Hundreds gather to celebrate fandoms at Keycon 42 in Winnipeg
Posted May 17, 2026 12:48 pm.
Hundreds of science fiction and fantasy fans gathered in Winnipeg this weekend for Keycon 42, the city’s annual fan-run convention celebrating cosplay, gaming, literature and fandom culture.
The event featured vendors, authors, cosplay, lightsaber demonstrations and fan meetups, drawing attendees from across Manitoba and beyond.
“It means so much, I love Keycon so much, it’s my pride and joy. Even if im not too big a part of it,” one attendee said at the convention.
Organizers say the convention, now in its 42nd year, continues to provide a welcoming space for fans of all kinds to connect.
“In the community for all types of nerds, there’s so many microcommunities and little tiny pockets of nerds all over the con,” said Zeenex Petrie, a furry attendee. “Its nice to have such a big variety all come together and connect.”
For organizers, the convention represents months of volunteer work finally coming together.
“Just seeing when it finally all comes together, cause we spend the whole year organizing this and just to see everybody here having fun and I’ve had people coming up to thank me which I didn’t expect, so that was very touching,” said Tea Wydsh, co-chair of Keycon 42.
The convention is entirely not-for-profit and includes appearances from groups across the province, including River City Sabres, a Winnipeg organization that teaches lightsaber combat inspired by martial arts.
River City Sabres has been operating for 14 years, offering fans a chance to combine fitness with fandom.
“Just seeing people who are not normally getting off the couch or getting excersice or getting any kind of marcial arts experience in their life,” said Scott Isaac, co-founder of River City Sabres. “And when they’re starting to do this things and they’re seeing how it changes how they move how their confidence levels everything, it’s amazing.”
For some attendees, conventions like Keycon have become an important gathering place for communities that have lost dedicated events of their own.
“We actually used to have a fury convention and they unfortunately shut down but because of that there’s a lot of people and they don’t know where to go and they don’t know where to find eachother,” said Petrie. “So cons like Keycon are really good for us to connect and find community.”
