Once again it was time for the local Science Fiction book store to put on their Nerd Parade through the streets of Malmö, an event put on to celebrate Towel Day (May 25th), to honor the legacy of Douglas Adams, the author of the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For practical reasons the parade was moved to Saturday May 27th and the gathering point was outside the City Library, where nerds of all ages and interests began to gather. I must admit to not knowing all of the different universes that characters and costumes are from; my knowledge of Japanese anime and manga is limited at best so I am sure that others can immediately say where certain costumes are from, while I have no clue whatsoever.

One of the best parts of this event is seeing several generations of sci-fi nerds interacting and enjoying the whole vibe and costumes, no matter your ambition level when it comes to the outfits. You are just as welcome with a full-on Mandalorian outfit as you are with just a mask bought at a gas station…or even less (I’ve never done any cosplay myself, I am there as one of the many photo nerds trying to get pictures of the event). I just smile when I see little kids wield a light sabre against “Darth Maul” or try to face up to the big Stormtroopers. That guy was huge by the way…I barely reached his shoulder and I’m six foot tall. (So yes, he’s definitely tall enough to be a Stormtrooper!)

Once everyone was sufficiently hyped by various sci-fi soundtracks and themes played by a volunteer marching band the parade got started on their short stroll through the Saturday streets of Malmö. Given that it was a pretty warm and sunny day I am guessing the participants with very tight-fitting or thick layered costumes were pretty relieved they didn’t have to walk very far! Previous editions of this parade has had characters like one of the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings…I bet that costume would have been VERY uncomfortable this year! Given the short distance that they would walk on their parade I was able to quickly move from one shooting position, onto another and then a third one, so I got lots of angles of this year’s parade. All in all a nice afternoon spent being a photo nerd, photographing a bunch of other nerds enjoying their interest!