ORLANDO, Fla. – One of the largest conventions in the southeast United States returns this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center.
MegaCon Orlando runs Thursday through Sunday. The convention showcases fans and pop culture, from sci-fi and fantasy to anime and video games to comic books and cosplay.
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Dozens of celebrities will be on hand as well.
Four-day passes are sold out but some single-day tickets are still available.
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Here’s what you need to know before you go.
Location
MegaCon this year is located in the North-South Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center off International Drive.
The ticketing hall this year is in the south concourse, Hall B. That’s also where customer service and disability services are located.
Parking
This year MegaCon is urging people to pay for parking tickets in advance. Tickets are $30 a day.
The MegaCon website has a page with a map of the different parking lots, and on what days space is still available. All of the parking lots, except for the lot at the convention center itself, have a shuttle service that runs until 9 p.m.
Some of the lots are sold out, depending on the day.
Megacon is urging guests to follow its Twitter account for parking updates.
If a parking lot is not sold out, you may be able to purchase a ticket for that lot on the day you want to attend. But you may find yourself going from lot to lot looking for parking.
Ticket prices
Single-day adult tickets available for all four days. Tickets are $28 on Thursday, $49 on Friday, $65 on Saturday and $54 on Sunday.
Youth single-day tickets are sold out for Saturday and Sunday. Those are for children 13-17. Youth tickets are $23 for Thursday and $39 for Friday.
Passes for children ages 6-12 are still available for $13.
All tickets are available on the MegaCon website.
There is also a free kids coupon available with the purchase of an adult pass for children ages 6-12 HERE.
Who is coming?
The lineup this year for MegaCon features dozens of TV and film celebrities, voice actors, comic book creators, cosplayers, YouTubers and more.
Not every guest is appearing every day. Some guests are only appearing on Saturday, some only Saturday and Sunday. Some only Thursday. Be sure to check the listing to see who you want to see before buying tickets.
Celebrities are available for autographs and professional photo opportunities on the days they are appearing. You can purchase tickets for these in advance, or at the table. Some of the guests also charge for selfies at the table, which can be cheaper than the photo-ops.
A complete list is on the MegaCon website. Click on the individual celebrity to see prices and purchase tickets.
Here is a sampling of guests this year:
- James McAvoy (X-Men, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
- Chevy Chase (SNL, National Lampoon movies, Fletch)
- Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy)
- Henry Winkler (Barry, Happy Days)
- John Cleese (Monty Python)
- Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Wednesday)
- Zachary Levi (Shazam!)
- Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil, Law and Order)
- Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Sleepy Hollow)
- Hayden Christensen (the Star Wars prequels)
- Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka)
- Carl Weathers (The Mandalorian, Rocky)
- Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery)
- Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)
- Frank Miller (Comics creator, 300, Batman comics)
- Geoff Johns (DC comics writer, DC entertainment producer)
Check out News 6′s interviews with MegaCon guests Henry Winkler and Emily Swallow to learn about their latest projects and why they like doing conventions.
Activities
The convention is not just about meeting famous people. There will be four days of panels and discussions on various fandoms, programming rooms, gaming rooms, community groups and fan meetups.
There will be free photo-ops with famous vehicles from films and TV shows, robot builders and more.
There are several costume contests, including one for kids. There will be panels and workshops, and photo-ops at a cosplay photo park.
There will also be family zones and a quiet room.
There are also after-hours events all four nights.
A full schedule of events is HERE.
Miscellaneous
Be prepared to go through security — there will be bag checks and if you are bringing in costume props, those will be checked as well.
Pack your patience, especially on Saturday — Saturday is the busiest day of any convention, but with several major celebrities only appearing on Saturday, expect longer lines inside and outside of the convention center. Arrive early, be prepared to stand a lot.
There are accommodations for people who are disabled — A medical sticker is required. It provides for accessible seating when available, but does not provide priority access to autographs and photo ops. There’s a Frequently Asked Questions page on disabilities HERE.
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