This Weekend – Comicons & Record Conventions
The weekend starts off with the multiple day Ottawa Comicon from the 5th to the 7th at the EY Center, near the Ottawa International Airport and next to the Uplands LRT station.
Click here for admission information. And the venue is serviced by Bus Routes 105 & 197 on OC Transpo at Stop Number 3069.
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The next event is again a comicon, the Barrie Comicon, from 10am to 3pm, on Saturday, the 6th of September, 2025 at the Eastview Arena. And admission is $5 or free for kids 12 and under.
The nearest bus stops to the venue are numbers 407 and 409, which are serviced by Bus Routes 8A and 101 on Barrie Transit.
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The Hamilton Record Show will be held at Bridgework from 10:30am to 4pm on Saturday as well, and admission is $5 or $20 for early admission at 9am.
The venue is a twelve minute walk away from the West Harbour Go Station or eight minute walk from Bus Stop 2977 which is serviced by Bus Routes 08 and 09 on HSR.
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Graffiker Alley, “The Festival of Self-Published Comics, Manga and Zines”, will also be held on Saturday, at the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga, from 11am to 5pm, with free admission.
The venue is a fifteen minute walk away from the Long Branch Go Station and Long Branch Loop on the TTC. Or you can take Bus Route 31 on Miway Transit from either to the nearest bus stops to the venue, 0408 or 0443, which are also serviced by Bus Route 23.
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The Dorchester Record & CD Sale will occur on Sunday, the 7th of September, 2025 at the Dorchester Legion from 10am to 3pm. And admission is a donation to the Legion.
This venue is not serviced by public transit.
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The Bowmanvillle CD and Record Show is also a free event, at it will be held on Sunday, the 7th of September, 2025 at the Bowmanville Memorial Park Club House from 10am to 4pm.
Note that this venue is located near Exit 432 on Highway 401. And the nearest bus stop to the venue, stop number 1499, is an eight minute walk away and it is serviced by Route 902 on Durham Region Transit, whose site does have a trip planner.
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Please note that cash may be preferred at these sites. And that the 10,000 PC Optimum Bonus Offer on $100 Indigo and/or Google Gift Cards at participating Shopper Drug Mart stores will end on September 5th, 2025. Consult your local flyer for details.
Very Few Events But…
There are no record conventions and only one comicon like event in Vancouver, MiniComi, but if you’re in the National Capital and planning to attend the Canada Day celebrations you should note that the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau is hosting an exhibition celebrating Canadian pop and rock.
Retro – Popular Music in Canada from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s will be on display until Jan 18th, 2026 every day from 9am to 5pm and with extended hours to 7pm on Thursdays and Canada Day itself.
Admission information can be found by clicking here and admission is free to kids aged 17 and younger but a ticket be claimed in their name via the link provided. And note that holders of the Canada Strong Pass that are aged 18 to 24 are entitled to a 50% discount on admission via this form as well.
It also appears that admission is free on Thursday nights from 6 to 7pm and on Canada Day from 9am to 7pm according to the ticket purchasing site. And when it comes to transit, Route 8 services the venue at bus stop number 1940, operating from Pimisi Station in Ottawa on OC Transpo and multiple bus routes on STO also service the museum in the city of Gatineau itself, via bus stop numbers 2612 and 2618.
Enjoy your weekend and Canada. Stay safe and hydrated.
Multiple Major Events This Weekend
There are lots of record conventions and comicons, from coast to coast:
The Sudbury Music & Collectables Show will be held on Saturday, the 24th of May, 2025 from 10am to 3pm at the Northbury Hotel.
Admission will be $5 or $10 for early admission at 9am. The venue is a 12 minute walk from the Via Rail station, which is serviced by multiple routes on Greater Sudbury Transit. Note that a pedestrian tunnel near these bus stops facilitate access to Riverside Drive and the venue.
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The Capital Comic Book Convention will be also be held on Saturday, May 24th, 2025 but from 11am to 4pm at the RA Center in Ottawa.
