Upcoming British Comic Conventions – A Quick List for the rest of 2017 and into 2018

Nottingham Comic-Con 2017

2017 has seen no shortage of comics events great and small across the UK, and there are a few more to come this year, so I thought I’d run a quick listing, which, I hasten to point out, is not definitive. (Last weekend alone, there were 15 comics-related events on across the UK and it’s getting harder than ever to keep up!)

There is some ongoing debate (most recently prompted by this article about Thought Bubble in The Guardian) about what actually constitutes a comics event. There are some who argue big media “comic cons” have sidelined the medium for example, but independent publishers attending such events point out their sales success at them, raising the profile of their brand.

Speaking personally, I’d argue the larger “comic cons” may have muddied the definition of a comics event, but at the same time their success reflects how pervasive comics-inspired spin-offs have become. There’s bound to a be a little aggravation from comics purists that your favourite comics character is now better known for their big screen persona, but perhaps publishers and creators alike need to look at more inventive ways to capitalise on how comics now shape popular culture, despite lower sales of print titles.

The sheer energy and enthusiasm of many cosplayers for their hobby is undisputed – there’s even a World Cosplay Summit these days, which looks like a kind of delicious mash up of the Olympics and X-Factor.

Whatever your view, here’s a list of just some events coming soon and announced comics gatherings across the United Kingdom in 2018.

This doesn’t include many smaller, local comic events such as those run by Golden Orbit in the North West for example, or signings, or the big events run by MCM (detailed here on their official site) or Showmasters (detailed here). This list, generated by a number of event organisers in tandem, focuses on happenings where you can be assured of a big comic creator presence over anything else.

October 2017

Lakes International Comic Art Festival Promo Image (LICAF)Lakes International Comics Art Festival – Friday 13th – Sunday 15th October
Nottingham Comic Convention – 14th October

December 2017

• Edinburgh Comic Art Festival – Saturday 2nd December 2017
Part of Book Week Scotland

2018

February 2018

True Believers Comic Festival – Saturday 3rd February 2018

April 2018

Leamington Comic Con – Saturday 14th April 2018

Enniskillen Comic Fest 2018May 2018

Swansea Comic and Gaming Convention – Saturday 5th May 2018
Lytham St Annes Comic Con Festival – Sunday 6th May 2018
• Enniskillen Comic Fest 3 – Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th May 2018

June 2018

Anglesey Comic Con/ Super Hero Fest – Saturday 9th June
Glenrothes Comic Con – Saturday 9th June 2018
Glasgow Comic Con – Saturday 30th June 2018

July 2018

Melksham Comic Con – 7th-8th July 2018

August 2018

True Believers Comic Festival: Summer Variant Edition – 5th August 2018

September 2018

NICE – 1st – 2nd September 2018

• Thought Bubble 2018 – TBC

October 2018

Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2018

November 2018

ICE Brighton Saturday 3rd November 2018

Dates To Be Confirmed

  • Moniaive – TBC 2018
  • ELCAF – TBC 2018
  • Macc Pow – TBC 2018
  • Cardiff Independent Comic Expo – TBC 2018
  • London Super Comic Convention – TBC 2018
  • ICE International Comic Expo – TBC 2018

We’ll add some of these not already featured to our What’s On calendar as soon as we get a spare moment!



Categories: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events

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