Comic Con Africa attracted 70 000 visitors to the Johannesburg Expo Centre from September 26-29, making it one of the biggest pop culture and gaming festivals on the continent.
“When you break Comic Con Africa down by numbers, you can really appreciate the scale of the event,” says Carol Weaving, MD of RX Africa. “This year was the fifth live iteration of Comic Con Africa and it took 21 weeks of planning and over 70 hours of set-up to pull it off – not to mention a full 48 hours to breakdown.”
The four-day event offered fans interactive experiences, on-site and virtual gaming opportunities, eSports tournaments, cosplay, shopping and the opportunity to meet like-minded fans, cosplayers, influencers and celebrities.
The Johannesburg Expo Centre was an optimal venue for the event as Comic Con Africa required 36 000 square metres of space for five stages and 18 activation areas.
“In addition to the main stage, we also had a pop culture content stage, Otaku Town (celebrating anime, manga and Japanese pop culture), an outdoor stage and the Telkom VS Gaming Stage where seasoned eSport enthusiasts competed for R300 000 (€15 660) in prizes,” explains Weaving. “This year saw over 32 hours of gaming available with 23 winners across various categories.”
Comic Con Africa is a highlight on the events calendar for many brands including KFC, Telkom, Axe, Red Bull, Doritos, Checkers, Netflix, Symbiote, Disney+ and RGB Gaming. The Toyota Gaming Engine, Nu Metro Pop Up Cinema, Toys R Us Pop-Up Store, NCPD Marvel Superhero Training Academy and Bubble House proved to be popular spaces alongside plenty autograph and photo opportunities.
Comic Con hosted three film and series celebrities (Lou Ferrigno, Joe Manganiello and Brenton Thwaites), three international cosplayers (CutiePieSensei, Wynter Phoenix and Har_Fir) and 12 comic book artists.
For Weaving, the highlight of the show remains cosplay, which “dazzled attendees with its creativity”. The Comic Con Africa Championships of Cosplay crowned Blu Rohbot Studios the overall winner, earning them the chance to represent Africa at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). The fan-favourite cosplay vote went to a remarkable portrayal of Groot who captivated the crowd and reinforced the festival’s celebration of creativity.
“We are proud to welcome fans to Comic Con Africa each year,” says Carla Massmann, Comic Con Africa Show Director.
“Comic Con Africa is a happy place in a world that can be quite daunting. For four days, anyone and everyone is able to celebrate their passions in a self-expressive and judgement-free environment. We hear such incredible stories of how people were able to connect with like-minded people as well as make new connections.”
Weaving says, for many visitors, Comic Con is a bucket-list experience and it takes an enormous effort to ensure 70 000 visitors can park, eat, shop, mingle and navigate the stands. “We have a core team of 26 people but the behind-the-scenes support is immeasurable. Every single person involved – including all the side events – puts in a massive effort. We cannot thank our partners, sponsors and staff enough. Only 50 weeks until Comic Con Africa 2025!”
