FAN EXPO Chicago ran 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 showcased a massive celebrity lineup with several major cast reunions, comic creators, cosplay competitions, and extensive shopping opportunities.
The final day on the convention was much less congested – more on par with Friday’s attendance – which made getting around infinitely easier. The main aisle by the entrance still got crowded at times, but it was nowhere near the never-ending crush from the day before. This made it significantly easier to get in some last-minute shopping and hanging out with friends before the show closed. I took advantage of the time to make my purchases from the Weta Workshop booth (as a huge Lord of the Rings fan I could hardly pass up the 25th anniversary merchandise on sale even if so many of their statues called to me like the One Ring) and make another pass through Artist Alley.
A highlight of my day was attending a Lost panel with stars Dominic Monaghan (Charlie Pace) and Josh Holloway (Sawyer). It was a delight to hear them reminisce about one of my favorite shows, so stayed tuned for more about that!
Our past cosplay coverage can be found here: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Or Wizard World 2017-2021 Here
Despite the crowding issues and technical problems, it seemed like the weekend was a success. I know that I and many of my friends enjoyed ourselves, finding parts of the convention that worked for us. In my role of volunteering with the League of Enchantment, things went much more smoothly for us this year. We moved our programming to our own booth space, which was a major plus over some out-of-the-way room that would end up being shut down due to overcrowding, I also appreciate that none of the community groups were in hard-to-find spaces and all had ample room to showcase our missions.
The Rest of our 2026 Coverage is here:
Friday Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Red Carpet
Saturday Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3
Sunday Pt. 1, Pt. 2
… More to Come
nt Snorlax that definitely lived up to its character and excelled in blocking aisles as everyone crowded around to grab photos of the giant Pokemon. There were also a number of families cosplaying together as they enjoyed Family Day. Here are the cosplay photos I manged to grab throughout the day.
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!
