It’s no secret Teresa Nuthall loves Star Wars.
She’s been part of the 501st Legion — an international cosplay group dressing up as Star Wars characters to raise funds for charity — for a decade, but her love for the space opera franchise has been lifelong.
“We get to dress in our amazing movie-accurate costumes, and go out into the world and do good, support the fandom as fans ourselves, and then support our charities and communities all over the world through the love of Star Wars,” Nuthall said.
And she’s eager to share that passion with thousands of fans at this year’s Calgary Expo, an event that brings together everyone from casual moviegoers and gamers to diehard pop culture aficionados.
Teresa Nuthall, middle, poses for a photo in her Captain Phasma costume at Calgary Expo in 2019, alongside fellow 501st Legion members Cara Skjaveland and Kathy Ma. (Submitted by Teresa Nuthall)
Nuthall lives in the hamlet of Wanham, north of Grand Prairie, but she’s more than willing to make the seven-and-a-half hour trek down to Calgary every year for the event.
“You get to do these incredible things with beautiful people, strangers that become your friends, that you get to meet all over the world and celebrate a fandom, which is why we’re all here,” she said.
It’s a sentiment embodied by one of Calgary Expo’s slogans: “United By Fandom.”
“That space, and everywhere else around the con, is going to be united by fandom,” said Nuthall. “That’s literally what Calgary Expo is. We are united by the fandom, and that’s why we’re there.”
Star Wars fans in costumes during the 2024 Calgary Expo. (Submitted by Teresa Nuthall)
Nuthall and fellow 501st Legion members, as well as cosplayers from other clubs, will offer immersive experiences, workshops and panels for fans at this year’s event.
“When you step into our booth, you will be taken into a Star Wars world that, even if you’re not a fan, it’s pretty spectacular,” she said.
(Submitted by Teresa Nuthall)
The 501st Legion’s Alberta-based Badlands Garrison’s history goes hand-in-hand with that of Calgary Expo: the group officially launched in 2005, less than a year before the first Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo was held in half the top floor of the Big Four Building.
“You get to come together and do wonderful, life-altering things, simply because of a love of a movie that was made in 1977,” Nuthall said.
She’s far from the only one taking part in the fandom festivities at Calgary Expo, where upwards of 100,000 fans are expected to converge over the next few days.
Parade of Wonders to roll through downtown
It’s hard to think of Calgary Expo without picturing the legendary Parade of Wonders, with costumed fans and celebrity guests making their way through downtown to kick off the festivities.
(Submitted by Teresa Nuthall)
Among the stars in the spotlight of this year’s parade is Anthony Daniels, the English actor best known for portraying protocol droid C-3PO in Star Wars movies, shows and games since 1977.
He’ll also be joined by other members of Calgary Expo’s star-studded guest lineup, along with Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Culture and Entertainment District Dog Mayor Mud Pi.
“It’s a thrilling parade,” Nuthall said. “You’re representing the fandom that you love, and you’re there for those fans that are watching, and it is so exciting.”
Calgary Expo’s parent company Fan Expo runs comic conventions across North America, but Calgary is the only place that hosts such a massive pop culture parade.
“It’s a visual sensation,” said Andrew Moyes, vice-president of Fan Expo. “It’s really bringing that sense of belonging and creativity to the city.”
“It really speaks to Calgary, and the fact that the whole community connects to bring this unique event together,” he said.
Fandoms were on full display during the 2024 Calgary Expo Parade of Wonders, which kicks off the four-day event’s festivities every year. (Will Tigley/CBC)
Moyes said the Parade of Wonders, now in its 12th year, has become “part of the fabric” of Calgary Expo.
“I think everyone in the city enjoys lining the streets and seeing the streets come to life,” Moyes said. “So I think that also feeds into why we continue to deliver this to the city.”
The 2025 Calgary Expo’s Parade of Wonders drew thousands last year ahead of the annual four-day event. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)
This year’s Parade of Wonders kicks off at 10:30 a.m., taking the procession from Central Memorial Park through Victoria Park and 17th Avenue, before ending at Stampede Park.
There, the Calgary Expo opening ceremonies commence at 11:15 a.m. in front of the BMO Centre.
Details on the new and expanded parade route are available on the Calgary Expo website.
CBC’s Jenny Howe will be hosting the Fan Zone at this year’s parade, bringing fans together to show off their passion and creativity.
The Parade of Wonders is free to attend, and will also be livestreamed on the CBC Calgary homepage, as well as CBC Gem, YouTube and TikTok.
Star-studded guest lineup
Calgary Expo attracts some of the biggest names in pop culture to the city every year, and 2026 is no exception.
It’s a rare opportunity for fans to meet their favourite actors and artists face-to-face, get autographs and photos, and ask geeky questions at moderated panels in front of a massive audience.
Among many celebrity appearances this year, the occasion generating some of the most buzz is a reunion of the original four The Lord of the Rings trilogy hobbits in celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary.
This promotional still from the 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring depicts, from left, actors Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee), Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Billy Boyd (Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took) and Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck). The four will be in attendance at Calgary Expo this weekend. (IMDb/New Line Productions, Inc.)
Billy Boyd, best known for playing Peregrin “Pippin” Took in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, told CBC Radio’s The Homestretch that he’s looking forward to “seeing the boys” during their reunion in Calgary this weekend.
“Some of my oldest friends, now that we’re talking 25 years,” Boyd said. “It’s legitimately friends who have watched their families grow up, who have gone on vacation together, who go eat dinner all the time. It’s just a real sort of lightning strike, a once in a generation thing, that all seemed to work that way.”
“And there’s always some hijinks,” he said. “That always makes us laugh.”
The hobbits will be joined at Calgary Expo by fellow cast member John-Rhys Davies, who portrayed dwarf warrior Gimli and the aptly-named Treebeard in the trilogy.
And those are only a few of the many familiar faces fans will get to see at this year’s event.
The lineup features a long list of celebrity attendees including actors from Harry Potter, Supernatural, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, as well as the stars of Grand Theft Auto V, God Of War and Overwatch for gaming enthusiasts, and voice actors from anime series like Attack on Titan, Death Note and Pokémon.
William Shatner speaks to the media before serving as marshal of the 2014 Calgary Stampede parade at a news conference in Calgary on July 3, 2014. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)
Star Trek actor William Shatner, of Captain Kirk fame, is among the performers participating in this year’s event.
Shatner told The Homestretch he’s still reflecting on the successful Artemis II mission around the moon, especially in light of his own journey to space in 2021.
“I’ve driven cross-country through Calgary, and all cross-country from coast to coast, and it seems endless,” Shatner said. “But when you look at it from space, suborbital, you see how fragile and small it really is, and it affects you,” the Canadian actor, 95, said.
Fans of the long-running sci-fi franchise — which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year — can also meet Star Trek: The Next Generation stars Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher) and Brent Spiner (Data) at this year’s event.
Calgary Expo runs April 23 to 26 at Stampede Park.
CBC Calgary’s afternoon show The Homestretch will broadcast live at BMO Centre from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 24, in the celebrity signing hall.