Celebration of pop culture

COSPLAY PANEL… Cosplay was very popular at NerdMania this year, with several panels featuring Cosplayers from around Victoria talking about their crafty creations. Photo: Ash Beks.

Superheroes, celebrities, wizards, and a whole manner of fantastical and mystical characters descended upon the Multipurpose Pavilion at the Shepparton Showgrounds for the fifth annual NerdMania festival over the weekend.

NerdMania is the brainchild of the WAM Army, Greater Shepparton City Council’s Word and Mouth youth committee and is the largest pop culture event in regional Victoria.

Over 1000 people from the region and across the state took part in an interactive and fun celebration of all things popular culture. There were games and interactive activities for kids and adults of all ages, as well as market stalls, vehicle displays, food, anime and memorabilia… loads and loads of sweet, collectable memorabilia. Cosplay featured predominantly this year, with many getting dressed up for the occasion and taking part in panel discussions around crafting your own costumed characters and creations.

Just a snapshot of the pop culture featured at NerdMania 2019 included Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Pokemon, Barbie, Transformers, and many, many more.

This year also saw some special guests attending the event, including Jimmy Eaton and Maddy Tyers from the hit television show ‘Lego Masters’.

Word and Mouth project manager, Jim Gow said, “We too often hear that there is nothing to do in the area for young people and we are constantly looking to change that, especially when it comes to putting on new and dynamic events that we haven’t tried before.

“We continue to grow this event slowly, building solid foundations for a regular event that would bring people to Shepparton annually, and bringing with it the economic benefits of tourism.”