The regularly updated downthetubes “rolling list” of major British and Irish comic conventions and other gatherings and signings in 2026, intended as a quick guide to “What’s On”. We sometimes include illustrators events where we know comic creators will be present. Follow the links to event web sites for fuller details.
Last Updated: 16th September 2026
The growing size of this British and Irish comic events page has meant we have had to split our Exhibitions guide onto a new page on downthetubes and now present events by year – our 2027 Events List is here. Information on events and venues is always welcome.
Please note: We don’t usually include media events in this list that don’t feature comic guests, but we do appreciate being told about them
Information is very welcome! Drop us a line via this email address: editorATdownthetubes.net (Replace the AT with @ when composing your mail)
Thank you to everyone who has supplied information and apologies if I haven’t added your event yet. Please do also check out our Events News and Exhibition News news streams
As ever, information about events is welcome: here’s how to contact us. If you don’t see your date added to this list, please re-send the information as it’s entirely possible, given the huge amount of email received, that we’ve missed it first time around – sorry!
Please do not assume we will see a convention announcement on Facebook, Twitter or other social media.
A listing of an event on this page is not necessarily an endorsement of any event listed. We author this list for information purposes only.
Please note: The inclusion of an event as “Not Yet Announced” is generally because of a similar event the previous year. It does not mean that event will be repeated
• If you’re looking for hotel accommodation near your comics event, why not give Booking.com a try? (affiliate link)
British and Irish Comic Events: 2026
• British and Irish Comic Events: 2027
• British and Irish Comic Exhibitions
REGULAR COMIC EVENTS
READ ON FOR THE CONVENTION LIST!
Cartoon County – Brighton
6.30pm, The Walrus, 10 Ship St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1AD /
Doors open at 6.30pm, with the Q&A kicking off at 7.30pm
Web: cartooncounty.com
Cartoon County is a Brightion-based community for everyone who makes or enjoys
comics, cartoons and graphic story-telling. Every month, they invite a comic-maker to join them and talk about their work with host Alex Fitch. These interviews are recorded and subsequently broadcast on Resonance FM’s Panel Borders, of which Alex is also the presenter.
Cartoon County meetings are held on the last Monday of the month (exceptions occasionally apply, so check their Facebook page before setting out). See here for details about Cartoon County’s next guest. There is usually no need to register, except on rare occasions when their guest is so popular that they risk exceeding the capacity of the room – they will always announce this on Facebook, Twitter and Eventbrite beforehand.
• Not local to Brighton, or just prefer to stay at home? Cartoon County also provide a rough and ready livestream online, via Zoom. Please register on Eventbrite if you would like to join us for the Zoom session. You can follow us on Facebook or Eventbrite if you’d like a notification every time we post a new event.
The Cartoon Musuem, London
63 Wells St, London, W1A 3AE
• Check out their events program at cartoonmuseum.org
Golden Orbit Comic Fairs
• Upcoming events listed here – various locations across the UK
BGCP Events
• Organising events across Scotland – schedule here
OCCULTZ: The Oxford Comic, Cult and Zine Fair Social
7.00pm – Last Tuesday of every month
The Star, 21 Rectory Road, Oxford | Instagram
Hosted by Owen Michael Johnson and Jason Atomic. If you’re a local creative, a comic artist, writer, zine creator, underground cartoonist, crafter or just plain curious please feel free to join the team. They’re open for networking, brainstorming, collaboration and conversation. Feel free to show bring examples of your work we’re excited to share and explore talents and opportunities.
Bolt Events
• Organising “Comic Cons” across the UK – EventBrite Page
Note: Rarely seem to post details of specific guests
Striking Events
• Organising “Comic Cons” across the UK – strikingevents.com
Note: Rarely seem to post details of specific guests
UKCGF Events
• Details of upcoming events here on Eventbrite – do note details of guests, including comic guests, seem scant in the event descriptions. The company is online at ukcgf.com
Unleashed Events
• Follow these events organisers here on Facebook
The Phoenix Comic
• More details and how to book here for digital and physical events on The Phoenix website
Did you know The Phoenix comic runs online and in person events for aspiring young artists who want to learn to draw comics? Join creators such as Jess Bradley, Sam Davies, Robert Deas, Emily Kimbell, Jamie Smart, James Turner, and others?
Most workshops are suitable for artists aged 7 – 14. Don’t worry if you can’t join live, all ticket holders will be sent a recording of the workshop after! Every ticket also includes a digital ACTIVITY PACK full of creative drawing tips that will get you drawing long after the workshop is over. This will be emailed to you after the workshop.
Room For Comics – Macclesfield “Let’s Draw” and “Treacle Toons” Comic Art Clubs
Web: roomforcomics.co.uk | Facebook
King Edward Street, Macclesfield SK10 1EB
• Follow them on EventBrite here to book tickets on release
Macclesfield-based Room for Comics offer with regular monthly ‘Treacle-Toons!’ comic-art club events on the last Sunday of each month and ‘Let’s Draw!’ ticketed comic-art club events on the first Saturday of the month.
Join cartoonist and all round funny guy Marc Jackson (BEANO, The Phoenix, Hey Kids Comics) for awesome, felt-pen cartoon art sessions. Embrace the fun of comics, cartoon-art, and the chance to draw with NO rules and ZERO restrictions!
All abilities welcome | All materials provided | Suitable for ages six and above
The Story Museum, Oxford
• You can find out more about The Story Museum, which runs regular comic workshop events and more, here
September 2026
BGCP Kirkcaldy Comic Con 2026
Saturday 12th September in 2025
Mercat Shopping Centre, High Street, Kirkcaldy KY1 1NJ
Organised by BGCP | Event Page Here | Free
Follow BGCP on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Comic Con Connections 2026
Saturday 12th – Sunday 13th September 2026
Winchester Science Centre, Telegraph Way, Winchester SO21 1HZ
Web: comicconconnections.com
With even more things to get involved in, explore two floors of interactive exhibits, be wowed by live science demos, more dinosaurs, and blast off on an out-of-this-world Planetarium adventure for all our onstage events!
