For Yogomi, FAN EXPO Dallas has become something of a tradition. I make it out to the event every year, and there is something satisfying about returning to the same convention and seeing how it changes from one year to the next. FAN EXPO Dallas 2026 was particularly interesting because the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is in the middle of a major transformation. With a substantial portion of the convention center closed off for construction, I honestly wasn’t sure what the event was going to look like this year.
It turns out FAN EXPO Dallas found a way to make it work. The show returned to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from September 11-13, with the available halls and ballrooms being used differently than in previous years. The placement of exhibitors and celebrity areas had shifted, and even the hallways took a little getting used to. If you’ve attended the convention in previous years, you could definitely tell that the building wasn’t operating in its usual configuration. Still, once I got my bearings, the changes weren’t enough to take away from the overall experience.
And then there was the guest lineup. Honestly, this year’s lineup was a banger. Nicolas Cage made his first FAN EXPO appearance, while fans also got a major Lord of the Rings reunion with Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies. Unfortunately Elijah Wood had to cancel at the last minute due to a new project. The Boys brought together Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Tomer Capone, Colby Minifie, Valorie Curry, and Laz Alonso. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover reunited for Lethal Weapon, while Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips reunited from Young Guns. From Starship Troopers there was Denise Richards, Casper Van Dien, and personal favorite Dina Meyer. Alec Baldwin, Sam Raimi, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Dolph Lundgren, Ron Perlman, Henry Winkler, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Dean Norris, Dafne Keen, and plenty of other guests filled out an unusually strong celebrity roster.
The anime and animation side was just as busy, with guests including Frank Welker, Jim Cummings, Christopher Sabat, Maile Flanagan, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Zach Aguilar, Stephanie Sheh, Justin Briner, Eric Vale, Brad Swaile, Luci Christian, Ian Sinclair, and Christian Borle. The convention also brought in comic creators and artists such as Joe Quesada and Joe Corroney, along with numerous other creators throughout the show floor.
There was plenty happening beyond the celebrity appearances, too. The convention featured panels and Q&As, comic creator programming, workshops, sketch events, cosplay programming, fan meetups, gaming activities, and live entertainment. Some of the programming included a conversation with Mel Gibson, Joe Quesada Live, Attack on Titan voice-actor Q&A sessions, Sketch Up! with Mog and Mel, and Cosplayers Got Talent. As usual, the schedule was large enough that seeing everything in a single visit would be nearly impossible.
For me, though, this year was less about trying to chase down every celebrity appearance and more about spending time on the exhibitor floor. That’s where I found myself spending much more of my time, and it reminded me why these conventions are so much fun in the first place. There was a tremendous variety of comics, collectibles, artwork, handmade items, merchandise, and other creative work. You can walk into a convention like FAN EXPO expecting the celebrity guests to be the main attraction, but it’s often the smaller booths and independent creators that end up grabbing your attention.
And, of course, there was cosplay everywhere. One of the best things about walking through a convention like this is seeing how much effort people put into their costumes. FAN EXPO has always been a place where fans can show off their creativity, and this year was no different. Between the professional cosplayers, longtime convention attendees, and people simply having fun with a character they love, the show floor was full of interesting things to see.
The construction did create some unusual moments. Having familiar areas moved around meant that I occasionally found myself thinking, “Wait, where did they put this?” The hallways and traffic flow were different, and the placement of exhibitors and celebrity areas required some adjustment. But considering what the convention center is currently going through, I was impressed that FAN EXPO was able to maintain the scale and energy that people have come to expect.
It also made this year’s event feel a little different from the FAN EXPO Dallas experience I’m used to. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes changing the layout forces you to explore areas you might normally walk past, and that’s exactly what happened to me. Because I wasn’t following my usual route through the convention center, I spent more time wandering through the exhibitor spaces and discovering artists, vendors, collectibles, and other things I might have missed in previous years.
It’s also worth remembering that FAN EXPO Dallas and Dallas FAN FESTIVAL are separate events, even though both are produced by FAN EXPO HQ. Dallas FAN FESTIVAL is the smaller event held at the Irving Convention Center, while FAN EXPO Dallas remains the larger downtown convention, with FAN EXPO HQ listing Dallas FAN FESTIVAL as a separate event in its schedule.
After spending another year walking the convention floor, checking out the booths, seeing the costumes, and soaking up the atmosphere, I came away feeling like FAN EXPO Dallas is still an important part of the local convention calendar. The building may be changing, the layout may be different, and every year brings a slightly different experience, but the basic appeal remains the same: thousands of people coming together to celebrate the things they love.
For Yogomi, that makes FAN EXPO Dallas more than just another convention to cover. It’s become an annual tradition, and 2026 was another reminder of why I keep coming back.
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