Fans of comic books, movies, board and video games, and popular culture assemble! For the first time ever, Cape Town will host the event known as FanCon: Cape Town Comic Con, an annual fan convention, at The Lookout exhibition centre in the V&A Waterfront. This event is a dream come true for those who are passionate about the popular icons of western society like Spider-Man and Batman, as well as the well-known franchises of East Asia, such as Naruto and Bleach, or characters and features from classic movies like Marty McFly and the Delorean from Back to the Future. All the genres will be on show during the convention, from thrilling and exciting adventure, action, horror and thriller, to lighter-hearted comedy.

As the poster says, FanCon: Cape Town Comic Con will take place in May, from Saturday the 7th to Sunday the 8th, from 10:00 to 19:00 on Saturday and 10:00 to 18:00 on Sunday. The venue for the convention, the Lookout, is a generously spaced open-plan area with access to a deck, offering visitors 360-degree views of Table Mountain and the V&A Waterfront.

What you can expect at FanCon: Cape Town Comic Con

From exhibitions, shops, artists alleys, model and statue displays, live music, various activities and even cosplay competitions, you’ll easily get lost as you explore all that’s on offer. You can expect to meet the likes of local and international guests, big names in the world of illustration and writing in the comics industry, who will be happy to hand out autographs.

The shops will be selling not only comics and graphic novels but paints, figurines, jewellery,  accessories, clothing, costumes, engraved glassware, board games and so much more.

For those that love to dress up as their favourite characters, a cosplay competition will be held for the best costumes, with registration taking place online until May the 6th for R 30 and at the comic con on the 7th for R 50. The competition will be held on the 8th. Third place gets the prize of R 500 while second place gets R 1 000 and first place gets R 2 500.

Visitors can engage in board and video gaming while a children’s section is available as well to ensure fans of all ages are entertained.

Make sure you’re there first, to get something for free

While you can book your tickets in advance (more on that below), the organisers behind the convention, Reader’s Den, have shared an added attraction on their Facebook page: since they have successfully celebrated Free Comic Book Day (a worldwide event) in Cape Town for 14 years, the convention would not be complete without free comics! The first 500 visitors on Saturday the 7th of May will each receive a copy of DC Comic’s Suicide Squad FCBD edition while the first 500 visitors on Sunday the 8th of May will each receive a copy of Marvel Comic’s Civil War II FCBD edition.

The tickets

Children the age of 12 and under have free entry provided they arrive with a paying adult.

You can purchase your tickets online via Computicket. See the link below directing you to the relevant page:

online.computicket.com/web/event/fancon_cape_town_comic_con/1008702971/0/71151837

If you’d like to get more information about the event, you can email the organisers of the FanCon: Cape Town Comic Con at info@fancon.co.za or visit their website at fancon.co.za.

The location

Check out the address for the Lookout below, with an interactive map for directions.

Granger Bay Boulevard, V & A Waterfront

Start making your plans and getting your tickets today

While the Lookout is indeed a wonderfully spacious venue, space is limited, so get your tickets as soon as you can, if not today. Remember to make a plan for getting there early, since you might want to sort out your parking beforehand, which is available near the Lookout at Breakwater and Victoria Wharf Parking 3 (note that parking space is limited). Once you have that all sorted, get ready for this exciting event, Cape Town’s first comic con!