BGCP Kirkcaldy Comic Con 2026
Saturday 12th September 2026
Mercat Shopping Centre
• BGCP Official Website
The Festival returns to Kendal after three years of its annual event takiung place in Bowness-on-Windermere. Venues will include the Abbot Hall Gallery, The Brewery Arts Centre, the Town Hall, and Westmorland Campus.
Zinezilla
11.30am – 6.30pm, Saturday 12th September 2026
Trinity Centre, Trinity Rd, St Jude’s, Bristol BS2 0NW | Free | Web: zinezilla.co.uk
Follow Zinezilla on Instagram @zinezilla_bristol | Zinezilla Store
Zinezilla is BACK with a vengeance, returning to the Bristol’s Trinity Centre following last year’s buzzing celebration of everything creative the South West has to offer!
Downstairs you’ll find a comic, illustration and zine fair bursting at the seams with ziney and zillary goodness from over 50 artists to feed your eyes and souls.
Jaunt upstairs for animation screenings and discussions hosted by our wonderful friends at Animinspo (https://www.animinspo.com/), who will once again be awarding the best in independent animation.
Rounding out the day there’ll be a variety of workshops, talks and performances to take part in and enjoy.
Sheffield Comic Con 2026
13th September 2026
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheaf Street Sheffield City Centre S1 2BP
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Lo! An Amazon! The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Mary Wollstonecraft with Mary and Bryan Talbot
6.30pm – 8.00pm (Doors open 6pm) | Thursday 17th September £27.50 | Book your tickets (limited capacity, early booking advised) here | Email: info@drjohnsonshouse.org info@drjohnsonshouse.org
Mary and Bryan Talbot will be giving a presentation of their forthcoming biography of Mary Wollstonecraft at Dr Johnson’s House in London on Thursday 17th September 2026. Read our related news story
As we’ve previously reported, Lo! An Amazon! The Interesting Narrative of The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft is the sixth collaborative graphic biography written by Mary M. Talbot and illustrated by Bryan Talbot. Their first, Dotter of her Father’s Eyes, won the Costa Book Prize for Biography. It will be published by SelfMadeHero on the 1st October 2026 in the UK, and 3rd November in the United States.
BGCP Dundee Comic Con 2026
Saturday 19th September 2026
Wellgate Shopping Centre, Dundee
• BGCP Official Website
Comic Con Northern Ireland 2026
Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th September 2026
Eikon Centre, 14 Halftown Road, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, BT27 5RF
Web: comicconnorthernireland.co.uk
The Ultimate Pop Culture Experience! Northern Ireland’s Official Comic Con Hosted By Monopoly Events. Celebrity Guests, Q&A’s, Set & Prop Builds, Cosplay Masquerade and Championship, Merchandise Traders, Gaming, Artists, Comic Guests, Anime, Manga & More
Batman Day 2026
19th September 2026
Events in many Local Comic Shops including all Forbidden Planet stores
Check with your LCS for event times – check out out our British and Irish comic shop map
For those who are of the opinion that there are not enough days set aside to celebrate fictional vigilantes, who dress up as flying creatures in order to tackle crime, then this day is here just for such an occasion. Because there is at least one such date set aside every year – Batman Day!
NOTE: All signing events may be subject to short notice change or cancellation
BGCP Dundee Comic Con 2026
Saturday 19th September in 2025
Wellgate Shopping Centre, Victoria Road, Dundee DD1 2DB
Organised by BGCP | Free
Follow BGCP on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
High Vis – Kings Heath Comic Con 2026
10.00am – 9.00pm 19th September 2026
All Saints Centre, 2 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath | Tickets available here
For announcements and breaking news follow High Vis Comic Con on Instagram or Facebook at High Vis Festival
Enquiries into booking a table can be made by emailing the team at info.highviscomic-con@gmail.com
Expect to find creatives, comic book creators and comic sellers at Birmingham’s free admission High Vis Comic Con, a Family Friendly Con, in Kings Heath.
Following the success of its debut event in 2025, High Vis Festival is delighted to announce the return of Kings Heath Comic Con for a second year.
Guests include Mark Millar MBE (a rare UK appearance for the comic and film and TV creative whose many credits include The Ultimates, Kick-Ass and Jupiter’s Legacy); the Jake Detonator, Ian Edginton (2000AD), Hunt Emerson (BEANO, Fortean Times), Laura Howell (BEANO), Sweatdrop Studios Sonia Leong (Assassin’s Creed, Doctor Who), John McCrea (2000AD), Paul McCaffrey (2000AD, Anno Dracula – 1895: Seven Days of Madness), Will Potter (CUD, Geezer), Ian Richardson (2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine), Lew Stringer (Doctor Who Magazine, The77) Kev F Sutherland (Romeo & Juliet), Phil Winslade (2000AD) and film/TV actor Nick Owen (Star Wars: Andor).
Held in the birthplace of the UK comic convention, Kings Heath Comic Con was founded with a clear and passionate focus: to celebrate comic books and the creators behind them. With great positive feedback from both creators and fans alike from across the UK, the event will return in 2026, and we’re hoping to make it even bigger and better.
Building on last year’s success, attendees can look forward to a full day of workshops, anime film screenings, signings, a larger trader hall, a charity auction – supporting the event’s charity of choice, the Kings Heath Food Bank – and new for this year, comic book creator panels. All of this is available for just £10 admission, with free entry for children under 15. Tickets are on sale now.
