I am happy to say that it is that time of year again! Comic Con Africa 2026 kicks off later this month for its seventh year. It falls over the Heritage Day ‘long weekend’ here in South Africa from 24-27 September 2026. If you are new to the convention, you can learn more about Comic Con Africa as a whole here.
With over 70 000 fans from many different fandoms expected to attend the con, navigating the schedule and halls can be overwhelming. So what can an anime fan expect and look forward to?
Quick details for Comic Con Africa 2026:
- Dates: 24-27 September 2026
- Hours: 09:00-18:00 daily
- Venue: Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec
- Tickets available here on Howler
- Parking is R50 per vehicle
Rules and things to keep in mind:
- Food and drink: Outside alcohol and glass bottles are not allowed to be brought in. Regarding water, you can bring in one 250ml bottle of water that is not in a glass bottle or container.
- Cameras and Tech: Standard cameras are allowed with caveats for Q&A sessions. Smart Glasses and other wearable recording devices are strictly banned.
- Additional costs: Celebrity autographs, professional photo opportunities and additional vouchers are purchased separately to your admission ticket, through Howler as well.
Win tickets to Comic Con Africa 2026
Planning to attend on Friday? I am giving away 6 Friday tickets to Comic Con Africa 2026. Head over to my Comic Con Africa Friday Ticket Competition for the full entry details and your chance to win.
So, What Can Anime Fans Expect at Comic Con Africa 2026?
Comic Con Africa has a lot happening across the four days, and happily we anime and manga fans have more than enough to build an entire convention experience. Between the One Piece live action cast, Pokémon’s 30th anniversart, manga workshops, the Japanese language and calligraphy sessions, cosplay, anime cooking, voice acting and Otaku Town there is a surprising amount to keep an eye out for.
The challenge this year is not finding something anime related, it is deciding which anime things to prioritise.
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Anime and animation guests you can meet
- One Piece live-action cast
- Alison Sealy-Smith
- Rick and Morty voice cast
- Christopher Judge
I have put together a separate guide covering who is appearing, which days they will be at the convention, their scheduled Main Stage appearances and what you need to know about autographs and Photo Ops.
See the anime and animation guests you can meet at Comic Con Africa 2026 here.
Otaku Town
If anime, manga and Japanese pop culture are your main reasons for attending Comic Con Africa, Otaku Town should be one of your first stops. The area brings together Japanese exhibitors, anime merchandise and collectibles, Japanese food, the JETRO Super Japan Pavilion and a Street Fighter Free-to-Play Zone.
I have put together a separate guide covering what Otaku Town is, what you can expect to find there, the Japanese exhibitors, merchandise, gaming and why I think anime fans should make proper time for it.
See what anime fans can expect from Otaku Town at Comic Con Africa 2026
Anime and manga workshops
Comic Con Africa 2026 is not only about watching panels and shopping for merchandise. Anime and manga fans can also get hands-on with manga creation, Japanese language, calligraphy, voice acting and anime-inspired cooking across the four-day programme.
There are daily sessions such as Tell a Story in One Manga Page, Pentel’s manga masterclasses, Japanese lessons, calligraphy and DUB IT OUT, along with different anime food sessions depending on which day you attend.
I have put together a separate guide covering what each workshop involves, when and where it is happening, and which sessions I would prioritise depending on your interests.
See the anime and manga workshops at Comic Con Africa 2026
Pokémon turns 30
Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, and Comic Con Africa is marking the occasion across more than one part of the programme. Friday includes a dedicated Pokémon 30th Celebration on the Main Stage, while younger fans can join Pokémon-themed activities and cosplay at KidsCon. Collectors should also keep an eye on Chasing Charizards, which dives into Pokémon cards, collecting and grading.
There are also Pokémon quizzes and other smaller activities appearing across the convention, so this is one anniversary that is not confined to a single stage appearance.
See everything happening for Pokémon’s 30th anniversary at Comic Con Africa 2026
Cosplay for anime fans
You do not need a competition-level costume to take part in cosplay at Comic Con Africa. Casual Cosplay appears throughout the four-day programme, making it easy for anyone to dress as a favourite anime, manga or gaming character without committing to the main competition.
For those who take the craft more seriously, there are beginner and advanced cosplay sessions covering everything from getting started to more specialised construction techniques. Sunday brings the Comic Con Africa Championship of Cosplay, with the winner earning an expenses-paid trip to compete in the UK in 2027.
There is also a new addition this year: the Telkom VS Gaming Next Gen Squad Cosplay Competition on Saturday, with R30,000 in total prizes. It is a broader cosplay competition rather than an anime-specific one, but anime cosplayers are certainly not excluded.
Japanese culture beyond anime
Anime may be what first brought many of us into Japanese pop culture, but Comic Con Africa’s 2026 programme gives us several opportunities to explore beyond the shows themselves.
There are daily Japanese language and calligraphy sessions, information on opportunities to study or teach in Japan, and Saturday adds two particularly interesting cultural experiences: a live performance by Kyoto-based Japanese idol Marina Kojima and a large-scale Shodo calligraphy performance.
For me, this is one of the more interesting parts of the anime programme because it connects the media we already love with the language, art and contemporary culture behind it.
See the Japanese culture experiences at Comic Con Africa 2026
African anime, manga and animation
One of the threads I am particularly interested in this year is the amount of African-created work influenced by anime, manga, comics and animation appearing across the programme.
Saturday’s The Making of an African Anime looks at Majesty and how African mythology, spirituality, monarchy and modern culture can be combined with anime-inspired storytelling. Comic Con Africa will also host premieres for Yohance, an African space opera, and NIOBE, alongside panels and sessions featuring local manga and animation creators.
AfroTokyo appears throughout the programme, while manga creator T.S. Zombie is involved in both the manga workshops and a session looking at the process of creating a complete manga series. Elsewhere, local creators discuss webtoons, animation, independent publishing and what it takes to build original African stories for audiences both here and abroad.
This is an area I would not overlook simply because the titles may be less familiar than the major Japanese franchises. Part of going to a convention is discovering something new, and this year’s programme gives us quite a few opportunities to see what creators closer to home are building.
Anime shopping and Artist Alley
Obviously, there is shopping.
Comic Con Africa’s wider vendor offering includes manga, figures, posters, clothing, Funko Pops, licensed merchandise and collectibles, while Otaku Town places a stronger focus on Japanese products and anime-related merchandise.
But anime and manga fans should also make proper time for Artist Alley.
The 2026 Artist Alley brings together more than 200 local and international artists and crafters, giving you a chance to find prints, illustrations, comics, manga-inspired art, original characters and work from independent creators rather than only licensed merchandise.
The Creators Corner Stage also sits within Artist Alley, hosting Q&As, live drawing, publishing discussions and manga-related workshops. The separate Crafter’s Pavilion features more than 30 hand crafters producing items such as jewellery, crochet work, dice and plushies.
If you like finding something that did not come off a mass-production line, this is probably where a fair portion of your convention budget is going to disappear.
Going on Friday? I am also giving away 6 Friday Comic Con Africa tickets, so if you have not bought yours yet, make sure you enter the competitions here
Convention days can be long, crowded and surprisingly exhausting, especially when you are trying to squeeze in panels, workshops, shopping, cosplay and navigating the halls. Before you head out, check out my 5 Unusual Convention Survival Tips for a few things you might not think to prepare.
A big thank you to Comic Con Africa, who supplied all of the images used in this post and gave me access to them in the 2026 ‘press portal’. The header image collage is made using my photos from previous Comic Con Africa events.
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