Organisers of Middle East Film & Comic Con have confirmed the event will return to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from April 24 to 26, unveiling its first guest alongside details on competitions, programme highlights and ticket sales.
The region’s largest pop culture festival announced Christopher Judge as its first confirmed star this year. Judge is best known for his performance as Kratos in the God of War video game franchise. Organisers said more celebrity guests will be revealed in coming weeks.
The announcement follows a record turnout in 2025, when the festival welcomed more than 46,000 visitors. Last year’s convention included a number of pop culture stars, including Andrew Garfield, Charlie Cox, Ian McDiarmid and Natalia Dyer.
Loy Pinheiro, show director of Middle East Film & Comic Con, said the focus for 2026 would be on strengthening the sense of community that has grown around the event.
“Middle East Film & Comic Con continues to strengthen its role as a hub for pop culture in the region,” he said, adding that fan experience and connection would shape everything, from the show floor to interactive programming.
In addition to celebrity appearances, the festival has confirmed comic artists and creators including Alan Quah, who has illustrated more than 400 comic covers across major titles including The Marvels, Wolverine, Star Wars, Nightwing and Green Lantern.
Ticket for the 2026 edition are available now. Super Early Bird tickets sold out within three days, with Early Bird allocations following suit. Standard tickets went on sale on January 21, starting from Dh160.
A limited number of VIP tickets are available, offering perks such as swag bags, meet-the-star vouchers and fast-track access. Prices range from Dh1,300 for VIP passes and Dh2,730 for Super VIP to Dh5,880 for Ultimate VIP packages.
Fan competitions will feature prominently, too. Registrations are open for the Cosplay Competition, with participants judged on costume, craftsmanship and performance. The overall winner will represent the UAE at the World Cosplay Summit finals in Nagoya, Japan.
The festival has also opened submissions for its annual Short Film Competition, inviting filmmakers from across the Middle East to submit original work in keeping with the theme “Dreams”. Entries close on February 6.
