Arlington Comic Fest returns to the Arlington Expo Center this Saturday and next Sunday, bringing 75 vendors, a roster of television and voice-acting guests, and two days of cosplay to the city's Entertainment District over Labor Day weekend. General admission runs $5 for kids and $10 for adults, with the show running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
According to a post from the City of Arlington, the festival features comics, collectibles, vendors, celebrity guests, and voice actors under one roof. This year's edition marks the 5th annual Arlington Comic Fest, a milestone for an event that started small and has grown every year since.
💥 KAPOW! Arlington Comic Fest is taking over the Arlington Expo Center Sept. 5–6! Vendors, celebrity guests, voice actors, comics, collectibles and MORE! Buy, sell and meet your favorites.
— City of Arlington (@CityOfArlington) September 3, 2026
Tickets are $5 for kids and $10 for adults. Learn more at https://t.co/fUAzfwIY01 pic.twitter.com/cvfX9KieGw
A Local Answer to a Convention That Disappeared
The festival exists because another one vanished. Organizer Steve Moya of Moya Art Events launched Arlington Comic Fest in 2021 to fill the gap left by ArlingCon, the Arlington Public Library's annual comic convention that ended after pivoting to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic, per the Collin-Denton Spotlighter. The outlet reports that Moya built the event specifically as a family-friendly, lower-cost alternative to sprawling commercial expos like San Diego Comic-Con, favoring interactive cosplay photo booths and spotlighting regional independent creators over big-budget spectacle.
That community-first approach shows up in the guest list. This year's headliners include two-time Primetime Emmy nominee Barry Corbin, known for “Northern Exposure” and “Yellowstone,” alongside “Blazing Saddles” actor Burton Gilliam, “The Munsters” star Butch Patrick, and “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking” actress Tami Erin, according to the Arlington Comic Fest Official Website. Voice and television performers rounding out the roster include Corinne Sudberg of “One Piece,” Campbell Cooley of “Power Rangers,” Taylor Murphy of “Dragon Ball Daima,” and Daniel Warrior of “Tulsa King,” whose appearances pair with fan panel Q&A sessions.
What It Costs to Meet the Stars
Autographs and photo-op combinations at the celebrity guest tables range from $20 to $50, with guests accepting cash or card directly, the festival's website notes. That's on top of the $5 youth and $10 adult general admission, and organizers have set venue parking at $10 per vehicle for the weekend, according to Eventbrite listings for the event.
The expo floor itself will host 75 indoor vendors this year, selling everything from comic books and original artwork to anime merchandise, vintage apparel, gaming items, and even real insect taxidermy displays, per footage shared on the City of Arlington's YouTube channel. The lineup mixes independent North Texas creators with commercial dealers, keeping with the festival's roots as a showcase for regional talent rather than a purely commercial affair.
Inside a Growing Entertainment District
The convention takes place inside Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center at 1200 Ballpark Way, a 100,000-square-foot facility owned by the City of Arlington that includes a 48,600-square-foot column-free expo hall, according to Wikipedia. The building underwent a $10 million renovation in 2018 before becoming one of the anchors of Arlington's Entertainment District.
That district has kept expanding around the venue. In March 2024, the Arlington Museum of Art opened a new facility inside a repurposed portion of the former Arlington Convention Center complex, sharing the same 1200 Ballpark Way footprint as the Esports Stadium and Expo Center, the City of Arlington announced at the time. The city also opened a separate 200,000-square-foot convention center at the Loews Arlington Hotel in February 2024, part of a broader push to build out cultural and entertainment space in the area — the same stretch of the city that is already home to UTA, the Rangers, AT&T Stadium, and Six Flags Over Texas, per the City of Arlington.
