MegaCon Orlando 2026 Recap: Inside Florida’s Biggest Pop Culture Event

By Jaimz Dillman

Bigger spaces and friendly faces were abundant at this year’s round of MegaCon in Orlando, Florida.

Brought over from the previous year’s smaller concourse, a variety of fandoms took over the entire stretch of the West Concourse at the Orange County Convention Center. The added space gave the estimated 160,000 attendees plenty of room for comics, vendors, artists, and the chance to meet and greet with their favorite celebrities.

Cosplay is always a huge element of the four day fest, with anime and Star Wars being the biggest standouts. However, this year KPop had a strong presence, especially with Arden Cho, Ji young Yoo, and Ren Ami, voice actors from K Pop Demon Hunters, in attendance. Loads of meetups, photo opportunities, and the cosplay red carpet gave those in costume a chance to show off their creations.

A variety of stage and screen celebs were represented, from Brendan Fraser and Karl Urban to Christian Borle and legend Mr. T. Photo ops and autograph lines were long but greatly helped by super organized volunteers giving as much info as possible about the celebs’ schedules. You could wait an hour to meet someone, only to have to come back if a panel pulled them away from their table. Thankfully, most people in line were used to the back and forth, and we all swapped stories and experiences while standing in zigzagging taped floor lines. By now, most veterans know the routine, and we even brought a super enthusiastic first timer into the fold. It can be overwhelming to the senses for anyone, let alone someone who has never been.

For this reason, smaller rooms upstairs often offer a safe space to get away from the magnitude of the con floor and decompress. One such area is the CFLUG room, presenting amazing LEGO builds, including a full mini MegaCon, along with the chance to sit, relax, and build your own creations. Masterminds behind the idea, Thomas Wheaton and David Kiser, said they often see the same families return throughout the weekend to decompress and reset before heading back out.

Q and A panels featured reunions of The Lord of the Rings and The Boys, as well as a highly anticipated announcement from Universal Studios Orlando for this year’s 35th Halloween Horror Nights theme and icons. Jack the Clown is back, teaming up with Dr. Oddfellow to bring chaos and control to the much loved annual event. These were hot time slots, with guests waiting in even more lines, but that is part of the experience over a four day event.

If you did not spend all your money on your costume, photos, and autographs, there were hundreds of vendors and unique artists more than happy to sell you just about any souvenir or trinket imaginable. Again, anime and Star Wars were everywhere across shirts, stickers, keychains, plush items, and accessories. Some bigger brands were also represented, including Spirit Jersey, Her Universe, and RSVLTS, all drawing attention with con exclusive pieces. The controversy surrounding AI art was also present in Artist Alley, with many vendors posting signs to confirm their work was original and not generated. The convention itself has taken a strong stance against AI generated art, but a few pieces still slipped through.

Personally, my highlight was meeting Henson artist Guy Gilchrist at his booth, affectionately named Muppet Theater, filled with beloved character art, custom pieces, and stories to share. When we arrived, he was singing the theme song to Muppet Babies for a fan eagerly holding up a phone to capture the moment. Pages of drawings, stickers, and even a signed guitar and banjo were available for purchase. As he signed my selected Labyrinth piece, he shared a story I had never heard in any documentary or behind the scenes footage. I will keep that for myself, but I am forever grateful to have met someone who played such a big role in the memories of my childhood.

Performing groups also brought small shows to breakout rooms upstairs. Everything from improv arguments between superheroes with Designated Debaters to spooky storytelling from local theater troupe Phantasmagoria added to the variety of entertainment.

Local influencers also had the chance to meet and greet all weekend, including The Dapper Danielle, known for her Disney facts and published books, and The Bombshell Cosplay, raising awareness and doing good in the community through support and burlesque.

Food options were plentiful to keep energy levels up, even if prices were a bit high. Fifteen dollars for a small personal pizza raised some eyebrows. Many con goers opted to bring their own snacks, like fruit or crackers, to avoid getting hangry. The coffee stand was easily one of the most popular stops.

Ticket options ranged from single day to full weekend and VIP passes, giving most people an affordable way to attend. Parking, on the other hand, skyrocketed the closer you got to the convention center, with signs advertising thirty five to forty dollars per car per day. Pedicabs helped transport those who parked farther away. Sometimes the best entertainment was just sitting outside and watching Spider Man, Mario and Luigi, and countless princesses come and go.

We appreciated the signs throughout the hall reminding attendees that cosplay is not consent, and most people asking for photos were respectful. Of course, there were a few who stared a little too long or stood a little too close and needed reminding that a real person was under that costume, and sometimes that person is a minor. So mind your manners.

After parties and raves kept the energy going late into the night at local clubs, and with hotel pricing, this truly becomes a marathon, not a sprint.

Our visit was long and exhausting, but that is the sign of a successful con. Time, money, and energy well spent.

Now it is time to save and start planning for the next one.