Conventions are the best way to meet all your favorite stars up close and personal, whether at a meet-and-greet, panel discussion or wandering the vendor floor. If you’re a fan of Christmas movies, anime, pop culture or comic books, it’s worth traveling to one of these fan fests across the country to geek out with your favorite stars. Some are close to home, so don’t wait to get your tickets because they sell out quickly.
Astronomicon 6
March 3-5
June 24-25
Burton Manor, 27777 Schoolcraft Rd., Livonia, Michigan
The biggest draw at this pop culture convention will be movie director Kevin Smith’s “Clerks III” reunion, with a special appearance by Jay (Jason Mewes), Brian O’Halloran (Dante), Trevor Fehrman (Elias), Harley Quinn Smith (Milly), Austin Zajur (Blockchain Coltrane) and Ming Chen (Hockey Player). There will be autograph opportunities, special VIP packages and the opportunity to be a part of a special panel with Kevin Smith on March 4.
Other celebrity appearances include Doug Bradley (HellRaiser and Nightbreed), Quinn Lord (Trick or Treat), Dirk Manning (Comic Book Writer), Twiztid, actor Jon Lovitz, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, ECW legend s Sabu and Sandman, and Rickey Dean Logan (Back to the Future 2 and Nightmare on Elm Street 4).
You can enter a cosplay contest or a best tattoo contest. Twiztid will host a panel discussion, movie night and other events across the weekend.
Free events for kids include a dance party and a kids’ cosplay contest.
90s Con
September 15-17
Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St., Tampa, FL
March 15-17, 2024
Hartford, CT
90s Con is dubbed “The Baddest Celebration This Side of the Millennium.” Your favorite stars from Charmed, Full House, Clueless, All That, The Wonder Tears, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hocus Pocus, Saved By The Bell and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are scheduled to appear. You can even meet Chris Kirkpatrick from *NSYNC or Rockstar DJ Tre.
There will be professional photo ops, selfies, celebrity panels, contests and lots of vendor shopping.
New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival
March 24-26 at Showboat Resort, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City
August 18-20 at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison
PA Horror Con and Film Festival: August 20 and 21, Delta Hotel, 7736 Adrienne Dr., Breinicsville, PA
Considered a true state of horror and pop culture, there will be celebrity meet-and-greets, pro photo ops, cosplay, film festivals, panels and podcasts all weekend. Shop at the Horror Sideshow Market. The celebrity line ups will be announced prior to the event dates.
GalaxyCon
March 24-26
The Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. Third St., Richmond, VA
July 27-30
The Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S. Salisbury Rd., Raleigh, NC
September 1-3
The Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX
December 1-3
The Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio
This three-day festival of fandom brings together celebrities, artists, writers, voice actors, cosplayers, entertainers, creators, wrestlers, fan groups, panelists and of course, fans. Celebrate your favorite comic books, pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, gaming and cosplay.
If you bring the kids back to the hotel, you can come back for the Hottest Men in Anime or After Dark Nerdlesque & Drag Revue.
WonderCon Anaheim
March 24-26
Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA
WonderCon, a comic and popular arts convention, features 900+ exhibitors in a 412,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall filled with comics, original art, toys and merchandise from many popular artists, publishers and retailers. If you fly out west, you can expect exclusive movie and television programming, panels featuring the top comics publishers in the country, anime, autographs, games, the Masquerade and a portfolio review.
Phil Jimenez, Joe Quinones, Marv Wolfman, Tom King, Jason Aaron, Mingjue Helen Chen, Mark Evanier, Jenny Frison, Mitch Gerads, Daniel Warren Johnson, Annalee Newitz, James Rollins, Tom Ruegger, Paul Rugg, Mark Russell and Greg van Eekhout are just some of the stars who have already been announced.
MegaCon Orlando
March 30 – April 2
Orange County Convention Center, North/South Concourses, 9899 International Dr., Orlando, FL
Dubbed the ultimate playground for comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming, this event offers four days filled with celebrities, voice actors, comic creators, cosplayers, tattoo artists and authors. Other attractions include anime, comics, cosplay, gaming, horror and sci-fi. Some of the superstars signed up already are James McAvoy, Gwendoline Christie, John Cleese, Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Hayden Christensen, Chevy Chase, Rosario Dawson, Zachary Levi, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christina Ricci, Steve Burns, Henry Winkler, Carl Weathers and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Steel City Con
March 31 – April 2
Monroeville Convention and Events Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd., Monroeville, PA
Steel City Con is another beloved convention where you can meet your favorite actors from TV, movies and comics. Some of the top celebs scheduled to attend are Kelsey Grammer, Michael C. Hall, Dolph Lundgren, Jesse Ventura, Jenna Elfman, George Wendt, Teri Hatcher, Dean Cain, Jessica Darrow and Adrienne Barbeau.
If you attend, check out the Steel City Con exclusive Niobe Comic Book, a partnership between Stranger Comics and artist Caanan White.
There will be lots of dealers and artists on the showcase floor, too. And aside from the much sought after photo ops and meet-and-greets, there will be trivia games and costumes contests planned throughout the weekend.
Christmas Con
June 9-11
Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Kansas
December 8-10
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison
Christmas Con has been a hit sensation in Edison since 2019, bringing together all of your favorite Christmas movie stars from Hallmark, Lifetime, UPTV and GAC. You can buy a professional photo op in advance, or you can wait on selfie lines for any of your favorite celebrities and have the chance to talk to them for a couple minutes while snapping a photo or getting an autograph. If you need to sit down from all the excitement, listen in on a celebrity panel or grab a glass of wine. There are workshops and activities planned as well. Plus, sometimes you’ll bump into your favorite celeb as they’re shopping on the vendor floor.
Celebrities who attended in 2022 include Tyler Hynes, Wes Brown, Andrew Walker, Brennan Elliott, Lacey Chabert, Danica McKellar, Jessica Lowndes, Paul Greene, Chad Michael Murray, Marc Blucas, Cindy Buzby and Jonathan Bennett.
RomaDrama Live!
Dates and location TBA
This is another celebration of Christmas movie stars. Last year’s guests included Trevor Donovan, Ryan Paevey, Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes, Danica McKellar, Wes Brown, Colin Egglesfield, Brittany Barstow, Rob Mayes, Drew Fuller, Eric Mabius, Gregory Harrison and Zak Santiago. The event took place in West Palm Beach last year, following 2021’s event in Franklin, Tennessee.
BravoCon
Dates TBA
Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center, 11th Ave. between 34th and 38th streets, New York, NY
BravoCon is the ultimate celebration of the stars of your favorite reality shows that appear on Bravo. If you’re obsessed with the cast members from The Real Housewives, Below Deck, Million Dollar Listing, Vanderpump Rules, this is your chance to see them live and in person – and see if any will flip a table! Host Andy Cohen will lead a weekend filled with performances, exclusive panels and celebrity appearances.
New York Comic Con
October 12-15
Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center, 11th Ave. between 34th and 38th streets, New York, NY
New York Comic Con is a weekend filled with your favorite comic artists, Japanese anime creators and TV and film idols. Not much info is available yet for 2023 besides the dates, but you can sign up for the newsletter and presale now.
Comic-Con International will return to San Diego July 19-23, but all attendee badges are sold out for 2023.
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