Photos: Parade of Wonders becomes impromptu winter party after weather cancellation

The long-awaited Parade of Wonders (POW!) was put off for another year, as Calgary was slammed by more spring snow Friday.

Still, that didn’t stop the spirit of the event from warming things up.

After a two-year hiatus, cosplayers braved the weather to gather at the parade’s 8 Street SW and 8 Avenue SW staging area.

News of the cancellation came after the original start time of 10 a.m., as weather conditions deteriorated further. Large sections of downtown Calgary became slick with ice and slush.

“Due to the large snowstorm in Calgary, and for the safety of everyone involved, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the POW! Parade of Wonders event this year,” wrote the Calgary Expo on social media.

Despite being unable to parade to the original opening ceremony location at Olympic Plaza, the Calgary Expo held an impromptu version with Mayor Jyoti Gondek declaring the Expo open. Mayor Gondek’s parade costume was a closely-guarded secret in the days leading up to the Expo.

The planned City of Calgary white hatting of Parade of Wonders director Allison Moore also went ahead.

Participants were treated to several renditions of movie themes, including Marvel’s The Avengers.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s surprise costume

Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s white rabbit costume for the Parade of Wonders on Friday, April 22, 2022. The parade was derailed this year, turning into an impromptu dance party after heavy snow turned the route in a combination of slick ice, slush, and snow. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARY

LiveWire Calgary also made a special Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo virtual action figure of Mayor Gondek. Her costume can be viewed in the embedded viewer below, but can also be viewed in augmented reality using the Scaniverse app on iPhones.

Within Scaniverse, click on the 3d box shape in order to view the virtual version of Mayor Gondek in augmented reality mode.