There’s impressive Artists’ Alley, too.
As ever, the organisers can’t do it without support from friends and valued partners, Enjoy Kings Heath, and for 2026, they are proud to be supported by comics publisher The77, who will help grow this show with an exciting lineup of comic book creators they’re planning on bringing to the convention.
Kings Heath Comic Con remains dedicated to delivering an accessible, creator-focused celebration of comics at the heart of the community.
Manchester Comic Fair
Saturday 19th September 2026
Sachas, Tib Street, Back Piccadilly, Manchester, M4 1SH
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
Murder School Signing with Paul B. Rainey
1.00 – 2.00pm Saturday 19th September 2026, Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
• Keep up to date with all news over on the Gosh! Facebook event page
Gosh! welcome back the exceptional Paul B. Rainey to the shop to celebrate his brand new Drawn & Quarterly book, Murder School. This is the UK launch event for his new book and Gosh! have an exclusive signed bookplate of Murder School to accompany it.
“We’ve been big fans of Paul for many years here, commending his wonderful fusion of the ordinary and the fantastic in titles like Why Don’t You Love Me and There’s No Time Like the Present.
Murder School is a memoir of British middle school bullying and one precocious comic nerd’s fight to make it through while remaining as invisible as possible.
Paul B. Rainey takes a look back at his middle school education and the indignities suffered – a mix of stalled friendships, pitched battles with martinets, and exasperated pleading with intractable parents. Playground games take on outsized importance as Paul and his friends seek respite from a particularly abusive science teacher. Paul jockeys to hold his place in the complicated hierarchy of school bullying.
Rainey takes a classic “school daze” tale, both wistful and hilarious, and manages to turn it on its head with a couple of his now famous twists. Find out the truth behind the Murder School and the effect it’s had on Rainey well into middle-age.
You can meet Paul and pick up the new book on Saturday 19th September, from 1pm.
Pride Comic Art Festival 2026
Saturday 19th September 2026
The Station, Silver Street, Bristol, BS1 2AG
Web: pridecaf.co.uk | Keep up to date on this event on BlueSky, Facebook or Instagram
Pride CAF is a day event celebrating independent LGBTQIA+ comic artists, comic writers, illustrators, and zine creators.
The Festival is run by a not-for-profit charity and they have launched a crowdfundr campaign to raise money to help toward the cost of running this event. The money will be used to improve accessibility, print a programme, finance the recording of talks at the event, and cover other rising costs.
Sheffield Comic-Con 2026
20th September 2026
Magna Science Adventure Centre
Web and Tickets: unleashedtickets.co.uk | Events Updates on Facebook
Hosted by Unleashed Events
Gosh! Drink and Draw with Daisy Crouch, Roman Muradov and Mark Stafford
6.30pm, Friday 25th September 2026, Gosh! Berwick Street London and The Royal George, 133 Charing Cross Road,
London, Greater London
WC2H 0EA
Keep up to date with all news over on the Gosh! Facebook event page
NOTE: There will be limited seating available at the Royal George and seating will be prioritised to those who were at the shop first.
Refuel your tummies with a tasty beverage and refill those pens with some inky cartridges, Drink and Draw is back in session! The Gosh! team can’t wait for another evening of drawing at the pub, hosted by ourselves and their friends over at Broken Frontier.
As always they will be joined by Gosh! resident cartoonist Mark Stafford and this month they have invited two more artists Roman Muradov and Daisy Crouch.
So, what is a Drink and Draw? Well, it’s in the name! Gosh! will host an evening of drawing with our guest comic artists, all while having a few drinks together, alcholic and non alcholic. Mark Stafford, the Gosh! resident cartoonist, will be a regular face at the monthly event, being joined by two guest artists every time.
Meet at Gosh! in Berwick Street for 6.30pm, where they’ll be a chance to mingle with the artists and check out their comics, before heading over to The Royal George for 7.00pm. Once everyone has grabbed a seat and a drink, there will be three short rounds of drawing, with each guest artist setting their own drawing theme. Gosh! will have the artists work on sale and even have some prizes for their favourite drawings! The event will aim to wrap up by 9.30pm, but staying afterwards to continue the fun is more than welcome.
Broken Frontier and Gosh! have been running the Drink & Draws since 2015 and have been lucky enough to have had over 200 guest artists attend. The event will be hosted by Broken Frontier’s wonderful Andy Oliver and Gosh’s Will Humberstone.
Fan Frontier Epic Comic Con 2026
Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th September 2026
Scottish Events Campus, Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW
Website: forthefans.uk/epic-comic-con
Facebook: @fanfrontieruk | Instagram | TikTok |
EPIC Comic Con (Formerly known as ACME Comic Con): Returns to Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) for a fan-filled weekend this September! Meet very special guests from the worlds of film, gaming, TV, wrestling and comics.
If you love movies, gaming, comics, books, sci-fi, anime, tv, manga or cosplay – it’s gonna be an EPIC Comic Con Glasgow!
Announced Comic Guests are Simon Bisley (2000AD, Batman, Lobo), Dan Cornwell (2000AD, Rok of the Reds, Rok the God), David Hine (2000AD, Batman, Spider-Man Noir) Comic Colour Artist Nika Nartova (BEANO), Dennis & Gnasher Cartoonist Nigel Parkinson (BEANO, The Dandy), and Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner (2000AD, Rok of the Reds, Rok the God)
inQ!, London’s Queer Comic Fair
10.30am to 5.30pm Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th September 2026, the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, 60-62 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH (next to Blackfriars Station)
Price: Free (no tickets needed) |
• You can find full details of Saturday and Sunday’s exhibitors and signings on inqlondoncomicfair.com and follow along on BlueSky and Instagram
inQ!, London’s free Queer Comic Fair, is back this month, bringing a whole weekend of queer comic and zine creators to London from across the UK over the weekend of Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th of September 2026 at the iconic London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, on London’s South Bank.
