Excelsior! Your guide to the highlights at Comic Gong this weekend

We've compiled this guide help highlight some of our top picks for the day including the cosplay, archery, live music and much much more!

Coming back to Comic Gong in 2024 is the high-octane Spider-Man Stunt Show performed by Action Reaction Entertainment.

Samwise Holmes, the director of Action Reaction says the show will bring the character of Spider-Man to life.

"It's meant to be thrilling, awe and shock at the skills that our performers showcase," Holmes said.

"It's something else when it steps out in front of you and starts doing big flips and tricks and becomes this little bit more tangible."

The show goes for 30 minutes and will be performed three times throughout the day, with the first show at 10am in the Arts Precinct.

This is not the first time the show has taken part in Comic Gong, but Holmes says they are "excited to come back and put on an even bigger and better show this year".

For those Katniss wannabees out there, the archery activity run by Archer Combat is for you.

They're bringing two 9 sqm inflatable dart boards to set up their "safe archery range" according to Wayne Briggs from Archer Combat.

"Every shooter gets a couple of minutes of us showing them how to hold the bow, how to load their arrows and then they shoot at a range," Briggs said.

"It's always a great weekend, Comic Gong's been a fantastic event since it first started."

Archer Combat will be set up in the Arts Precinct all day on Saturday.

Also in the Arts Precinct, Comic Gong is hosting a sword fighting demo and workshop run by Battlecry LARP starting from 11am for those who want to get a bit more up close and personal.

Rock 'N' Roll Wrestling are set to smash Comic Gong when they ring the bell at 10.30am in the Arts Precinct.

Promoter Hunter Hayes says the company prides itself on being quality family entertainment.

"It's just a great family event that we love being a part of," Hayes said.

"They can expect some action-packed entertainment, where they can sort of shake off the cobwebs and get as loud as they want."

The ring will be set up outside in the precinct which Hunter calls a "great spot" for people to walk through.

"You see the ring and the wrestlers and it's larger than life."

Over the course of the day at Comic Gong there will be plenty of musical performances for you and your family to sit down and watch.

Over at Town Hall the Steampunk Vagabonds will be holding their Viking Dance Performance starting from 10.30am, which will bring a touch of Norse mythology to their dancing.

Kylie Morrison says the troupe's performances at Comic Gong are always special.

"It's been a really positive experience," Morrison said.

"Everybody has enjoyed the interaction including the kids. I know in the first year ... the dancers were exhausted by the end because the kids were so involved, they didn't want to sit back down."

Other musical performances include Con Artists Band & Curious Rendition Orchestra playing live, a K-Pop Cover/ Idol Dance Showcase and two DJ sets to round out the afternoon.

The two DJs who will be playing are Chelsea Dagger and Jadeabella, who is still deciding which cosplay she wants to wear for the set.

"I'm kind of tossing up between my inkling from Splatoon, my little squid kid or Tetra from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker," Jadeabella said.

"I try to make my sets really fun and vibey for everyone to listen to."

Jadeabella describes her set as playing "a lot of video game remixes" with some anime thrown in as well.

The DJ Sets begin at 1pm in the Lower Crown Street Mall.

For those who want to take some time off their feet, the Wollongong Library has partnered with Starsz Stronghold to run through some pen-and-paper games.

Sadly most of the sessions have been booked out, but there are still spots available for Call of Cthulu and Dungeon Crawl Classics.

You can book into the sessions here.

Plus Starsz will also be on hand to help attendees play through a selection of board games provided by Boardom Games.

A Starz spokesperson said the company was all about "bringing new people into the hobby and giving them a chance to try new systems and play with new GMs".

As always the Comic Gong will be filled with fans dressing up as their favorite characters, for more information on the art of cosplay and the competition Comic Gong is holding check out this article.

The full schedule and list of exhibitors at Comic Gong can be found here.