Friday and runs through Sunday at the Convention Center in Downtown Tampa.

If you’re unfamiliar, comic cons are where fans of comic books, movies and TV shows, cartoons and anime — pretty much all things pop culture — gather to celebrate the things they love.

And not just celebrate. They even become the things and characters they love through cosplay.

Sailor Geek has made close to 300 costumes over the last 20 years, including characters from the popular cartoon series “Hazbin Hotel” about Lucifer’s daughter trying to help sinners find redemption and earn their way into heaven.

During a visit to WUSF’s studio for “Florida Matters Live & Local,” Geek showed off a foam television head she made for a character from that show called “Vox,” Hell’s television overlord and broadcast network operator who competes with another demon who rules all things radio.

As they strapped on the headpiece, made from EVA foam and hot glue, they talked about the voice actor.

“He’s voiced by Christian Borle, who is a well-known Broadway actor. He’s amazing. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be at this con, but some Hazbin Hotel voice actors will be there, and I plan on showing off my Vox to one of them,” they said.

Geek is also hosting the cosplay competition on Saturday at 7 p.m., introducing the judges and the cosplayers who will be pre-judged earlier in the day.

“Most people just get into cosplaying just for the craft of building the costume. Some like to like act out as the character, like performing in shows for a convention or outside of a convention, or online, like TikTok, like I do,” Geek said.

They added that there are different variants or “fields” of cosplay people like.

“It could be prop making, wig styling, acting, costume building, and then competing in competitions like this weekend at Tampa Bay Comic Con,” Geek explained.

Plus, you get to put the “play” into “cosplay.”

“I love bringing characters to life. It’s the number one thing that I love about cosplaying. Cosplay is costume plus play,” they said. “And you’re not only dressed up as the character or fictional character. You’re just like bringing them to life, like bringing in physicality; it could be vocally, or and just like portraying as that character.”

You can follow them at @SailorGeek on TikTok, or see them in action live at this week’s con.

If you go:

What: Tampa Bay Comic Con
When: Sept. 4-6
Where: Tampa Bay Convention Center
Tickets: Day passes vary from $35-$55 for general admission. Three-day passes vary from $79-$299. Celebrity autographs and photos vary in price and are ticketed separately.

See the full schedule of events on the convention’s website.

This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for “Florida Matters Live & Local.” You can listen to the full episode here or watch the segment in the YouTube player below.