Northeast Florida's longest-running multi-day pop culture convention is coming back to St. Augustine later this month, and this year it's bringing along two of Star Trek's most recognizable faces. Ancient City Con runs September 25 through 27 at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort, packing in cosplay, comic book guests, tabletop and arcade gaming, panels, live performances, and a vendor hall full of creators and exhibitors, according to a post from St. Augustine, Florida on Facebook.
The convention is produced by Hall of Heroes, LLC, which is marking its 10th anniversary as a regional convention producer this year, according to Hall of Heroes. The company runs several themed pop culture mini-cons across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, and Ancient City Con has grown into its flagship event.
Star Trek's Voyager Crew Beams In For a 60th Anniversary Celebration
In honor of Star Trek's 60th anniversary, this year's featured guest lineup is headlined by Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang, both cast members from Star Trek: Voyager, which originally aired from 1995 to 2001, per Cosmic Times. The pairing gives longtime Trek fans a chance to revisit one of the franchise's most beloved series decades after it left the air.
Sci-fi devotees with a taste for something grittier will also get a reunion nearly 30 years in the making. Ancient City Con is hosting a cast gathering for the 1997 film Starship Troopers, featuring actors Michael Ironside, Casper Van Dien, and Seth Gilliam, according to 107.3 Planet Radio. The film has held onto a dedicated cult fanbase since its release, and the station notes the reunion is one of this year's biggest retrospective panel draws.
A Local Comic Collaboration Puts St. Augustine on the Page
Beyond daytime floor access, the convention is also offering evening programming through its ACC After Dark events, which include live DJ dance parties, stage performances, and independent film screenings at the Ancient City Con Nerdy Film Fest, presented by the LOL JAX Film Festival, per Visit St. Augustine. That festival organizes regional comedy and indie film showcases throughout Northeast Florida.
The convention has also leaned into its local roots on the comic book side. Ancient City Con partnered with comic retailer Coliseum of Comics, which operates shops across Central and North Florida, to release an exclusive convention variant cover for the trade paperback D'ORC: The Book of Certain Doom, illustrated by Ryan English and depicting characters battling atop St. Augustine's historic Castillo de San Marcos, according to Ancient City Con.
This year's comic creator lineup also includes several regional names. Jeff Whiting created the official 2026 convention poster artwork, and he'll appear alongside Cosmic Times publisher Martin T. Pierro, Alex Saviuk, Terance Baker, Roland Mann, and Thomas Florimonte, the same Cosmic Times report notes.
Three-Peat Cosplay Honors and a Big Venue on Interstate 95
Ancient City Con's cosplay scene has earned it recognition well beyond the convention floor. The event was voted Best Cosplayer Event in the Folio Best Of Readers Poll for three consecutive years running through 2025 and 2026, according to Folio, which runs an annual reader-voted poll spotlighting Jacksonville and St. Augustine community favorites.
The host venue itself is built for an event of this scale. The World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort offers more than 45,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space, making it the largest combined hotel and convention facility between Orlando and Atlanta, according to Florida's First Coast of Golf. The resort sits along Interstate 95 in northern St. Johns County.
That location has been in transition in recent years. In April 2024, the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners voted to acquire ownership of surrounding World Golf Village assets, including parking lots and common grounds adjoining the resort and convention center, following the relocation of the World Golf Hall of Fame, per St. Johns County Government. The county is now weighing broader master redevelopment plans for the World Golf Village complex, making high-profile bookings like Ancient City Con a meaningful driver of venue use in the meantime.
What Tickets Cost and How to Get In
Single-day general admission tickets for Ancient City Con 2026 range from $41.65 to $53.01 depending on the day, according to Visit St. Augustine. For those who want the full experience, an Ultra VIP Hotel Package priced at $535.49 includes a two-night resort stay, four VIP passes, silent disco headphones, and early entry to the vendor hall. Visit St. Augustine notes admission fees tend to increase closer to the event dates, so early bookers may get the better deal.