This year’s poster was created by the brilliant KitsuneArt, who joined the inQ! Team this year.
An opportunity to meet some of UK’s best LGBTQIA+ creators and get your hands on exclusive comics, zines and prints, the inQ! queer comic fair is a small but mighty, family-friendly event, showcasing some of the UK’s best queer comic and zine creators – and it’s free to attend.
The event will feature a glittering selection of queer comic creators from across London and the UK. Stalls will offer comics, zines, shiny merchandise and exclusive art prints, as well as the chance to buy signed copies of graphic novels and one-off publications launching exclusively at the fair.
inQ! creates a safe and welcoming space that celebrates the queer narrative where words meet pictures, and the chance to meet a diverse selection of queer, small press comic and zine creators.
The lineup on inQ! exhibitors include award-winners, new voices, social media sensations, and everything in between, including Alex Taylor (First Graphic Novel prize winner and author of Bone Broth), Eren Angiolini (DC Pride, Teen Justice, Harley Quinn, Tomb Raider, Doctor Who), Abs Bailey (Mother), Shazleen Khan (IGNATZ award-winning LGBTQ comic BUUZA!!), Squid Horse Comics (The Weird & Wonderful Surviveries of Squid Horse), Edie Woolfe (Adrift), Piierrote, Toriascribbles (Strawberries and Honey), Bex Burgess (The Pauper’s Prince), TinyBaer (Myths and Myonsters), Nene Lonergan, Asia Kazub (The Tide Goes Out), Rein Lee (My Taxidermy Angel), Holly Casio (Cool Schmool Comics), Lily Vie, Sar Cousins (Ghost Watch), Mo Morrell (How To Read Minds), Abbie B (My Dad Fights Demons!), Jenny Robins (Biscuits), Dominique Duong (Ignatz nominated The Dog & The Cat), Pitahpat, Riotbones (Strange Cases), RedBearUniverse (Box Full of Stars), Timothy Winchester (Frogendog), KitsuneArt (Queer Knights), AJ O’Neill (The Work), ILYAgraphic (End of the Century Club), Rowan Frewin (Treading Water), Super Risu (Cooking with Monster), morrowdragon (Love, Paper-thin), Deadly Knitshade (Very Tiny Comics Gumball Machine), and Cee Starling (Grim Guardians).
There’s a signing table, too, featuring Hamish Steele (Dead End: Paranormal Park, Go-Man), Shazleen Khan (BUUZA!!), and Ed Firth (Horny & High), with more exciting artists to be announced.
inQ! also offers a Community Table, inviting creators to bring along their own comics and zines to sell for free (details on the inQ website).
Run on a voluntary, non-profit basis by artists Lauren O’Farrell, Chloe Starling, and KitsuneArt, inQ! was created for the love of queer comics.
Nor-Con 2026
Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th September 2026
Norfolk Showground, Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 0TT
Web: www.nor-con.co.uk
If you love your Batman, Iron Man, Doctor Who or any other type of complete “Nerdity” then this is the place for you. NORCON has previously been voted among the UK’s top 10 Comic Cons by arts and entertainment guide The List, and the team are exceptionally proud that their hard work and passion has been recognised. Described by SciFi Now magazine as, “…probably the friendliest convention on Earth”.
Stoke-on-Trent Comic Con 2026
Saturday 26th September 2026
Fenton Manor Sports Complex City Road. Stoke-on-Tent
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Comica Social Club
Wednesday 30th September 2026
6.00pm The Lion And Unicorn, Upper-Ground Floor, The Sidings, Waterloo station, Waterloo, Lambeth, SE1 7BH • Follow on Facebook
Monthly meet-ups previously at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. Do check the Facebook page for possible venue changes
Murder School Signing with Paul B. Rainey
7.00pm Wednesday 30th September 2026
Waterstones, 72 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3GA
Tickets for the event need to be booked in advanced here. Please note the discounted combined ticket and book price. If you select this option, Paul will ensure that your copy of Murder School contains an original sketch drawn by me.
Paul B. Rainey will be talking about his new book, Murder School, answering questions and reading some of his short stories. (“My mercifully short stories,” he assures, tongue surely in cheek).
Murder School is a memoir of British middle school bullying and one precocious comic nerd’s fight to make it through while remaining as invisible as possible. Rainey takes a classic “school daze” tale, both wistful and hilarious, and manages to turn it on its head with a couple of his now famous twists. Find out the truth behind The Murder School and the effect it’s had on Rainey well into middle-age.
October 2026
Shortbox Comics Fair 2026
1st – 31st October 2026 – Online | Web: shortboxcomicsfair.com
ShortBox Comics Fair is a unique and innovative digital comics fair, where every exhibiting artist debuts a brand-new comic. The aim of the fair is to serve as both a creative impetus for artists to make something new, and to deliver an exciting array of fresh, independent comics, all gathered in one place.
ShortBox Comics Fair is an accessible, comics-focused event: artists and comics readers can participate from anywhere in the world (no travel, no con-crud, no lugging suitcases full of comics back and forth!).
Each creator has a digital comic available through the SBCF website all month long. So no need to worry about the edition selling out, as long as you pick it up in time.
The fair takes place annually throughout October. Exhibiting artists retain full ownership/rights of their comics and receive 100% of sales (minus payment processing fees).
