FAN EXPO Chicago is here and runs August 14-16 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. This is one of the largest pop culture conventions in the Midwest and draws over 75,000 fans. This years event showcases a massive celebrity lineup with several major cast reunions, comic creators, cosplay competitions, and extensive shopping opportunities.
The second day of the convention and it was busy. Though honestly the crush on the floor was not as bad as I’ve seen at other events. The crush in the celebrity areas was ridiculous. It looked like cattle pens with everyone filed into weaving lines and restrained by tape. The autographs seemed to be going about as smooth as ever. Some celebs took time to talk to their fans, others just signed things as fast as they could to issue on the next person.
Our past cosplay coverage can be found here: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Or Wizard World 2017-2021 Here
The big problems seemed to be with the photo ops. Yesterday there were printers down, leading to a lot that did not get their pictures and today seemed almost as bad, Many still don’t seem to have their photos 24 hours later and if they only purchased a one-day ticket, I am not sure how they are supposed to return to collect them.
The Rest of our 2026 Coverage is here:
Friday Pt. 1
Saturday Pt. 1
… More to Come
Saturday I did a lot of hanging out in the cosplay area. This year it was a nice roomy area with lots of room to hang out. This allowed cosplayers the chance to do some poses as opposed to the floor where they simply because they have no choice.
There is still plenty of time to get to the event
Show Hours:Friday 4 PM – 9 PM*
Saturday 10 AM – 7 PM
Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM
FAN EXPO Chicago is located at
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N River Rd.
Rosemont, IL 60018
For more information about the location, directions and parking click here.
ABOUT FAN EXPO
FAN EXPO Chicago is the ultimate go-to event for sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Chicago that attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
FAN EXPO Chicago offers exciting family-friendly attractions, events, and world-renowned Celebrities! The show, which started as Chicago Comic Con in 1972 and became Wizard World Chicago in 1998, has featured celebrities and creators like Stan Lee, Michael J. Fox, John Travolta, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, WWE® Superstar John Cena®, David Boreanaz and many more headliners.
Everyone is a fan of something, and FAN EXPO Chicago is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favorite guest then get the inside scoop about your favorite movies and TV shows at our celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in our popular Sketch Duels, learn from our “How To” workshops, and take photos with your favorite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for shopping madness.
FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively, it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO Canada, MEGACON Orlando, FAN EXPO Denver, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Dallas, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, EDMONTON EXPO, FAN EXPO San Francisco, Toronto Comicon, FAN EXPO Cleveland, FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, and Dallas FAN FESTIVAL.
To see what cosplay conventions are coming up
be sure to check out our Cosplay Convention List!
