It’s Comic Con Cape Town this weekend, and tickets are moving fast! With the first two days already sold out, fans from across the country are coming together to experience pop culture and gaming from Saturday (27 April) to the public holiday next week Wednesday (1 May). Here are ten things to expect from Comic Con Cape Town this weekend.
One: International Celebs
This year, Comic Con Cape Town is inviting fans to rub shoulders with fan favourite Veronica Taylor, the original English voice actor of Ash from Pokémon, Lesley-Ann Brandt of Lucifer fame, known for her portrayal of Mazikeen, as well as Sean Gunn, whose contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise cannot be understated!
Additionally, Comic Con Cape Town is celebrating local talent by inviting several cast members from the live action Netflix adaptation of One Piece to participate in panels on the main stage. Comic Con Cape Town has also invited cast members from the local series Blood and Water to attend the event.
With all these celebrities at the show, fans can enjoy their panels on the main stage, or meet and greet them through photograph and autograph opportunities which are available on Howler.
Two: Shopping
Comic Con Cape Town would not be complete without a world class shopping experience that invites fans to explore a world of collectables, deals, and geek-focused merch!
On the show floor, fans can expect an immersive experience from Symbiote as their detailed display of statues of all sizes wows fans. Fans can also expect deals from Funko who will be retailing the beloved pop-culture based bobbleheads. Toys R Us is also featuring top toy brands for Kids to enjoy, as well as collectors of pop-culture memorabilia as part of the “Fan Vault”.
Comic books, gaming accessories, fandom-specific merch, and much more is calling for fans to get engrossed in halls of Comic Con Cape Town.
Three: KidsCon
Offering a blend of entertainment and excitement that is both enjoyable and unforgettable, Comic Con Cape Town is thrilled to be introducing KidsCon to the Comic Con Cape Town show floor on Level 2; in partnership with Toys R Us.
KidsCon also offers dedicated cosplay (dress up) competitions, character meet and greets, gaming tournaments, and more! M-net will also be offering a screening area for kids to enjoy several movies throughout the weekend.
The best part about KidsCon is that no additional ticket is required to enjoy this feature on the show floor, PLUS kids under 5 enter Comic Con Cape Town for free!
Four: A twist on Monday and Tuesday
Come for the con and stay for the party during the weeknights of the festival! Comic Con Cape Town is excited to be putting a twist on the experience by theming two of the festival days.
With these days running from 11:00 to 20:00, Comic Con Cape Town, just became the coolest “extra mural” to your work or school day. It’s not every day that you can say “I’m heading out to Comic Con Cape Town after work”.
Next week Monday will be celebrating all things horror. Come through in your spooky cosplays and enjoy this chilling celebration while enjoying tailored programming with everything from horror prosthetics tutorials down to escape rooms with Hint Hunt!
Next week Tuesday is the perfect way to spend the night before the public holiday with the family, as Comic Con Cape Town encourages fans to move from the sheets to the streets with the Cape’s Biggest Pyjama Party. Come through in your PJs for family fun and get cozy at Comic Con Cape Town with screenings, a food truck village, a dance party with DJ Elliot, and more.
Five: Gaming
Also located on Level 2 of Comic Con Cape Town, a gaming experience awaits fans with high stakes and tonnes of prizes to be won for putting your skills to the test.
Telkom will be hosting several high-level tournaments, including the nail-biting eDiski Season 7 Final with a staggering R170 000 prize pool. Additionally, Telkom will be hosting free-to-play zones as they become the Home of Gaming.
The Toyota Gaming Engine is giving gamers the choice between playing Street Fighter 6, Gran Turismo 7, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars – or all four – to win a share of R2000 in Takealot vouchers daily. On top of that, their Beat the Pro challengegives fans the opportunity to go up against professional esports players and walk away with a R3000 Takealot voucher if they come out victorious.
Other exciting gaming experiences include the Doritos VR League which literally places gamers in Beat Saber while challenging them to get to the top of the leaderboard to win their share of R10 000 and other spot prizes.
Red Bull will also be hosting the national qualifier for the globally prestigious Red Bull Kumite at Comic Con Cape Town. The victor of this Street Fighter 6 tournament could find themselves representing South Africa in the World Final in Paris next year. To learn more, see @RedBullZA on socials or visit www.redbullkumite.co.za
Six: Artist Alley
Be sure to check out “the heartbeat of the con” on Level 1! This year’s Artist Alley has invited over 120 local artists to participate, as well as 4 international comic book artists who have made massive industry impacts across Marvel and DC Comics, namely Dan DiDio, John Laymen, Todd Nauck and David Baron.
Feel free to stroll through the Artist Alley to get inspired, order commissioned work, or pick up a couple prints.
Seven: Tabletop gaming
Also located on level 1 of the festival, fans can expect a tabletop gaming experience that offers tournaments, learn to play sessions, as well as relevant experiences. Some of the titles that fans can expect to see from Unplug Yourself in the tabletop gaming area includes Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, Dungeons and Dragons, as well as a variety of Star Wars games.
Eight: Staging and Content
Comic Con Cape Town is home to three stages which will host over 100 hours of content to experience over the five days which are all located on Level 1.
The Main Stage houses spectacular sessions, including interviews with international guests, competitions, giveaways, panels, workshops, and more – while The Pop Culture Content Zone welcomes professional and community focused talks.
The Artist Alley Stage invites fans to learn from industry professionals to discuss their techniques, review portfolios, have live sketch sessions, and even get feedback from international comic book artists on their own projects and portfolios.
Be sure to download the Comic Con Cape Town app or visit the Comic Con Cape Town website to see the full programme to plan your trips.
Nine: Cosplay
Comic Con Cape Town will be hosting three cosplay competitions, namely: The Comic Con Cape Town Cosplay Competition (which is the professional league), 2024 World Cosplay Summit South African Preliminary Competition (where pairs can win a trip to Japan), as well as the Daily Casual Cosplay Competitions (which welcomes all cosplayers to participate).
Comic Con Cape Town is also excited to host Taryn Cosplay and Yuegene Fay as international cosplayers.
Ten: After Dark and side events
The Con doesn’t have to end when the show floor closes, because Comic Con is taking over the city with a variety of off-site activities, including a free Pokémon Quiz at Beerhouse. Another highlight is the fan-favourite Coffee and Comics sessions at Truth Coffee where fans use their coffee coaster to get a unique doodle in real time from some of the comic book artists that are spotlight guests at the show. Fans can secure their spots at these events on Howler.
Additional partner events include:
- The Cape Town International Animation Festival, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, which welcomes members of the animation industry as well as enthusiasts to dive deep into the technicalities of their craft.
- EnterLan is hosting a communal gaming experience in partnership with Comic Con Cape Town. Fans can learn more here: https://www.enterlan.gg
- ATK Arena is also hosting the Comic Con Cape Town launch party on Saturday 27 April. Tickets are available on Howler.
With tickets for Saturday and Sunday already sold out, be sure to get yours for only R190 here: comiccon.howler.co.za/events/comic-con-cape-town-2024-81d1
The five-day festival focuses on all elements of pop culture and brings international and local comic artists, film and TV celebrities, and Cosplayers to South African shores where they meet fans, sign autographs, and have photo ops. Packed with championships, competitions, super show specials, product launches, workshops, panels, Q&A sessions, screenings, activations, and interactive experiences, there is something for everyone to enjoy whether you are a casual fan or a bona fide geek.
