MCM Comic Con London October 2026 guide

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The best reason to go to MCM Comic Con London is the convention itself: cosplay, artists, games and thousands of people absorbed in the same things you are. If your whole trip depends on one actor, it becomes a much riskier booking. The day worth planning is one you'd enjoy even if the celebrity schedule changes.

The October show is close now. It runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at ExCeL London, according to the official MCM London site, and the weekend and VIP tickets have already sold out. Day tickets haven't, so a first visit is still very much on.

What happens at MCM London?

MCM is a pop-culture convention run by ReedPop, held at ExCeL twice a year, in May and October. It covers games, anime, comics, TV and film: actors and voice actors on panels and at photo and autograph sessions, independent artists selling their own work, and big areas for cosplay and gaming.

The October 2026 show floor gives you a sense of the range. Artist Alley is where illustrators and makers sell prints, zines and small runs. Writers Block brings independent authors to the South Hall. Pop Asia and the Fringe fill parts of the North Hall. The Treehouse is the family area. On the gaming side, the Side Quest Arena hosts the Street Fighter League EMEAA playoffs on Saturday, alongside tabletop, LARP and card-game areas. For a festival built mainly around video games, our DreamHack Birmingham guide covers the NEC's April show.

When is it, and what time can you get in?

Your ticket decides your start time. Priority tickets get onto the show floor two hours before General Entry each day, and weekend and VIP holders come in at Priority times, according to the ticket guide.

Priority is about the show floor, not the queues. MCM says Priority "will not grant earlier access times to panels or in queues", so it's worth paying for only if those first two hours matter to you: the quieter aisles, a stall you want to reach before it sells out, or a morning panel.

That last one is a real consideration this year. Two gaming headliners start before General Entry opens: Critical Role on the Main Stage at 11am on Friday, and the GTA V reunion on the Live Stage at 10am on Saturday, which MCM's gaming highlights say needs a Priority-window ticket.

Which ticket should you get?

Prices on the official ticket page on 16 October 2026:

Children aged four and under go free with an adult ticket holder, and anyone 11 or over needs a full ticket. The ticket page says sold-out types won't be released again, and MCM doesn't allow resale, so a weekend ticket from a stranger is a risk I wouldn't take. Badges are no longer being posted: you collect yours at the show with the QR code, and over-18s activate their tickets in the MCM app.

For a first look around, one day is plenty. Two or three make sense if you've got an elaborate cosplay, several fixed panels, booked guest sessions, or a group treating the whole thing as its holiday. Friday and Sunday are the cheaper days, and Friday's After Hours gives you an evening on top.

Who's there, and what costs extra?

The official guest list has more than 200 names. The draws for screen fans are the Daredevil: Born Again cast: Charlie Cox on Saturday only, with Vincent D'Onofrio and Wilson Bethel on Saturday and Sunday. For gamers, it's an unusually strong voice line-up: the Critical Role cast on Friday and Saturday, Charles Martinet (Mario), Patricia Summersett (Zelda), Roger Craig Smith (Sonic), Neil Newbon (Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3), the Resident Evil cast, and Doug Cockle and John Schwab for a Witcher 3 panel on Saturday.

Panels are free with entry. Meeting a guest usually isn't. Photo ops and autographs are paid extras on top of your ticket, sold through MCM's Epic store, at the Epic desk on the day, or at the guest's own table. The guest pages list a Charlie Cox autograph at £119 and a photo op with him at £134, a Critical Role cast photo op at £75, and a Charles Martinet autograph at £60. Some guests sell only at their table, where MCM suggests bringing cash, and a missed photo-op slot isn't refunded.

So that's the honest budget. A £38 Saturday ticket plus one autograph and one photo op with a big name can pass £250 before you've bought a single print.

Will you enjoy it if you don't know half the guests?

Honestly, that's the best way to go. The first-timer who has the best time is the one whose interests overlap. Picture it: a morning wandering Artist Alley, photographing cosplay after lunch, trying a game, then finishing on a panel. That day still works if a guest drops out.

The riskiest version is a long journey for a single autograph. Guest appearances come with their own price, booking window, time slot and terms, and getting into the convention doesn't include any of them.

I found this walkthrough of the May 2026 London show more useful than any guest poster, because it shows just how big and packed the halls get. The October layout and stalls will differ.

How I'd plan the day

Three anchors, no more:

1. one scheduled panel, screening or guest booking;
2. one area you explore slowly, like Artist Alley;
3. one thing you actually take part in, like cosplay or a game.

The Main Stage and Capital Stage take reservations, for up to two people a session (one each for Critical Role), and MCM asks you to arrive 30 minutes early for the Main Stage and 15 for the others. I'd leave at least 45 minutes between fixed things in different parts of ExCeL. The building is long: ExCeL puts its west and east entrances about 600 metres apart, and that gap soaks up security, queues, food and whatever you get distracted by on the way.

A meeting point with your mates needs to be more specific than "near the entrance", because a phone in a rammed hall is not something I'd count on. MCM's own first-convention guide is worth a read the night before.

