History of Unleashed Events

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2023 brought on new challenges and new locations with the introduction of Lincolnshire Comic Con.  With 19 events across the country this year it was our biggest year yet with even more room for growth in the coming years.

2022 saw the events back to normal and stronger than ever, this year brought in some new guests including John Rhys Davis and Bernard Hill, and some of the most popular conventions we have held to date.

2021 saw Unleashed Events hold the first Comic-Cons in UK following the end of lockdown including our new huge event at Leeds Royal Armouries and in a big top at Durham. August also sees the return of the mighty York Unleashed Comic-Con at York Racecourse!

2020 saw a hiatus due to the worldwide pandemic but Unleashed Events managed to buck the trend and hold 5 events including new events in Durham, our new York Winter Comic-Con indoors at York Racecourse and also and outdoor Geeky Market in Leeds city centre!

2019 was the busiest year yet for Unleashed Events which saw us hold events at new venues in Newcastle, Sheffield and Whitby along with growing attendance at all of our other regular events.

2018 sees the birth of Ipswich Comic-Con, bringing Unleashed Events to a southern audience, and the initial response from the public has been tremendous. Following the great success of Magic and Mayhem in Middlesbrough, a small Harry Potter themed event aimed at children and families, Unleashed Events made the decision to expand on this convention and take it on tour, with Magic and Mayhem events now happening in Hull and Stockport as well as becoming even bigger and better in the Teesside area with new attractions and displays. The flagship event Teesside Unleashed has now migrated to its new home and subsequently changed name, bringing Middlesbrough Comic-Con into fruition, and Hartlepool Comic-Con sees Unleashed Events moving even further north, now covering many areas in the country. Leeds Comic-Con is the most recent addition to the long line up of events, and will take place in the peak of comic con season, May 2018.

2017 saw the continuation and expansion of Unleashed Events’ conventions as they carried on growing and progressing. The launch of the brand new Bradford Unleashed in February was Unleashed Events’ first step into West Yorkshire, and was immediately hugely popular. November saw the very first Doncaster Unleashed at Doncaster Dome, a very large capacity venue in South Yorkshire. The day was a great success.

In 2016, the events were rebranded under the name Unleashed Events. York Comic-Con (now called York Unleashed) grew in size, this time garnering over 5,000 people, and now spreading across three floors of York Racecourse. This year saw a total of 11 events of varying sizes across Yorkshire, Humberside, Teesside, and Manchester, including the brand new Metro Unleashed in Gateshead, and Stockport Comic-Con on the outskirts of Manchester. 2016 was also the beginning of Team Unleashed, a dedicated group of volunteers - costumers, writers, graphic designers, website developers and more, committed to bringing their expertise to Unleashed Events in a variety of ways.

2015 was the year Hunter Toys brought to York Racecourse their biggest event yet, York Comic-Con. With over 100 trader tables and a footfall exceeding 4,000 people, the event was publicly acclaimed for its excellent organisational skills, wide range of attractions, and great value for money.

In 2014 Hunter Toys launched their flagship event, Teesside Unleashed. As a mid-sized comic-con style event, it incorporated trader tables, a cosplay competition, exciting visual displays, costumers, and much more. The day was a great success, and it kicked off the birth of a host of other Hunter Toys events throughout the North East and Humberside.