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: Thursday 22nd October 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
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).
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
Late Event: The Cartoon Museum x Illustrators’ Fair Spooky Night
6.30pm – 9.00pm, Thursday 29th October 2026, The Cartoon Museum, 63, Wells Street, Fitzrovia, London. W1A 3AE
Tickets: £12.68 Web: cartoonmuseum.org/events | Direct event link for tickets
London’s Cartoon Museum will host a Halloween party celebrating all things caricature laced with a dash of your creepy tales on Thursday 29th October – a late event for over 18s, with a Doctor Who and Gerry Anderson connection.
An event for cartoon lovers, history buffs, satire fans and anyone looking for a different night out to the usual, come disguised as a creepy character (fact or fiction) to be judged in the frightening fashion parade.
No time for metamorphosis in advance? Then you can take advantage of a drop in mask making workshop when you arrive.
On the night, enjoy a Q&A with Stephen Mansfield, whose impressive career kicked off with Gerry Anderson’s Terrahawks and has since spanned Spitting Image, Doctor Who, Madame Tussauds and the Jim Henson Puppet Company.
(Stephen, by the way, is the focus of an upcoming Myth Makersdocumentary, recently recorded by Reeltime Pictures, interviewed by Kevin Davies).
“There will be spooky Halloween themed gallery tours,” we’re told. “But let’s also create a spooky tour all about you. Bring with you your best true ghost story to tantalise the crowd and we’ll get our illustrator in residence to immortalise it in pictorial highlights.”
Can’t make it? Then be there in spirit! Email the Museum at shop@cartoonmuseum.org with your true ghost story cartoons and illustrations to be projected at the party on the night. Entries will be judged by Sad Ghost Club’s Lize Meddings. Suitably spooky prizes will be up for grabs!
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.
My Beloved Other Launch Party with Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson
7.00 – 9.00pm Thursday 5th November 2026, Gosh London, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR | Facebook Event Page Here | Order the Limited Edition Bookplate Book Here
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 | Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrogate | Web www.thoughtbubblefestival.com
Thought Bubble related events take place across Yorkshire in November, including a Comic Convention in Harrogate, an unmatched celebration of comics across Yorkshire.
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.