MomoCon co‑founders Chris Stuckey and Jessica Merriman are about to turn downtown Atlanta into a figurine hotspot, bringing Japan’s Wonder Festival to the United States as a dedicated zone inside MomoCon 2026. The debut is set for May 21–24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, as MomoCon expands into both Buildings A and B and pushes its exhibit and gaming footprint past the one‑million‑square‑foot mark. Organizers say the new zone is built as a serious marketplace for figure makers, garage‑kit creators and collectors who usually cross the Pacific to attend the original event in Japan.
According to Wonder Festival US, the festival will run May 21–24 inside MomoCon, and the dedicated “Wonder Festival Zone” could take up to 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. The site also notes that admission to the Wonder Festival area will be included with standard MomoCon badges, rather than sold as a separate ticket.
What Fans Will See
The new showcase is set to bring Japanese and international figure studios, independent garage‑kit makers and artisan toy designers under one roof, with limited‑edition debuts, live demos and on‑the‑spot sales aimed squarely at dedicated collectors. Chris Stuckey said, “Wonder Festival represents the pinnacle of sculpting culture. We are honored to introduce its spirit to North America,” in an interview with ORICON News. The layout combines large industry booths with a creator‑market alley so that established brands and hobby sculptors can both reach buyers and press.
MomoCon Grows Into a Million‑Square‑Foot Convention
MomoCon’s exhibitor materials list a 700,000‑square‑foot exhibitor hall and roughly 350,000 square feet devoted to digital and tabletop gaming, a setup organizers say will let the show host far more brands and staged events. MomoCon provides the individual hall figures, while local reporting puts the combined exhibit and gaming footprint at about 1,045,178 square feet. That scale positions Atlanta as a practical U.S. gateway for overseas studios that want to sell directly to American collectors and meet U.S. media without committing to a Japan trip.
Tickets, Timing and Local Impact
Organizers project more than 60,000 unique visitors and say the expanded show will generate a multimillion‑dollar economic impact, with estimates in the $42–43 million range. PR Times outlines the partnership and venue plans, while local TV produced a video interview with the co‑founders this week. 11Alive spoke with Jessica Merriman and Chris Stuckey about bringing Wonder Festival to the U.S. and the logistics behind the massive expansion.
For collectors and creators who usually make the pilgrimage to Japan, the Atlanta debut offers a much easier way to see new sculpts and chase limited runs. For the city, the partnership adds another large‑scale cultural draw to Memorial Day weekend and gives nearby shops, hotels and restaurants a likely bump in business.
