THOUSANDS of film, comic book and sci-fi enthusiasts flocked to York today, for a major event.

The York Comic-Con was held at York Racecourse, and saw visitors from around the country travel to Knavesmire, many in professional and homemade costumes.

Dozens of stalls inside the Main Stand sold memorabilia, comics, books, clothes, props and vintage toys, but for many it was just a chance to meet up with other fans.

Lee Hunter, of Stockton-on-Tees based Hunter Toys, has been running similar events in the North East for years, and said he was pleased with how his first York event seemed to go.

He said: "We sold 1,000 advance tickets quite early on. It's been a non-stop flow of people, and we won't know exact numbers until the end of the day, but we would say there have probably been 3,000 people today.

"It's quite fashionable now, to dress up as your favourite character, it's not just among people who like that, but the general public appreciate and want to see these things. We tend to find there's a hardcore who will travel around the country for good events and meet up with their mates and hang out, but there's a huge swathe of the general public here from the local area too."

York Press:

Lewis Rutter, aged eight, dresses as a Jawa from the Star Wars films at the York Comic Con held at York Racecourse. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe

Sharon, Lee's wife, said: "Everyone puts in a lot of effort which is great. We sold out of advance tickets and we've had a lot of people just turn up on the day, we haven't stopped.

"We expected it to be big, because of the size of the venue, but it's just been extraordinary the response we've had and the comments on Facebook have been fantastic."

York Press:

The Yorkshire Ghostbusters arrive at the York Comic Con held at York Racecourse. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe

Also at the event were actor Terry Molloy, who portrayed Davros in Doctor Who in the 1980s, Pixie Le Knot, who has featured in Game of Thrones and the upcoming Jungle Book adaptation, and actor and stuntman Spencer Wilding, who has appeared in Batman Begins, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Game of Thrones.

Lee said this year's event had been so successful, it would return next year.

York Press:

Characters from the V for Vendetta film at the York Comic Con held at York Racecourse. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe

He said: "We've already booked the venue for the August Bank Holiday in 2016. We made the decision about a fortnight ago to go ahead after the reaction on social media."