Day of Dredd 2026
Saturday 3rd October 2026
Various Locations across the UK – and beyond
2000AD publisher Rebellion has announced the creator line-up for “The Day of Dredd”, an international celebration of the ultimate lawman of the future, Judge Dredd, on Saturday 3rd October 2026.
A titanic celebration of one of the most famous characters in comics history that will give fans the chance to share in their love of Judge Dredd, “The Day of Dredd” will be marked by creator signings at locations across the UK – Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Norwich, Sheffield – as well as the first ever official 2000AD signing in Prague, Czechia! Read our news story here
Full location details in links to official store web pages below
• Forbidden Planet Birmingham: D’Israeli, Dave Kendall, Ian Edginton, INJ Culbard, Mike Perkins, Pye Parr
• Forbidden Planet Bristol: Anthony Williams, Dylan Teague, Lee Carter, Patrick Goddard
• Forbidden Planet Cambridge: Steven Austin
• Forbidden Planet Liverpool: Joe Currie, John Higgins, Leigh Gallagher, Sally Jane Hurst
• Forbidden Planet London: Ben Willsher, Boo Cook, Chris Weston, Dan Cornwell, John Wagner, Laura Bailey, Liam Sharp, Rob Williams, Silvia Califano, Simon Davis
• Forbidden Planet Southampton: Mick McMahon
• Forbidden Planet International Belfast: PJ Holden
• Forbidden Planet International Glasgow: Colin MacNeil, Tom Foster
• Forbidden Planet International Manchester: Andy Diggle, Robbie Morrison
• Forbidden Planet International Norwich: Barry Kitson, Jake Lynch
• Forbidden Planet International Sheffield: Nick Percival, Staz Johnson, Peter Doherty
• Krakatit bookstore, Prague: Stewart K Moore
Sheffield Comic Fair
Saturday 3rd October 2026
Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield, S1 2BX
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
Lakes International Comics Art Festival 2026
Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th October 2026
Various venues across Kendal, The Lake District, including the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal Town Hall, Cross Lane Projects Gallery, and businesses across the Town
• Tickets for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2026 are available now
Guests at LICAF 2026 in alphabetical order included in alphabetical order, Charlie Adlard, Leonie Bischoff, Serge Bloch, Kate Charlesworth, Gemma Correll, Dagsson, Mike Derderian, Colleen Doran, Louise Evans aka Feltmistress, Khaled Jarada, Emad Hajjaj, Luke Healy, Keli Lark, Michael Lark, David Leach, Joanna Lorho, David Lumsden, Marcos Martin, Joe McGarry, Luke McGarry, Steve McGarry, Metaphrog, Mobidic, Francisco de la Mora, Bill Morrison, Jacob Phillips, Sean Phillips, Nicolas Pitz, Gemma Plum, Pieter de Poortere, Quindrie Press, Frank Quitely, Bill Sienkiewicz, Nina Six, Zara Slattery, Faye Stacey, Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot, Muntsa Vicente, the team from VIZ comic, and Chrissy Williams. More to come!
This year will, of course, see return of the Comics Marketplace – the lineup of publishers and creators featured not yet announced, plus exhibitions across the Cumbrian town, plus workshop events, and the ever popular Windows Trail.
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is supported by the Arts Council, Westmorland & Furness Council, Kendal BID, Kendal Town Council, and the Adlard Family Foundation.
Battles Through History Military Show 2026
3rd – 4th October 2026
The South of England Showground, Safield Road, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TH
Web: battlesthroughhistory.co.uk
Comic creator Colin Mathieson, creator of the brilliant graphic novel Zulu – Water Cart Rescue (featured here and, currently, only available to buy at such events) is often among the many creatives at this major military event.
Taunton Comic Expo
Saturday 3rd October 2026
Taunton Central Library, Paul St, Taunton TA1 3XZ | Free
• Check out Facebook Taunton Comic Expo for updates
Guests include Henry Flint, Damien Hine, Wayne Hughes, Jade Shaky Kane, Kek-W, Lee O’Connor, Roam Martin, David Morris, Grayham Puttock, Dom Reardon, Ian Richardson, Becky Rolph, Louis du Toit
BGCP Ardrossan Comic Con 2026
Sunday 4th October
Ardrossan Civic Centre, Ardrossan
• BGCP Official Website
Teeside Comic-Con 2026
4th October 2026
Teesside University Students’ Union, MiddlesbroughTickets: www.unleashedtickets.co.uk | Buy Tickets | Events Updates on Facebook
Hosted by Unleashed Events
Brand Licensing Europe 2026
6th – 8th October 2026
ExCeL London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London Docklands E16 1XL
Web: brandlicensing.eu
Not a comic event as such, but publishers do attend, so expect a plethora of comic-related news to follow. Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension, bringing together retailers, licensees and manufacturers for three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting.
BLE is a must-attend event for businesses looking to discover and secure deals with the most sought-after brands, characters and images available for licensing.
The 21st Commando & British Weekly Comic Swop Meet
10.00am – 4.00pm, Saturday 10th October 2026, Colchester Baptist Church, Eld Lane CO1 1LS | Adults £2.00 / Children Free
10 minutes from Junction 28/A12 • Ample local parking, five minutes walk from train
Sellers: £15.00 per table | Refreshments Available
Guests: Barry Kitson (Artist, 2000AD,MDC Comics); Stephen Hume (Writer, Commando); James Swallow (Writer, Commando, Star Trek); editor, publisher and writer Steve Holland of Bear Alley Books and Colin Maxwell (Writer, Commando). Plus an Original Comic Art Gallery
The British Fantasy Society presents Fantasy Con 2026
Friday 9th – Sunday 11th October 2026
Web: britishfantasysociety.org/fantasy-con/
The convention of the British Fantasy Society, attended by members and non-members, including authors, agents, publishers, bloggers, reviewers, podcasters and people who want to celebrate all things fantasy and horror.
