Ultimate shoulder rides

I feel like this forum is only about stories and not enough about experiences. So maybe I'll go ahead and share my experiences in 2025.

I've actually had a decent year in 2025 when it comes to experiencing carrying someone on my shoulders. I've only carried girls cuz that's kind of my preference, while for carrying men is kind of a daunting challenge. So throughout this year, I've done my fair share with this experience of asking or requesting girls if I could carry them on my shoulders. This was only done at cosplay conventions because it felt pretty easy. And of course, you NEED to get their consent before you can carry them. This is also applies even when you're not in a cosplay convention as long as you know what you're doing. Because not all people are comfortable with the idea of being carried around this high; thinking they might fall with that height.

Anyways, going back to my experiences. I went to cosplay conventions every time I'd like to unwind when there's an idea that popped in my head "Why not I try carrying them on my shoulders? Can't hurt to say no, right?" So I did just that. To my surprise, there were only a half of people that are okay with being carried, I did get some rejections too so that in itself is fine. Some would also be unsure, thinking that I might not be capable of carrying them because of my build, like I only weigh at least 50 pounds and I even carried someone taller than me on my shoulders too. I even tried to reassure them just so that they could trust on my strength, and they did trust me. So every time I get accepted, I carry them without fail. I may have a somewhat skinny build but I'm pretty strong to carry at least 70kg for only 5 minutes. However, I can only atleast carry them for about a minute because it may cause inconvenience to the crowd and the one carried might want to ask to be put down. So I was considerate enough to give them atleast a minute so I could get the pictures taken. Unfortunately, I shouldn't show any of the photos because these are for my personal album. So with this year, I've atleast carried maybe around 40 people, which is okay. I think with cosplay conventions, you can ask or request cosplayers some mildly insane ideas like being carried on someone's shoulders as a way to get your pictures taken, but of course, there has to be boundaries if they're not comfortable with it. And taking a rejection is fine, as I don't want to give them a haunting memory. I plan to do more carrying on 2026, again with cosplayers because I feel like they're pretty easy to get their consent for picture taking. Raves are one thing I would like to try but they don't tolerate shoulder rides here.

If I say what's the easiest way to request for someone to ride on your shoulders for a picture, in my opinion is cosplay conventions, because like I said, it felt pretty easy to talk to them to ask for a mild request. And that was the experience I had for 2025. I would like to hear your experiences too if you have any for 2025 or maybe 2024 or back.