Big changes to Wollongong's Comic Gong in 2023 which returns for its 10th year

Instead of superheroes and popular anime characters filling the streets around the Arts Precinct on a Saturday in May, it will be split into two days and two venues.

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Saturday May 13 will instead see a free "family-focused affair" at Corrimal Library (where the event first spawned).

The Short Street venue will host live entertainment, face painting, cosplay, and kids craft activities amongst the lines of books and literary material.

The following Friday May 19, Wollongong Town Hall will host the inaugural Cosplay Ball - a ticketed event.

Organisers anticipate to see jaw-dropping costumes at the ball, with an evening of cosplay competitions, photo-booths, dancing, live music, and more planned. Tickets to this event will be on sale in March.

While the ode to comics, graphic novels, gaming, pop culture and cosplay will apparently be back to normal in 2024 (that is, a one-day event in the Arts Precinct), this year however, will see an absence of stallholders and the "artists alley" where creatives spruik their wares.

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Run by Wollongong City Council, the changes in 2023 are due to a refurbishment of the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre which has inevitably closed the surrounding Arts Precinct.

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said it was the first time for two separate events.

"The first ever Comic Gong was held at Corrimal Library so it's great to go back to that space and offer a family-focused event that promises to be a fun day out for parents, carers and kids," Cr Bradbery said.

"It's also important to acknowledge that families really love this event."

The council has not released any more details about the schedule of activities for each of the events, though they have put out a call to business for sponsorship.

In 2022 the event's resurrection after the pandemic was presented over five different locations - Wollongong Library, Wollongong Town Hall, Arts Precinct, Arts Gallery and the Crown Street Mall. It had included a community street parade and was completely free.

The Mercury is uncertain whether this year will also see the return of out-doors activities like wrestling, the Batmobile, archery and sword-play demonstrations.

For more information about Comic Gong follow the Wollongong City Libraries Facebook page.