It's the nerdiest thing on the Space Coast in Florida. All of the nerdy things, in fact. All in one single place over one weekend.
The Space Coast Nerd Fest is an annual event that brings together various forms of nerdery: jousting, sci-fi, cosplay, special effects, impersonators, comic books, gaming, technology, collectibles, Renfaire, toys, castles, Lego creations and a few hotrods and pin-ups scattered in for good measure.
A scene from Space Coast Nerd Fest — Photo courtesy of Space Coast Nerd Fest
You'll see some celebs at this Melbourne event, and not just big names among big nerds.
Special guests have included international cosplay artists, cast from The Walking Dead, comic book artists and more. This year, the festival welcomed Michael Winslow – who's famous for his role in Spaceballs and Police Academy – and Gil Gerard, who starred as Buck Rogers back in the day.
Local celebrities also make an appearance, like Lady Syd, a local "costumer” and spokesperson for the festival.
Not to overlook the guest appearance by the Space Coast Ghostbusters. Because they exist.
The Space Coast Ghostbusters attend the nerd fest — Photo courtesy of Space Coast Ghostbusters
The two-day Nerd Fest draws thousands of people per day to the Melbourne Auditorium, and numbers continue to grow every year.
Expect to see wigs, capes and costumes, and not just for the cash prize of the costume contest. (There’s a kids’ costume contest, too.) No need to wait until Halloween!
Walking through the event, you're likely to see everything from Renaissance-style getups to aliens to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to Darth Vader. Naturally, Star Wars fans are a given. And for once, they get to hang out at the same party as the Star Trek crew.
Hopefully no lightsabers will be drawn over whose outer space show is the best.
Come in costume to the nerdiest fest on the Space Coast — Photo courtesy of Space Coast Nerd Fest
The sci-fi characters co-mingle with comic book heroes. Batman. Captain America. You name it. And everyone here straddles various universes and time periods, which means queens, knights and dragons. Dragons chill with unicorns. At the Space Coast Nerd Fest, all facets of fantasy coexist, in one mega-universe of geektastic imagination.
In between people-watching, browse the vendors, listen to live music and watch live jousting. Of course, live jousting.
The car show angle is a different kind of nerdy, and it draws car clubs, participants in the Great American Car War and rat-rodders and vintage vehicle fanatics.
Best of all, it’s not pricey to be a nerd at this fest. Tickets in the past have only cost $10 a day or $15 for the whole weekend. The fest is family friendly, and kids 12 and younger get in for free with a paying adult. Previous festivals have also featured special events to raise money for charitable causes.
See live performances at Nerd Fest — Photo courtesy of Space Coast Nerd Fest
