Making cosplay friends (especially as an adult) can be really difficult sometimes. Whether you’re new or have been apart of the community for a while, you might be feelings a little lonely and looking to make friends. This probably has you thinking, how do I find a group to cosplay with? Group cosplays can be a blast at conventions or just on set for a photoshoot. If you’re not sure how to meet more cosplayers to try and collaborate with, look no further. The below options are great ways to meet new cosplayers.
How to Meet Cosplayers Online
The internet is an incredible tool to help meet cosplayers all across the globe. This will give you plenty of solutions to how do I find a group to cosplay with.
- Discord – Discord is by far one of my favorite places to meet cosplayers. There’s plenty of servers there to get to know other cosplayers. A lot of them have spaces to find collaboration opportunities for things like group cosplays as well. I personally opened my own Discord server for cosplayers as well.
- Instagram (social media) – You probably follow some cosplayers on Instagram. A simple way to make a new friend is simply to engage on your social media with the cosplayers you follow. This isn’t a guarantee you’ll befriend that specific individual but it never hurts to just drop a comment letting them know you love their cosplay or ask questions you have. The same thing can apply to other social media like TikTok and Twitter.
- Facebook groups – Things like meet ups and conventions often have Facebook groups you can join. This is a great space to network and meet cosplayers that are interested in the same cons as you. It’s probably smart to go this route since there’s a better guarantee to find someone attending the same con as you to plan a group for.
- Reddit – Reddit is an incredible forum for meeting people with common interests as you. With countless subreddits for the cosplay community to join, you’re sure to be able to find cosplayers to befriend and form a group with.
- YouTube – Similar to Instagram and other social media, YouTube is a good place to find other cosplayers. With videos (long form and short) to comment on and say hello, or some cosplayers use the community tabs to create posts you can engage one. Some YouTubeers are also live streamers which give a great opportunity to network with cosplayers.
Meeting Cosplayers in Person
If you want to find more opportunities to meet cosplayers in person, there’s a few options you have to choose from:
- Conventions – Convention floors are usually full of cosplayers. Simply spot one and say hello. If they’re up for talking with you, it’s possible you could end up with a new friend to do a group cosplay with. I love just stopping cosplayers with cool costumes to let them know I love their costume and will even ask them about how they created it to get the ball rolling. Some conventions also hold gatherings for specific fandoms that cosplayers can meet up at.
- Meet ups – Besides just conventions, cosplayers also go to regular meet ups. These are often local events and are a great way to meet cosplayers in your neighborhood. If you see someone at these meet ups who is cosplaying from a fandom you like, don’t hesitate to say hi.
- Convention after parties – Besides just the con floor and gatherings, there’s sometimes night life. Things like after parties or gatherings in hotel lobbies are often occurring after the convention is done for the day. This is a great way to meet up with more cosplayers in a more casual and fun environment.
- Competitions – If you like to compete, befriend your fellow competitors. You guys are going to probably be spending a lot of time back stage together during the competition. Use this time to say hi and even ask them about their cosplay. Just because you’re competing doesn’t mean you can’t form a new friendship no matter what division you’re competing in.
- Makerspace – These newer spaces are great to spend time crafting and meeting new people. If you have a local makerspace, try taking some time to work on a cosplay at it. These can be perfect places to find fellow cosplayer crafters that happen to be local to your area.