Comic Con Africa 2026, Day 2: Friday at NASREC Ahead of a Sold-Out Saturday
South Africa · Events
Key Facts
—Day 2 under way. Comic Con Africa 2026 runs its second day on Friday 25 September at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, NASREC, with doors open from 09:00 to 18:00.
—Why it matters. This is Africa’s largest pop-culture convention and the anchor of a continental fan economy spanning comics, gaming, cosplay and film — a full weekday crowd today tests how deep that economy now runs.
—Day 1 recap. The seventh edition opened on Thursday, Heritage Day, with organiser RX Africa and presenting sponsor Capitec timing the launch to the public holiday.
—Saturday sold out. Friday and Sunday day tickets remain at R270 (about US$16.55) via Howler, and the four-day pass at R750 (about US$46); Saturday 26 September is gone.
—On the floor today. Daily cosplay qualifiers, esports tournaments, Otaku Town, tabletop gaming and outdoor zones all continue, alongside more than 300 vendors.
Comic Con Africa 2026 settled into its first full weekday on Friday — Day 2 at NASREC bringing cosplay qualifiers, esports brackets and more than 300 vendors, with a sold-out Saturday looming.
Day 1: A Heritage Day Opening
The seventh edition of Comic Con Africa opened on Thursday 24 September, deliberately staged on Heritage Day, the South African public holiday. Organiser RX Africa marked the opening across its social channels as cosplayers, gamers and families arrived from the morning.
The timing was no accident: state schools broke up for the September holidays on Wednesday, handing the show a ready-made family audience for its first two days. The convention runs daily from 09:00 to 18:00 through Sunday 27 September.
What Friday, Day 2, Brings
Friday is the first full weekday of the show, and the programme leans on its daily pillars. Cosplay competitions run qualifying rounds each day, feeding the championship that sends South African cosplayers to international finals.
Esports tournaments, the Otaku Town anime zone, tabletop gaming areas and outdoor activities all continue across the site. More than 300 vendors fill the exhibition halls, from comic dealers to local artists.
Celebrity guests appear across the weekend rather than on a single day. Christopher Judge, the voice of Kratos in God of War, and Alison Sealy-Smith, the voice of Storm in the X-Men animated series, headline alongside the Rick and Morty cast of Ian Cardoni, Harry Belden and Spencer Grammer, Richard T. Jones of The Rookie, and comic artists Jim Cheung and Mike Rooth.
Photo sessions and autographs are priced separately, at R300 to R1,500 (about US$18 to US$92). One rule sets this show apart: the convention bans the sale of any product or artwork made wholly or substantially with generative AI.
Why This Weekend Matters for Johannesburg
Comic Con Africa is the continent’s biggest pop-culture gathering, and its scale is the point. Organisers have projected around 70,000 visitors across the four days — an estimate to treat with caution until audited figures arrive, but one that would rank the show among the largest consumer events in South Africa’s calendar.
For Johannesburg, the weekend makes a showcase argument: that a city better known abroad for business and mining can anchor a creative-industries economy spanning comics, gaming, film fandom and cosplay craftsmanship. NASREC, the city’s biggest exhibition complex, gives that ambition room to grow.
Corporate backing tells the same story, with Capitec, one of the country’s largest banks, signed on as presenting sponsor — a sign that the fan economy has moved from niche to mainstream. All rand figures in this report convert at roughly R16.3 to the US dollar.
Tickets and Practical Information
Day tickets for Friday and Sunday cost R270 (about US$16.55), and the four-day pass R750 (about US$46), sold through Howler at phase-two pricing. Saturday 26 September is sold out.
Parking at NASREC costs R50 (about US$3) per day. Children aged five and under enter free, under-16s must be accompanied by an adult over 21, and groups of ten or more receive a 15 per cent discount.
For the full picture, see our complete Comic Con Africa 2026 guide with venue, transport, prices and every announced guest, and our Day 1 report from the Heritage Day opening.
What We Could Not Confirm
Organisers had not published Day 1 attendance figures by Friday morning, so the 70,000 projection remains an organiser estimate rather than a measured count. Whether Friday and Sunday tickets will also sell out before the weekend is equally unclear.
Exact session times for individual celebrity panels across the weekend had not been confirmed publicly at the time of writing. Check the official app or social channels on the day.
Follow South Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Comic Con Africa open today, Friday 25 September?
Yes. Day 2 runs from 09:00 to 18:00 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, NASREC. Day tickets cost R270 (about US$16.55) via Howler.
Can I still get tickets for Saturday?
No. Saturday 26 September is sold out. Friday and Sunday day tickets at R270, and the four-day pass at R750 (about US$46), remain available through Howler.
Who are the headline guests at Comic Con Africa 2026?
Christopher Judge (the voice of Kratos), Alison Sealy-Smith (the voice of Storm), the Rick and Morty voice cast of Ian Cardoni, Harry Belden and Spencer Grammer, Richard T. Jones of The Rookie, and comic artists Jim Cheung and Mike Rooth.
What does Comic Con Africa cost for children?
Children aged five and under enter free. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult over 21, and a standard day ticket is R270 (about US$16.55).
Sources
Comic Con Africa · Howler (official ticketing)
Connected Coverage
Planning the full weekend? Our complete guide covers venue, transport, prices and every announced guest.
Comic Con Africa 2026 in Johannesburg: the full four-day guide
Comic Con Africa 2026, Day 1: Heritage Day opening at NASREC
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