Cincinnati Comic Expo is coming home. After two years of running its multi-day pop-culture gathering out of a suburban convention hall, one of Cincinnati's largest comic conventions returns downtown from September 25 through 27, moving into a 750,000-square-foot facility.
The event lands at the newly rebranded First Financial Center, according to CityBeat, with public hours running 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, per Visit Cincy. The downtown convention center spent 18 months completely closed for a $264 million overhaul before reopening this year, a shutdown that forced the expo to relocate to the Sharonville Convention Center in 2024 and 2025, as CityBeat's reporting and prior coverage from Movers & Makers have detailed.
That suburban run wasn't without upside. The Sharonville Convention Center accommodated redirected events, including the Comic Expo, in 2024 and 2025. But the downtown venue's new footprint dwarfs that space: 750,000 total square feet, including 200,000 square feet of updated exhibit halls and a new 6,000-square-foot rooftop terrace, per the same figures cited by Movers & Makers.
A Bigger Stage for a Homegrown Convention
Matt Bredestege, the expo's director of operations, told CityBeat the larger downtown venue means the show can finally accommodate more fans, guests, exhibitors, activities and events than it could in Sharonville. Bredestege also said downtown Cincinnati offers higher-quality hotels and restaurants than the suburban alternative, a point that speaks directly to why organizers were eager to move back.
A 2011 City of Cincinnati streetcar study said more than 2,000 additional residential units were under construction or in the planning stage, with an estimated Downtown population of 12,452.
Matt Bredestege, a friend of Andrew Satterfield and the expo's director of operations, told CityBeat the larger downtown venue means the show can finally accommodate more fans, guests, exhibitors, activities and events than it could in Sharonville. Bredestege also said downtown Cincinnati offers higher-quality hotels and restaurants than the suburban alternative, a point that speaks directly to why organizers were eager to move back.
New Name, New Investment Behind the Venue
The downtown facility's rebrand didn't happen quietly. First Financial Bank acquired 15-year naming rights for $10.1 million following the $264 million renovation, replacing Duke Energy after that company surrendered its naming rights contract in late 2025, according to 91.7 WVXU. The building underwent an 18-month, $264 million renovation.
Venue operator Legends Global also brought in Levy Restaurants as the exclusive food-and-beverage provider starting in February, introducing concourse offerings like Bagel Boulevard along with venue-wide composting, per Levy Restaurants. The upgrades are part of a much larger bet on downtown: the convention center overhaul anchors an $828 million Convention Center District redevelopment, backed by a $540 million financing package finalized in June to build a 700-key Marriott headquarters hotel expected to open in late 2028, according to Commercial Search. That hotel project is part of the redevelopment effort.
Celebrity Guests and Ticket Prices
The 2026 lineup includes Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars, as well as Richard Armitage, who played Thorin Oakenshield in The Lord of the Rings universe, per CityBeat's guest list. Other guests include Tommy Flanagan of House of the Dragon, Pom Klementieff of Guardians of the Galaxy, Gina Torres of Firefly, Sylvester McCoy of Doctor Who, Carmen Electra of Baywatch, Vicki Lawrence of The Carol Burnett Show, Yuri Lowenthal of Naruto, cast members from Fallout, and comic-book guests Scott Snyder and Paul Dini.
Christensen is among the expo's celebrity guests, as listed by CityBeat. The event's fan-experience tickets are listed on Capture Ticketing.
More Than Autographs
Beyond the celebrity panels and red carpet, the expo covers video games, tabletop games, movies, television, comics, novels, art, crafts and cosplayers, according to CityBeat. Organizers also point to cosplay contests, meet-and-greet and autograph sessions, and art practice activities as part of the more than 200 vendors expected on the floor.
Founded in 2010, the convention has continued to grow into one of Cincinnati's largest pop-culture conventions, according to CityBeat and other regional outlets. Bredestege has a personal history with the event's biggest moments too — he introduced Stan Lee to a crowd back in 2016, a memory that underscores just how far the expo has come since its earliest days downtown.