Admission details can be found by clicking here, as well as information about VIP Early Entry (at 10am). And the nearest bus stops from the venue, bus stop numbers 1152 and 1567, is a 6 minute walk away and serviced by a multiple of routes on OC Transpo because these stops are next to Billings Bridge Transitway Station.
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The Trenton Comicon will be held on Saturday, the 24th of May at the Trenton Curling Club from 10am to 3pm and admission will be $5 or free for kids 12 and under.
This venue has its own bus stop, 107, and is service by Route B on Quinte Transit, which also provides Rides on Demand.
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The spring version of Record Fair NL will be held at the St.John’s Farmers Market from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, the 25th of May, 2025.
Admission will be $2 per person or free for kids 12 and under. And Bus Stops next to the venue, 2780 and 3080, are serviced by Routes 10 and 12 on Metrobus
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The Boogie Record Fair & Market hosted by Boogie on Queen in Toronto will also be held on Sunday, the 25th of May, 2025 but from 1pm to 5pm. And it will be a free event.
This venue is serviced by streetcar routes 301 and 501 on the TTC via stop numbers 6838 and 15348.
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The MacKinnon Brothers Vinyl Record Market will also be a free event on Sunday, May 25th, 2025, which will be held at the MacKinnon Brothers Brewery from 1pm to 4pm.
This venue I unfortunately isolated in a rural area that does not have public transit.
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The North Bay Record Show will be held on Sunday, the 25th, of May 2025 at the Elk’s Lodge from 10am to 3pm and admission will be $5 or $10 for early entry at 9am.
The venue had its own bus stops, which is serviced by Routes 3, 5 and 7 on North Bay Transit. And the North Bay Train Station and Bus Terminal is a five minute walk from the venue.
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The Vancouver Vinyl Record Show will also be held on Sunday, the 25th of May, 2025 from 11am to 4pm at the Heritage Hall. And admission will be $5, cash.
This venue is serviced by Route 003 on Translink via stop numbers 50241 and 59581.
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Please note that cash may be preferred at these venues. And note that the 10,000 Bonus PC Optimum Points Offer on $100 Google play, IKEA, Indigo and OLG gift cards purchases at participating Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores will expire on Friday, the 23rd, 2025.
Busy Saturday In Ottawa & More
Not only is Record Store Day on this Saturday, the 12th of April, 2025, but The Ottawa Record Fair will be on from 11am to 4pm at the Carleton-Dominion Chalmers Centre.
Admission to the fair is $5 or $10 for early entry at 10am. And the nearest bus stops, #1902 and #2487, are regularly serviced by several major routes on OC Transpo.
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Also occurring in Ontario that day are three comicons, the first being in nearby Kingston for one day, at the Royal Canadian Legion from 10am to 3pm.
Admission at the Kingston Comicon will be $5 or free for kids 12 and under. And this venue is serviced by Route 1 on Kingston Transit via its own bus stop and another bus stop across the street. Non-perishable food items will also be collected at this event.
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The next event of that Day in Ontario will be the Halton Hills Fanfest in Georgetown, from 10am to 4pm at the Halton Hill Public Library.
I believe the event may be free but you might want to contact the library for details. And the nearest bus stops, 102803 and 102804, are serviced Routes 31 and 33 on Go Transit.
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The last event in Ontario that day will also occur on both the 12th and 13th in Timmins at the McIntyre Community Centre.
Admission to Timminscon is $15 for adults, $10 for kids and free form kids under 2. And the venue is serviced by multiple routes on Timmins Transit, which differs depending on the day you will attend the event, although Route 16 appears to operate on both days.
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The Atlantic Entertainment Expo will also be occurring this weekend, on the 12th and 13th of April 2025 in Fredericton, New Brunswick at the Fredericton Convention Center.
Click here for this event’s admission information. The venue has its own bus stop, which is serviced by multiple routes on Fredericton Transit.
