Tag: costumes

Sunday at Balboa Park 90th Anniversary Celebration!

A big festival continued today in San Diego’s Balboa Park. All weekend, the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages celebrated their 90th Anniversary!

Plenty of cultural entertainment could be experienced by park visitors at both the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and the International Cottages.

I took photographs on Saturday–the event’s first day. See those photos by clicking here and here.

Today, Sunday, I returned to Balboa Park to enjoy more of the anniversary celebration!

Here comes a selection of photos…

I watched a traditional dance performance at the International Cottages, presented by the House of Peru…

A bit later, I watched these radiant dancers presented by the House of Philippines…

I ventured into the House of Denmark, hoping to find another Danish hot dog like the one I devoured yesterday. I found a scrumptious dream cake (drømmekage in Danish) instead! I love coconut!

Inside the Hall of Nations, the House of Czech and Slovak Republics had an interesting display.

Their cottage, damaged badly by a falling eucalyptus tree months ago, is being repaired by the City of San Diego. Looking good!

Members of the House of China offered to write visitor names in Chinese!

I headed over the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at 2 pm for the Sunday entertainment, which would include the Spreckels Organ.

Umbrellas could be rented at the Spreckels Organ Society membership table. It was a very warm day in San Diego’s early September sunshine!

Super cool (and talented) San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez smiled for a photo!

A very special concert begins with the National Anthem. San Diego celebrates the 90th anniversary of the International Cottages in Balboa Park!

I hear drums and bagpipes behind us…

Here comes the House of Scotland Pipe Band! They file between the benches to the organ pavilion stage…

Scottish music marches by and steps onto the stage…

Booming drums, bagpipes and the mighty Spreckels Organ–world’s largest outdoor instrument. What an incredible combination!

If this doesn’t get your blood moving, nothing will!

After several rousing performances, the band files off the stage…

Next comes the House of Germany Choir. Several songs include the favorite Edelweiss.

Then I enjoyed beautiful selections sung by the Damekor Scandinavian Choir. The musical group includes members of House of Pacific Relations nation Houses representing Scandinavia.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Parade of Flags celebrates 90 years in Balboa Park!

Balboa Park’s International Cottages are celebrating their 90th anniversary this weekend! They were established in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition.

The festivities kicked off today with the House of Pacific Relations International Cottage Parade of Flags!

Members of all the different Houses paraded through Balboa Park, to finally assemble at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Many participants wore traditional dress, representative of their nation.

Shame on me. I didn’t realize the parade was today. I was fortunate to catch the tail end of the colorful parade, as some of the nations filed proudly into the organ pavilion.

If you’re curious, that’s the House of Scotland Pipe Band with their drums and bagpipes under the huge United States flag. They were joined by young members of the Helix High School Highlanders band!

After the parade, there would be the National Anthem, speeches and cultural entertainment on the organ pavilion stage, then on the lawn at the International Cottages. (I’ll share those photos in my next blog post.)

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego becomes center of the cosplay universe!

There’s no denying that, at this moment, San Diego, California is the center of the entire cosplay universe!

Hundreds of cosplays can be seen everywhere in the city, mostly around the San Diego Convention Center. That’s because it’s the Saturday of Comic-Con 2025!

How does one convey the wild and crazy atmosphere? Take a look at some photos! Most of these were taken in the Gaslamp Quarter on Fifth Avenue. Now multiply it!

Every fandom imaginable is represented by creative cosplayers. There are traditional superheroes and a whole array of anime characters. There are colorful characters from television, movies, video games…

There are often-seen cosplays and esoteric cosplays. Some costumes are simple, others are incredibly elaborate. Young and old participate. There are even cosplaying pets!

I took these photos while navigating through the dense crowd this afternoon. Cosplayers were excited to strike poses for passersby. Much humor! Lots of smiles!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Weird, wonderful Saturday in San Diego!

You gotta love it!

It’s Saturday in San Diego–but not just any Saturday.

It’s the Saturday of Comic-Con 2025!

The crowds have grown larger and larger. Cosplay is absolutely everywhere. Huge lines have formed outdoors at the various offsite activations. (Wait up to four hours? No thanks! I’ll wait until Sunday.)

The endless weird and wonderful sights around downtown San Diego were more than enough for me!

I should probably think up clever captions for these photos. But it’s lunchtime. And I really need to take a quick nap before heading out again!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

More cosplay photos from Comic-Con 2025!

Red Guardian

San Diego Comic-Con is a cosplayer’s dream.

In 2025, the variety and quality of cosplay inside and outside of the San Diego Convention Center is simply amazing.

Here’s another batch of cosplay photos taken while walking around outside!

Wilma and Fred Flintstone
Pee-wee Herman
Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Doctor Doom
Snoopy lying on his doghouse and Woodstock
Tigra
Death Eater, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Bellatrix Lestrange and Knight Bus driver
Wolverine and Deadpool
Luigi and Mario
Maui
Hmm. I really don’t know.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Legend of Zelda
Ekko
Riddler
Black Cat and Spider-Man
Wonder Woman
Zoidberg
Captain Picard
Rorschach
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Rogue and Cyclops

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Cosplay everywhere outside Comic-Con!

