York County Libraries (YCL) will hold the “York Cosplay! Con” for youth ages 12 - 18 on Saturday, December 7. The free event will be held from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Martin Library. To attend, interested youth should register online at yorklibraries.org/york-cosplay by 9:00 a.m. Sunday, November 24.
“York Cosplay! Con” is for all fandoms, including comics, anime, manga, role-playing games, television series, books, and movies. Building on the success of the inaugural “York Cosplay! Teen Fashion Show” in 2023, this year’s event has expanded to include cosplay related panel discussions, fan art, anime music videos, a fandom trade table, games, and a selfie station.
“We are delighted with the warm reception this program has received by teens and families,” says York County Libraries Youth Services Director Mindy McDonnell. “Based on the feedback, we knew that we wanted to expand the number of workshops we offered and to complement the annual cosplay fashion show with related activities.”
Last year’s fashion show emcee and local cosplayer Simply Scarlet agreed to help in 2024 by sharing her extensive knowledge of cosplay during regular workshops with interested teens. As an outcome, more teens had an opportunity to imagine and craft their costumes over several months. According to McDonnell, instruction also prompted participants to think about how to embody their unique characters; exploring expression, posture, and movement.
“’York Cosplay!’ fosters authenticity, inclusivity, and confidence through creative self-expression,” says York County Libraries President Robert F. Lambert. “It is rewarding to see how teens are developing new skills through their learning experiences at the library. They start with a concept, develop it with some guidance, and then celebrate completion with their expanded community.”
Martin Library is a branch of York County Libraries (YCL) and is located at 159 E. Market Street in York. YCL includes 13 libraries that provide the latest in print and digital information, bestsellers, Wi-Fi, story times, book discussions and over 50 databases. In addition to their extensive collection of 534,000 physical items, they offer over one million digital library materials for loan. All are available for free with a York County Libraries card. Community members without a card are invited to request one at yorklibraries.org at no cost.