Dead Girls Signing with Beck Kubrick
7.00pm, Friday 9th October 2026
Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
• Keep up to date with all news over on the Gosh! Facebook event page
• You can pre-order a signed bookplate edition of Dead Girls by clicking the link here
Gosh! are thrilled to celebrate the release of Dead Girls by Beck Kubrick, when they welcome them to the shop for a launch party.. Beck is a good friend of the shop, whose work has been stocked here for a while now. Their self-published titles are always big hits here, including the Dead Girls one-shot Dead Girls: Beach Day and Meat4Burgers. Beck’s exceptional storytelling has even been recognised by cartooning giants, being featured in Adventure Time and Rick & Morty comics!
Gosh have an exclusive signed bookplate to accompany the new comic too.
A love letter to slasher films and angsty teenage friendship, Dead Girls is a graphic novel perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, E.M. Carroll and Yellowjackets.
Clossdale has a history of dead girls. When a fifth missing teenager turns up dead, all eyes on are one suspect – 17-year-old Ash, the orphaned daughter of serial killer ‘Evil Evelyn’.
Ash is sick of her peers being murdered, and she’s sick of the police not taking the investigations seriously. After finding a note telling her she’s next, Ash, along with her foster sister Cassie and best friend Jamie, decides to take matters into their own hands.
But when their plan goes awry, the girls find themselves at the centre of a deeper and darker web than they could ever have imagined. Can they put a stop to the murders, or will they each become just another of Clossdale’s dead girls?
Malta Comic Con 2026
10th & 11th October 2026
Malta Conventions and Fairs Center, Ta’ Qali
Organised by Wicked Comics, this event regularly features a number of British comic creators, which is why it is included here.
Visit www.maltacomiccon.com for the latest news about this event | Facebook | Twitter
Birmingham Comic Fair
Saturday 10th October 2026
Walker Memorial Hall, Ampton Road, Birmingham, B15 2UJ | Admission £2 (on the day)
(Near Five Ways roundabout – follow Calthorpe Rd to Carpenter Road)
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
BGCP Elgin Comic Con 2026
Saturday 10th October
Moray Sports Centre, Elgin
• BGCP Official Website
Sheffield Comic ARts Fair (SCARF)
Saturday 10th October 2026
Trafalgar Warehouse (120 Trafalgar St, Sheffield City Centre, S1 4JT
• Tickets here from EventBrite | Follow SCARF on Instagram
Run by writer/letterer/editor Chris Mole (Secrets of the Majestic). A dedicated event space in the heart of the city, SCARF will host around 30 tables for independent and small press creators from Sheffield and further afield. With a focus on indie comics and a commitment to providing an LGBTQ-friendly and explicitly anti-racist/fascist space for creators and punters, it will look to showcase the strong creative culture of the Steel City.
Exeter Comic Con and Gaming Festival Autumn
Saturday 10th October 2026
Westpoint Arena Exeter EX5 1DJ
Hosted by UK Comic Con and Gaming Festivals
Barnsley Comic-Con 2026
11th October 2026
Barnsley Metrodome, Barnsley
Tickets: www.unleashedtickets.co.uk | Events Updates on Facebook
Hosted by Unleashed Events
Bristol Comic Con 2026
Sunday 11th October 2026
Ashton Gate Stadium Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Dublin Comic Arts Festival – October 2026
11.00am – 5.00pm Sunday 11th October 2025
Bohemian Football Club, Dalymount Park, Dalymount, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, D07 P2T0
Admission Free | Web: dublincomicarts.ie | Support DCAF on Patreon
DCAF is a small press comic book event, created to showcase local comic creators and celebrate the spectrum of Irish sequential art. The small press comic scene has been growing in Ireland for years, but Irish comic creators often travel across the globe to find Comic Arts Festivals to exhibit their work. “We feel it’s time for some Comic Arts Festivals closer to home,” say the organisers.
Bristol Comic Con 2026
11th October 2026
Ashton Gate Stadium Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Liverpool Comic Con 2026
10th -11th October, 2026
Liverpool Experience Campus
Web: www.comicconventionliverpool.co.uk | Facebook
Despite the large number of comic creators who live in the Liverpool area, Monopoly Events don’t seem to be interested in inviting comics people to a comic event…
London Comic Mart
Sunday 11th October 2026
Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DG
Early Entry Price: £5 from 11.00 am – 12 noon – Free entry from 12 noon
Web: londoncomicmart.co.uk
Murder School Signing with Paul B. Rainey
7.30pm – 10.30pm Tuesday 13th October 2026, Scribal Gathering, The Crown, Stony Stratford MK11 1BE
Paul B. Rainey will be headlining October’s Scribal Gathering Spoken Word Open Mic night, talking about his new graphic novel, one of a number of guests
Newcastle Comic Fair
11.00am – 4.00pm Saturday 17th October 2026
Copthorne Hotel, The Close, Quayside Newcastle NE1 3RT
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
TAGS (Tabletop & Graphic Storytelling) 2026
Saturday 17th October 2026
Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG | Web: tagsfest.co.uk | Free
TAGS (Tabletop & Graphic Storytelling) Festival is a free-to-attend market event dedicated to spotlighting Scotland’s small press talent. Celebrating collaborative and visual storytelling in its many forms, from comics and roleplaying games to board games, zines and beyond.
Comic Con Scotland 2026
24th – 25th October 2026
Royal Highland Centre Ingliston, Edinburgh, EH28 8NB
Web: comicconventionscotland.co.uk
Presented by Andy Kleek and the Monopoly Events team. One of Europe’s largest pop culture conventions, attracting tens of thousands of fans annually to the Royal Highland Centre in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. The main attraction every year is of course the star guests, and the team always endeavour to bring you a variety of exciting names from movies, tv, streaming, gaming, anime and sports entertainment.