It’s Thursday evening. Comic-Con 2025 has barely begun. Even so, cosplay is now appearing all over downtown San Diego– particularly in the Gaslamp Quarter and outside the San Diego Convention Center!

Most of these cosplay photos were taken today as I walked all around. A few were taken on Wednesday, the day of Preview Night.

Enjoy!

Captain America.
Team Boba Fett!
Hatsune Miku.
Winter Soldier.
Jurassic Park.
Hazbin Hotel.
Joker and Harley.
I asked what version of Spider-Man, but failed to write it down.
Another Harley, with Beetlejuice!
Galactus without giant headgear about to devour the Earth.
Star Wars.
Anakin Skywalker, before going to the Dark Side.
Han Solo and Rey.
Tinker Bell and Pirate Fairy.
One Piece and Doctor Who.
Come on. Everyone knows this is Batman!
Peacemaker has had it with me.
Joker, Thor and Harley. Um, I think Thor might be a smidgeon more powerful.
Sandtrooper with a big gun that doesn’t miss.
The Wicked Witch. Stay away from water!
A cool Star-Lord cosplay.
And here’s good ol’ Spidey.
Wolverine has adamantium claws out for action.
G.I. Robot!
Drax.
Uh, oh. Cobra is here! (Where’s G.I. Robot when you need him?)
Invisible Woman and Human Torch seem to be missing Mister Fantastic and Thing.
An awesome Doctor Octopus cosplay!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Doctor Who cosplay at Comic-Con 2025!

An awesome Doctor Who cosplay photoshoot was held today in San Diego at Comic-Con 2025!

A whole host of Time Lords, companions and other Doctor Who characters posed on the grass in front of the Marriott Marquis San Diego for photographs.

I must admit, it has been years since I watched any Doctor Who episodes, so my knowledge is extremely sketchy. How many of these characters do you recognize?

Leave a comment! I’m sure my Doctor Who blogging friend Paul Bowler over in the UK, who is an expert on the very-long-running television series, will know exactly who’s Who!

By the way, check out the Van Gogh Starry Night TARDIS shirt!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Marvel’s Savage Land cosplay at Comic-Con!

A cool cosplay photoshoot was held this evening at San Diego Comic-Con 2025. Marvel comic book characters who’ve appeared in the Savage Land posed in front of the Marriott Marquis San Diego’s outdoor fountain!

Which cosplays can you recognize?

I see a cyberpunk Black Widow, Wolverine, Squirrel Girl, Storm, Wild Child, Professor X, Sabretooth, Wiccan, Gambit, Rogue and another Wolverine!

The photoshoot was titled Resistance in the Savage Lands.

Perhaps the hidden Savage Land was suddenly transported from Antarctica to sunny San Diego. If that’s the case, be on the lookout for dinosaurs!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Cosplay dogs to the rescue in San Diego!

Costumed dog superheroes converged on San Diego’s Balboa Park today in order to perform feats of heroism at PAWmicon!

With the assistance of kind-hearted humans (some of whom also wore costumes) the cosplay canines helped to raise money and awareness for the Helen Woodward Animal Center, a nationally known animal shelter here in San Diego!

While PAWmicon isn’t associated with Comic-Con, it usually takes place around the week of San Diego’s big international pop culture event.

If you’re so inclined, would you help the Helen Woodward Animal Center by visiting their website here?

You, too, could be a superhero! Loving shelter animals are waiting for you to come to their rescue!

Would this four-footed Wonder Woman win the canine cosplay contest?

Princess Leia (aka Jessica Gercke) is a Helen Woodward Animal Center superstar who has helped saved countless animals. Perhaps you’ve seen her on San Diego television. I looked for Luke and Han but they must have been in a galaxy far away.

Another great dog/human cosplay combo! The Queen of Hearts!

Pikachu joined by two happy Pokémon pups.

Captain America was on hand! Check out his The Rise of Tiny Heroes comic here!

Krypto the Superdog has arrived to save the day! (Can Supergirl be far behind?)

I spun Mario’s wheel and got 2 of 3 pop culture questions correct! The difficult category stumped me.

It’s another four-legged Wonder Woman! Has she entangled a nearby villain with her Lasso of Truth?

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Meet cosplayers at the Comic-Con blood drive!

Those who give blood at this year’s Comic-Con blood drive get a special added inducement. You’ll get to meet a bunch of super cool cosplayers!

Costumed members of the San Diego Causeplayer Community will be on hand at the 49th Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive, San Diego Blood Bank’s largest and longest-running blood drive. (With all that blood sucking action, I wonder whether Blade or Dracula will be there?) Donors will also receive a free Fantastic Four T-shirt from Marvel Studios and other goodies!

If you’re interested in donating blood this year, head down to Grand Hall A at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel during San Diego Comic-Con. Better yet, follow this link to make an appointment.

Look who I saw today in Gaslamp Square! Dude Vader and several of his cosplaying friends!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!