If there were a Nirvana for Nerds and Geeks, I would have to assume that it would be at a Wizard World Comic Con. I was lucky enough to attend the most recent Wizard World event in Sacramento, California. For the people dedicated to fandom and pop culture in general, I can’t express enough how much you need to attend one of these events. Wizard World is where celebrities, collectors, and fans collide into one big melting pot of geek greatness.

We were lucky enough to attend all three days of Wizard World (not always possible – but recommended if you can swing it).

Here’s a quick rundown of our three days in geek heaven:

Day 1 – Doors opened Friday afternoon, and this was definitely the least crowded day of the weekend, giving us full reign to peruse the convention floor and all the geeky awesomeness they had to offer. We picked up a printed schedule and mapped out booths and events we wanted to visit throughout the weekend. Then we cooled off up in the Table Top Gaming Room – where we watched a Magic The Gathering Tournament in action and played a DC Deck Building Game. There are dozens of tabletop games to choose from, and it is the perfect way to take a break from the chaos of the con (and something I’ve never seen offered at any other con I’ve attended before).

Day 2 – Another morning spent on the floor and then off to catch some panels. We caught the ever-hilarious and hardworking Alfonso Riberio for his “Dancing With Carlton” panel where he talked Fresh Prince, Dancing With The Stars, his upcoming gig as host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, and the importance of hard work. We also made it to the incredibly charming Adrian Paul’s panel “There Can be Only One.” We ended the afternoon by attending Billie Piper’s panel and Q&A, where she kept everyone smiling and answered dozens of questions from the audience (the highlight of which was that she would LOVE to return and work with Peter Capaldi – here’s hoping, Whovians!).

Day 3 – Yesterday (June 22) was the last day to walk the floor and stock up on our geek essentials. We managed to hit Jay Mewes’ panel where he talked about all his latest projects, working with Mark Hamill and, of course, fatherhood and sobriety. Sean Patrick Flannery – definitely a Wizard World celebrity vet – has the inside scoop on all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans at Wizard World… In between panels and walking the floor we competed in the Super Smash Brothers Tournament in the Gaming Pavilion.

The cosplayers in attendance were off the hook. The photos below only capture a taste of the amazing cosplay we witnessed at the con  (as well as a few of the celebrity panels).

[All images courtesy of Meghan Harvey/PopWrapped]

It’s tempting to compare the Wizard World events to San Diego Comic Con – but with SDCC being on such an epic scale in size and the sheer number of events involved, it’s not really possible. With that said, there is a lot to love about the slightly smaller scale of the Wizard World events. It’s truly a game of chance when trying to get autographs, photo ops or simply to attend celebrity panels at SDCC. But with Wizard World, we walked into every single panel without waiting in line and got great seats for all. Nothing filled up – nothing sold out and it gave each celebrity encounter an intimate feeling you will never have at SDCC.

So if you didn’t get into SDCC this year, do not despair, geek friends, there is a Wizard World Comic Con coming to a city near you! And you must go forth and take in all the geekiness it has to offer.