Thousands flood FanX at Salt Palace Convention Center

SALT LAKE CITY — Cosplayers are filling the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, headed to the Salt Palace for the FanX Convention.

The doors opened to the public Thursday afternoon… with hundreds waiting outside and letting out a collective cheer as they rushed in.

They browsed dozens of vendor booths, attended panel discussions, and of course had the chance to fangirl out over stars from their favorite shows and comics.

Chris Miotku said he always comes for the people.

“You see a lot of interesting people, and then the panels are really fun,” he said.

This year’s lineup includes actors like Charles Martinet, the voice of the Mario Brothers. He said he’s been so blessed to do what he loves for 31 years, and the fun keeps going.

“That’s what is so beautiful, coming to FanX. You come out here, you see people just having the courage to dress up, and be what they love to do, to follow their passion,” he said. “And you will meet other people the Mario series, or from Star Wars, or Star Trek. You’ll meet people and you can develop friendships for life .”

Fans can also meet Mike Lookinland from The Brady Bunch. Lookinland said he lives in Utah, so he’s getting the chance to meet fans from home.

“People will come to me and say, ‘I loved your show. You probably get sick of hearing that,'” he said. He continued, getting emotional as he spoke, “My answer is, I never get sick of hearing that.”

Some attendees like Jarret and Joan Durant had never been to FanX before. The couple said they wanted to attend after watching The Big Bang Theory, and hearing them talk about ComicCon on the show.

They ended up lost in the sea of vendors, buying all the things to make their inner geeks happy.

“You go on a spending spree sometimes, you don’t realize, and then they they’re like, ‘Oh this is what you owe,'” Jarret said, looking down at a bag full of merch. He started to laugh. “Okay, okay…. we have to bring more money next year.”
Sarah and Jason Gull brought their two-year old son, Orion, for his first FanX experience.
They were hoping he could see his favorite superheroes. The cosplayers didn’t disappoint.

“Did you see Spider Man today?” Sarah asked Orion. The toddler looked up and whispered, “Spider Man!” “Yeah, you like Spider Man,” the mom replied. “You said hi to him, huh.”