MCM London 2026
23rd – 25th October 2026
ExCeL London
Web: mcmcomiccon.com/london
An epic three-day celebration of all things pop culture. Don’t miss the biggest pop culture show of the year with celebrity guests, panels, gaming and so much more.
Salisbury Comic-Con 2026
25th October 2026
Cityhall Malthouse Lane Salisbury SP2 7TU
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions
Film & TV Guests, Stage Talks, Movie Prop’s and features, Cosplay Competition, Comic Artists and Traders and more
Comica Social Club
Wednesday 28th October 2026
6.00pm The Lion And Unicorn, Upper-Ground Floor, The Sidings, Waterloo station, Waterloo, Lambeth, SE1 7BH • Follow on Facebook
Monthly meet-ups previously at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. Do check the Facebook page for possible venue changes
I-con 2026
31st October 2026
Inverurie Community Campus, Victoria Road, Inverurie AB51 3PZ | Free
Web: inveruriecon.com | Facebook | Instagram
Set up in 2014 by Studio Valhalla, an out-of-school art group, this annual event offers stalls offering everything from art, jewellery, cosplay, nerdy gifts, comics and more, a gaming area, quizzes, cosplay competition.
Inkblot Comic Festival 2026
11.00 – 4.00pm Saturday 31st October 2026, St. Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green, Manchester M12 6FZ | Web: inkblotfestival.com
Early Bird Tickets: Adult – £3 | Child – £1.50 | Family ticket – £8 | Buy tickets here
On the day: Adult – £4 | Child – £2 | Family ticket – £10
• Read our first news story about this event
The Inkblot Comic Festival returns to Manchester on for the third year running on Saturday 31st October 2026, back at the St Thomas Centre, just a ten minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station and across the road from the legendary Apollo.
Announced indie creators in attendance include Hannah Appiah, Sam Bonser, Andy J Clarke, Luke Michael Copsey, Scott Devantier, Lyndsey Green, Thomas Heitler, Lucy Hitchman, Johanna Ost, Owen Stewart, Kevin Wells, Kate Mia White, and more.
The venue is situated just outside of the city centre. It is a 10 minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station or if you’re travelling by bus the 192 service will alight at Ardwick Green and the O2 Apollo (which is just across the street)
If travelling by car, the venue is on a public road with no car park meaning that available parking is not guaranteed. Although Manchester has many paid parking options available in the city centre and its surrounding areas
Leeds Comic Fair
Saturday 31st October 2026
Park Plaza Leeds, Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 5NS
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
November 2026
Brighton Illustration Festival 2026
Saturday 31st Oct 2026 – Sunday 1st Nov 2026
Brighton Centre Syndicate Wing (Russell Road, access via the back of The Brighton Centre), BN1 2RL | Web
After last year’s big return, Brighton Illustration Festival is back again for 2026 – and what a year it’s shaping up to be!
In 2025, the organisers welcomed back almost 2000 art fans to meet exhibitors and guests across a full weekend of illustration-based fun and games. Prints, zines, comics, books, ceramics, talks, workshops, screenings – loads to look at, loads to get stuck into, loads of lovely people doing what they do best.
This year, they’re building on that. Same spirit. More artists. More things to see and do. Another jam-packed weekend celebrating illustration in all its weird, wonderful, scribbly glory – from first-time exhibitors to familiar faces, from a casual browse to properly getting involved.
Whether you’re a die-hard BIF-er or just fancy a wander, it’s all about illustration, community, and spending a couple of days surrounded by good work and good people.
Liverpool Comic Fair
Sunday 1st November 2026
The Liner Hotel, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool, L3 5QB
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
Plymouth Comic Con and Gaming Festival 2026
Sunday 1st November 2026
Plymouth Active, Plymouth Active/ Life Centre Mayflower Drive, Plymouth PL2 3DG
Hosted by UK Comic Con and Gaming Festivals
Southampton Comic Con and Gaming Festival 2026
1st November 2026
Places Leisure Eastleigh, Passfield Avenue Eastleigh SO50 9NL
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Gloucester Comic Con 2026
8th November 2026
GL1 Sports Centre Bruton Way, Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented
Manchester Comic Fair
Saturday 14th November 2026
Sachas, Tib Street, Back Piccadilly, Manchester, M4 1SH
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival – The Yorkshire Comic Festival 2026 and Thought Bubble – Comic Convention
14th – 15th November 2026
Events across Yorkshire in November including a Comic Convention across Leeds and the whole of Yorkshire, an unmatched celebration of comics across Yorkshire.
Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate
Web www.thoughtbubblefestival.com
The organisation use their festival week to promote the power of comics, aiming to inspire, educate and bring people together like no other medium, so whether you’re a longtime fan of comic art or have never picked up a graphic novel before, you’ll find something for you. In addition to its guest line-up, the event also features hundreds of stands of comic creators work.
Thought Bubble is the Yorkshire Comic Art Festival, a week long celebration of comics, illustration and more spread across the whole of Yorkshire, finishing in a huge two day comic convention.
Thought Bubble is a non-profit organisation with their chosen charity being Barnardo’s.
Guests will appear on both days, unless otherwise stated, and will have a table for the whole weekend, signing slots, or both!
Thought Bubble Guests are a mix of invited, paid for, and creators who apply via the event’s curated route. Appearances are based on professional availability and are subject to change. Guest tables, guest signing times and other appearances will be released closer to the convention dates.
