Keeping it weird: The Oddities and Curiosities Expo celebrates the unusual, creepy and spooky

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a place for lovers of the strange and unusual.

Michelle Cozzaglio, the event’s co-creator, said the expo began in 2017, stemming from a desire to trade in all things weird, punk, alternative and the like.

Oddities and Curiosities has grown from a small event featuring Cozzaglio and a handful of like-minded friends to an expo that has traveled to 45 cities and three countries.

“We host vendors from all over the country with all things weird, creepy, spooky,” Cozzaglio said. “Basically, if you love Halloween, you’re definitely going to find something.”

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo will be in Albuquerque on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8.

Alongside a multitude of vendors, Cozzaglio said, there are different classes eventgoers can register for.

A raccoon taxidermy class ($325) will be offered on Saturday, or eventgoers can attend the sunset moth entomology class ($150) or scorpion habitat entomology class ($150) on Sunday.

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo will have several stage performances during the day. 

“You can grab a drink, do some shopping, and then go watch a stage show,” Cozzaglio said.

“You could see magic. You can (see) people swallowing swords, which is really crazy to watch.”

Cozzaglio said she is always looking for high-quality unusual art, bringing in vendors that specialize in antiques, jewelry, skulls, bones and more. 

“So I’ve got a lot of dark artists, so it’s not just horror art ... We’ve got Halloween, we’ve got fantasy, just all on the spectrum of weird.”

“The coolest part about it is it’s still very DIY,” Cozzaglio said. “It’s not like a corporate convention. It’s just owned by Tony (Cozzaglio) and I and we really care and have passion towards it.”

She said her passion is creating a community-driven event that has something weird for everyone.

She said people are drawn to the expo at first by their curiosity. 

“The word oddities means so many different things to so many different people,” Cozzaglio said. “To me, it just means coming and being yourself and being involved in something that’s different.”

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.