ANIVENTURE COMIC CON 2026 Draws Over 25,000 Fans in Sofia for a Weekend of Pop Culture – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency
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ANIVENTURE COMIC CON 2026 Draws Over 25,000 Fans in Sofia for a Weekend of Pop Culture
Society| July 15, 2026, Wednesday // 14:36
@comiccon.bg
More than 25,000 visitors gathered over the weekend for ANIVENTURE COMIC CON 2026, transforming the festival into one of the largest celebrations of anime, gaming, cosplay, and pop culture in the region. The two-day event brought together international stars, Bulgarian celebrities, artists, gamers, and fans, offering a packed program that combined entertainment, creativity, and community
One of the biggest attractions was the opportunity to meet Hollywood actors Oona Chaplin, known for her roles in Avatar and Game of Thrones, Christopher Judge of God of War and Stargate SG-1, and John Rhys-Davies, famous for The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. Throughout the weekend, long lines formed at the autograph and photo areas as thousands of fans waited to meet the special guests
The main stage hosted some of the festival’s most popular events, including the Cosplay Show, live interviews with international guests, presentations featuring the Bulgarian productions Undercover and The Heir, and an energetic K-pop performance that brought the event to a close
For cosplay enthusiasts, the festival represented the culmination of months of preparation. Participants showcased costumes crafted with remarkable attention to detail before both the audience and an international judging panel. The winners of Bulgaria’s qualifying competition earned the right to represent the country at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, one of the world’s most prestigious cosplay competitions
The Meet & Greet area remained busy throughout the event as visitors met well-known Bulgarian actors, performers, and online personalities. Fans spent hours interacting with Pavel Ivanov, Mihail Bilalov, Radina Kardzhilova, Alexander Sano, Kiril Efremov, Julian Kostov, Krisia Todorova, Slavi Panayotov from The Clashers, Nasi Svez, Kralski, and many other popular public figures
Gaming also played a central role in this year’s edition. Tournaments hosted in the A1 gaming zone awarded a combined prize pool of 6,400 euros across competitions in Counter-Strike, League of Legends, EA FC, Rocket League, Brawl Stars, and Clash Royale. Supported by Lenovo, the gaming program also featured legendary Swedish Counter-Strike player Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, whose appearance drew hundreds of esports fans. Visitors watched him compete in a show match alongside Bulgarian content creator Niku and had the opportunity to meet one of the game’s most celebrated Major champions.
Hall 4 offered an equally diverse lineup, featuring Spanish illustrator Ferran Rodriguez, known for creating some of the earliest official Sonic artwork, Bulgarian artist ART Vladi, Michael Mindcrime, the Books-Games association, writer Vasil Popov, contestants from Traitors: Game of Traitors and The Bachelor: Love in Paradise, as well as Renegade Wrestling, which staged the festival’s first-ever live wrestling tournament
The Asia Zone once again ranked among the busiest sections of the convention, presenting lectures, screenings, themed discussions, anime and manga activities, international cosplay guests, and demonstrations of the traditional Japanese Yosakoi dance. Meanwhile, the graffiti area became a gathering point for visitors as street artists created large-scale works live, giving audiences the chance to watch the creative process unfold throughout the weekend
Beyond the celebrity appearances and packed schedule, the festival’s organizers emphasized that its greatest value lies in the sense of community it creates. For many attendees, the most memorable moments were not the photographs or autographs but the friendships formed and the opportunity to share their passions with thousands of like-minded people. As the event concluded, organizers announced that ANIVENTURE COMIC CON will return on July 10-11, 2027, with tickets already available through the Eventim network.
This year’s festival was held with the general support of A1 Bulgaria, Ozone, Coca-Cola, Visa, and DSK Bank, alongside numerous additional partners, while bTV Media Group served as the event’s main media partner
SocietyTags:Aniventure Comic Con, sofia, Bulgaria, fans
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