Comics Forum 2026
12th – 13th November 2026
Leeds Art Gallery and Central Library
Web: comicsforum.org
Comics and related forms have engaged with themes of welfare since at least as early as 1751, when Hogarth’s prints Beer Street and Gin Lane presented satirical comments on alcohol legislation and public health. Since then, depictions of welfare-related concerns have proliferated in comics ranging from small scale graphic pathographies through to large scale public communication campaigns. The rise of Graphic Medicine as a field of scholarship has given visibility to titles exploring health, disability and wellbeing, but comics are equally entwined with issues of welfare concerning literacy, representation and community. Beyond the content of the comics, the ways they are made, by a community of workers, draws our attention to the welfare of creators and the sustainability of the art form and its connected industries and audiences.
Comics Forum 2026 will explore the theme of welfare, broadly conceived, in relation to any form of comics (i.e. including bande dessinée, manga etc.). Proposals are welcome from academics and comics creators. Topics may include:
- Accessibility (including physical, economic etc.)
- Community engagement and outreach
- Creators’ rights
- Disability
- Education and literacy
- Environmental stewardship, animal rights
- Health
- Safety, public information
- Social work, youth work
- Socially engaged / participatory design / codesign
- Wellbeing
- Welfare rights campaigns (healthcare, housing, labour, benefits/claimants, migrant, youth rights)
Somerset Comic Con and Gaming Festival 2026
Sunday 15th November 2026
Bath and West Showground Shepton Mallet BA4 6QN
Hosted by UK Comic Con and Gaming Festivals
London Comic Con 2026
15th – 16th November 2026
Olympia London
Web: londoncomicconwinter.com
Bringing you the Stars of Film and TV for you to meet, get their autographs and have your photo taken with them. Includes a Comic Creators Alley
Watford Comic Con 2026
15th November 2026
Watford Woodside Horseshoe Lane, Watford
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Drawn Makers Market 2026
Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd November 2026
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, Spring Gardens, Shrewsbury SY1 2SZ
Web: www.drawn.live
A gathering of Shropshire’s creative community, including comic creators, to showcase new designs and give the opportunity to buy direct.
Sheffield Comic Fair
Saturday 21st November 2026
Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield, S1 2BX
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
Southend-on-Sea Comic Con 2026
22nd November 2026
Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre Garon Park, Eastern Avenue, Southend-On-Sea
Web: creedconventions.com/events
Organised by Creed Conventions, mainly film and TV but comics are represented.
Comica Social Club
Wednesday 25th November 2026
6.00pm The Lion And Unicorn, Upper-Ground Floor, The Sidings, Waterloo station, Waterloo, Lambeth, SE1 7BH• Follow on Facebook
Monthly meet-ups on the last Wednesday every month, previously at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. Do check the Facebook page for possible venue changes
Dublin Comic Arts Festival 2026
11.00am – 5.00pm Sunday 29th November 2026
Bohemian Football Club, Dalymount Park, Dalymount, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, D07 P2T0
Admission Free | Web: dublincomicarts.ie | Support DCAF on Patreon
DCAF is a small press comic book event, created to showcase local comic creators and celebrate the spectrum of Irish sequential art. The small press comic scene has been growing in Ireland for years, but Irish comic creators often travel across the globe to find Comic Arts Festivals to exhibit their work. “We feel it’s time for some Comic Arts Festivals closer to home,” say the organisers.
Comica Social Club
Wednesday 25th November 2026
6.00pm The Lion And Unicorn, Upper-Ground Floor, The Sidings, Waterloo station, Waterloo, Lambeth, SE1 7BH • Follow on Facebook
Monthly meet-ups previously at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. Do check the Facebook page for possible venue changes
Kelly’s Comic Fair
28th November 2026
10.30am – 5.00pm The Mecure Hotel Newport, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1DW | Admission free | Facebook Event Page
Step into a world of nostalgia at a classic comic fair, featuring tens of thousands of comics to browse, collect, and enjoy! Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a curious newcomer, this is a must-visit event for comic lovers of all ages!
This is a real ‘old school’ comic fair event with an emphasis on the sale of predominantly vintage comics. “Come one and all and enjoy a great day out where you can purchase fantastic comics and comic collectibles at great prices!” says organiser Paul Kelly.
London Comic Mart
Sunday 29th November 2026
Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DG
Early Entry Price: £5 from 11.00 am – 12 noon – Free entry from 12 noon
Web: londoncomicmart.co.uk
December 2025
Birmingham Comic Fair
Saturday 5th December 2026
Walker Memorial Hall, Ampton Road, Birmingham, B15 2UJ | Admission £2 (on the day)
(Near Five Ways roundabout – follow Calthorpe Rd to Carpenter Road)
Web: goldenorbit.co.uk
American and British Comics, Books, Graphic Novels for sale and a selection of TV/Film memorabilia, annuals, artwork and much more. Free Parking.
Graphic Brighton 2026
Mid December in 2024
Moulsecoomb Campus of the University of Brighton
Web: graphicbrighton.wordpress.com
An academically-led annual event that will focus on one inter-disciplinary topic
Sources
• downthetubes Event Guide | Events News | Exhibition News
• UK Comic Con and Sci-Fi Convention Listings
• The Convention Collective: http://theconventioncollective.com
• Comic Conventions UK – www.comicconventions.co.uk
• Facebook – Real Comic Conventions We Love
• Comic and Film Fairs hosted by Golden Orbit – Facebook Listing
• MSE Comic Conventions Listing on Facebook
• Comics and other events hosted by Savage Beast – Facebook Listing
• NWCC Events Group on Facebook – North West-based comics events
• Small Publishers Fair: Book Fair Calendar
A list of anarchist, artist, illustration, indie, letterpress, LGBTQ, photography, small press, wayzgoose and zine UK book fairs
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.