Cosplaying? What to sort out before you travel

The costume and prop rules are worth reading before you finish the build, not after. Metal blades, real or replica firearms, airsoft and gel blasters, strung bows and laser pointers are all banned. Props can be up to 150cm long (180cm for a narrow staff or spear) unless they come apart without tools, shields are capped at a metre and costumes at 2.5 metres. Prop guns are checked and marked by security at the entrance each day, and race-changing make-up isn't allowed.

Then comes a proper test of the costume: can you sit down, use a toilet, carry a coat and actually travel in it? Cosplay Central is on Level 3 of the ICC at the east end, above the Main Stage, and runs a free Cosplay Hospital for repairs, with a new outpost in Hall N4 this year. It doesn't store bags.

If you'd like a moment on stage, the Daily Cosplay Showcase takes sign-ups at Cosplay Central before 1pm, the Masquerades run on the Main Stage on Saturday and Sunday, and there's a Kids Cosplay Showcase in the Treehouse. The World Cosplay Summit's Team UK selection is on Saturday. Not cosplaying is completely normal, and asking before you photograph someone is the expected courtesy.

The 86th Floor's video from last October's show is a good preview of the costumes you'll see, from KPop Demon Hunters to Hazbin Hotel.

Getting to ExCeL and getting in

Everyone enters through the Queue Hall on the north lorryway, on the west side of ExCeL. MCM's travel page points you to Custom House, on the Elizabeth line and the DLR, and the signs from there. Prince Regent DLR serves the east entrance; from the Jubilee line, change at Canning Town for a Beckton-bound DLR two stops to Custom House. ExCeL's car parks are sold out for the show.

When I checked TfL's planned works on 16 October, the Elizabeth line, DLR and Jubilee line were running normally on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday there's no DLR between Shadwell and Tower Gateway, which matters only if you'd usually start from Tower Gateway; Custom House and Prince Regent aren't affected. TfL's status page is the one to check on the morning.

There's no bag size limit, but security may search bags with walk-through or handheld scanners, and MCM asks you to carry photo ID. Both the MCM cloakroom and ExCeL's own charge a small fee. You can leave and come back with your physical ticket, but not near closing: MCM's FAQ says there's no re-entry in the last hour, while its travel page says 30 minutes, so I'd work to the hour.

Food, cash and somewhere quiet

You can bring your own food and soft drinks, which helps, because ExCeL's own cafés and food outlets don't take cash. Stalls are the opposite: many take cards, but it's up to each exhibitor, and some guest tables want cash. A little of each covers you, and there are water refill points by halls S4 and S7.

MCM's accessibility page is worth reading if you need it. A free Essential Companion ticket for a carer comes through the Nimbus Access Card, registered before you buy; assistance stickers are given out at the accessibility desk; and there's a quiet room, a Reset Room and extra seating for when the halls get too much.

How not to blow your budget

Three separate limits help: food, things you planned to buy, and things you didn't. When something grabs you, photograph the product and the stall name, then do one full lap of that area before buying. Art and small independent work might genuinely be a one-off. Mass-market merch can be compared later: FunkoFunkoFunko's UK site is built around Pop! vinyl figures and collectible merchandise, with a strong focus on film, television and comic franchises. Shoppers in the UK can browse the MarvBuying guide · View store → and other toy and collectables shops are on our toys and games page.

I'd keep receipts for anything pricey, and check fragile buys before walking away from the stall.

Where to stay for ExCeL

The hotels right around ExCeL are handy, and they get pricey on a big event weekend. I'd look more widely around Docklands at places with Elizabeth line and DLR connections, and compare them using the hall entrance and the time you'll realistically leave as the start and end of the journey. Hotel groups with store pages here are on our hotels page.

The train, the hotel and the ticket are worth comparing together as one trip. The cheapest bit of each doesn't always add up to the cheapest weekend.

What comes after October?

MCM London returns in May 2027, but the dates haven't been announced. MCM's own pages already refer to "MCM London May 2027", where the Crown Championships cosplay final will be held, and its Birmingham page says that show "will return in 2027" with dates "coming soon". I wouldn't guess the dates from previous years or book a train and hotel around a weekend nobody has confirmed. The official MCM site is where they'll appear.

If you're weighing MCM against other shows, our UK expo chooser lines it up with UK Games Expo and DreamHack.

Questions people ask

When is MCM Comic Con London 2026?

Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at ExCeL London. General Entry opens at 12pm on Friday and Sunday and 11am on Saturday; Priority ticket holders get in two hours earlier.

How much are MCM London tickets?

Day tickets were £29 to £48 on 16 October 2026, depending on the day and whether you choose General or Priority. Weekend and VIP tickets had sold out. Children aged five to ten need a £7 kids ticket, and under-fives go free with an adult.

Does a convention ticket include autographs?

No. Panels are included, but autographs, selfies and photo ops are paid extras with their own prices, sold through MCM's Epic store or at the guest's table.

Can I leave and come back in?

Yes, with your physical ticket, but not close to the end of the day. MCM's pages give a cut-off of an hour or 30 minutes before close, so it's safest to be back an hour before.

Can I bring my own food?

Yes, except alcohol. ExCeL's own food outlets are cashless.

Which station is nearest to MCM London?

Custom House, on the Elizabeth line and the DLR, for the Queue Hall where everyone enters. Prince Regent DLR is nearer the east end.

When is MCM London 2027?

In May 2027, but the dates haven't been published yet. The official MCM site will have them first.

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