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The Toronto/Mississuaga Vinyl Record & Collectibles Show will be held from 10am to 3pm at the Etobicoke Olympium on Sunday, the 13th of April, 2025.
Admission is $5 and the venue is serviced by Route 48 via bus stop numbers 1477 and 1493 on the TTC.
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And finally, the Edmonton Record Fair will be hosted by the Northgate Lion Recreation Center from 11am to 3:30pm on Sunday, April 13th, 2025.
Admission will be $5 or $10 for early admission at 9:30am. And the nearest bus stops to the venue are 77342 and 77350, which is serviced by Route 54 on Edmonton Transit.
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Please note that cash may be preferred at these events. And that a free three month offer from Amazon Music Unlimited is available and includes Audible audio books, one of which will be free to listen to every month.
Events this Weekend & More
There will be no record conventions this weekend but Ottawa will be hosting two free events that might be of interest to some of this blog’s readers.
The first will be the two day, Winter Edition of Ottawa Comicon on the 25th and 26th of January at the EY Center:
There will be no guest speakers but plenty of exhibitions at this free event, which will be open from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. And note that the Uplands O-Train Station next to the venue will be open on Saturday, the 25th of January, so you will be able to use Lines 2 and 4 that day.
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Furthermore, the 613flea Market will be held at the Aberdeen Pavilion, also on Saturday the 25th of January, 2025, from 10am to 4pm. And you can use Bus Route 7 from the Carleton University Station to & from the venue:
This is a free event that occasionally has vendors that sell vinyl LPs/singles, DVDs/blu-rays and memorabilia, so it might be worth your while to pop on by. And remember to both stock up on cash and warm clothing, because it is cold!
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Now for some news for people in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec:
Steve’s Music will be moving into their new location, 280 St. Catherines Street, by February 1st, 2025. This store faces the former Ottawa Bus Terminal site and is next to Tannis Cash & Carry.
Also scheduled for February is the opening of the Boutique Musique web site; This is a cute little store in the scenic village of Wakefield, Quebec that sells vinyl LPs/singles, CDs and turntables.
The Windsor Record Show and More…
There will be one record show and four comicon/collectors conventions this weekend:
The Windsor Record Show will be held at the Dominion House Tavern on Sunday, the 10th of November 2024 from 10am to 3pm and yes, admission is free.
Ample free parking is provided and the nearest bus stops to the venue, 1074 and 1075, are a one minute walk away and serviced by Route 1C on Windsor Transit.
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The Peterborough Comicon will be again hosted by The Venue, this time on Saturday, the 9th of 2024 from 10am to 3pm.
Admission to this event will be $5 or free for kids 12 and under. And the area is serviced by multiple Peterborough Transit routes via bus stops 1495 and 1537.
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Another convention, the 2024 edition of Lindsay Comicon, will be held at the Victoria Park Armoury in nearby Lindsay, Ontario, on the following day (Nov 10th, 2024) from 10am to 3pm.
Admission will also be $5 and free for kids 12 and under. And the venue has its own bus stop and is located next to the Lindsay Transit hub at the corner of Victoria and Kent St. W.
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Also occurring on Sunday is Compasscon: Leaside 2024 at the Leaside Memorial Arena in Toronto, from 10am to 4pm.
General admission is $5 or free for kids 12 and under, and discounted advance admission is available online. The venue is serviced by Route 56 and Route 56A on the TTC from the Leaside TTC Station via two stops, 5136 and 15671.
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And finally, Capital Trade Show will again be holding their free monthly event at the Nepean Sportsplex this Sunday, from 10am to 3pm.
This venue is serviced by the Transitway, which means multiple OC Transpo routes will be available form one stop at the venue.
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Please note that the 7500 Bonus PC Optimum offer on $50 Google Play Gift Cards purchased at participating Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores will end on Friday the 8th of November, 2025. And negotiations in-between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post are still active.