Auckland's return to alert level 3 nearly bestowed the same fate on Armageddon.
Founder and organiser Bill Geradts said they had only just been able to go ahead.
"We've always been Labour Weekend since 2005, so our goal was to pull it off the way we've done. We had back-up dates just in case, but it's relieving to do it how we planned."
It may have come down to the wire, but Geradts is simply thankful the event is possible at all.
"I know a lot of pop culture events that take place in England and Australia and they'd give their soul for the chance to be able to run a show right now. So being one of the few events of this kind in 2020, and probably the biggest pop culture event on the planet, is massive."
Armageddon organisers Bill and Adele Geradts at their Christchurch home with their giant Dalek in 2018. Photo / Martin Hunter
The expo has undergone plenty of iterations over 25 years. It began as a Doctor Who fan club that slowly expanded to cover all aspects of pop culture.
But some things will be different this year.
Many events that have become familiar in recent years – VR gaming, laser tag, e-sports, card and arcade games – return this year, alongside the familiar shopping experiences and cosplay showcases.
However, the international guest stars who normally make the line-up are gone. There will be some local stars and interactional actors who have been based here during the lockdown and border closures - including Wellington Paranormal's resident police officers Minogue and O'Leary. But the majority of the 70 guests will be Zooming in across the four-day event for virtual panels.
It may be a change, but Geradts says it opened up a number of opportunities.
"The line-up of celebrity interactions we have this year is the biggest we've ever had. It's 10 times what we would have done if we were just doing a normal show.
"If anything, Covid has just made the show bigger and better."
Virtual guests include Doctor Who stars Catherine Tate and John Barrowman, and Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine Ian McDiarmid, and there will be panels from The Vampire Diaries, Star Trek: Discovery, The Flash and Stargate.
Bridget Regan as Dottie Underwood in Marvel's Agent Carter. Regan has recently returned to New Zealand from Los Angeles. Photo / Supplied
American actress Bridget Regan is among the locally-based stars able to appear in person. Regan, whose husband is a New Zealander, returned to the country from Los Angeles in September. This will mark her first convention after six months in lockdown.
"I'm super lucky that I'm here because I love the face-to-face interactions with the fans, and these sorts of conventions are really special for that."
For Regan, best known for her roles in Legend of the Seeker, Agent Carter and Jane the Virgin, she says any chance to do work like this is a blessing right now given the state of the world.
This is her second visit to Armageddon, after attending 10 years ago while filming Seeker in Auckland. Regan says this one of those rare experiences where a TV star gets to interact with an audience – something that will seem quite surreal after lockdown in the US.
"I imagine I'll be a bit stunned to be around that many people!"
While Auckland is at alert level 1, a small number of Covid cases have appeared in the community this week. Geradts says that there will be plenty of hand sanitiser around the showgrounds, and attendees are encouraged to use the Covid tracer app.
"We're unique in that if you want to wear a mask, you can turn up in a Spider-Man mask and it would be very appropriate."
He says it is always a "genuine honour" to be able to present Armageddon, and that has taken on new meaning this year.
"The fact we've even been able to do it this year is the biggest gamble of my life. I don't think I've taken this many risks in one year as I have in doing the show this year. It feels like we've made the right call."
• Armageddon Expo starts at the ASB Showgrounds from 6pm tonight, and runs from 9am to 5pm the rest of the weekend.
