COMICON Naples
The International Pop Culture Festival at the Mostra d'Oltremare
About COMICON
A festival that changed the pop face of Naples
COMICON was founded in 1998 in Naples as the International Comic Salon, initiated by a group of enthusiasts gathered around a comic book shop in the historic center. From that small, almost artisanal event—then the only one of its kind in Southern Italy—it has grown into an event that now occupies 80,000 square meters at the Mostra d'Oltremare and has established itself as one of the continent's leading pop festivals. The city that once hosted the era of Andrea Pazienza and Attilio Micheluzzi has thus rediscovered an event capable of speaking to all generations.
The Mostra d'Oltremare, a city within a city
The venue is the large exhibition complex in Fuorigrotta, just a few steps from the Maradona stadium: tree-lined avenues, monumental fountains, rationalist pavilions, and vast green spaces. The festival distributes its content across approximately 30,000 square meters of indoor space and 50,000 outdoors, featuring the 850-seat Teatro Mediterraneo, conference rooms of various sizes, live music stages, and an outdoor arena with several thousand seats. Walking from one pavilion to another is part of the experience: the queues, groups of cosplayers posing in front of the fountains, and picnics on the lawns have become an iconic image of this Neapolitan event.
The thematic areas
The program is organized into areas that help navigate hundreds of daily appointments:
- Comics — meetings with authors, live drawing sessions, signings, artist alley, and stands from Italian and foreign publishers;
- Asian Culture — manga, anime, cosplay, K-pop, and K-culture, with Japanese and Korean guests;
- Video Games — trial stations, previews, eSports stage, and competitive tournaments;
- Gaming — board games, card games, role-playing games, and open tournaments;
- Cinema and TV Series — screenings, panels, and meetings with actors, directors, and voice actors;
- Music — concerts and live performances linked to pop imagery, from animated theme songs to soundtracks;
- Young — creative and educational workshops for children and teenagers;
- Neverland — the area dedicated to LARP and immersive experiences;
- Urban — hip-hop, street art, and tattoo art;
- PizzaPop — the gastronomic format that brings Neapolitan pizza to COMICON and explores the relationship between food and pop culture.
Exhibitions and awards
The exhibition component is what distinguishes COMICON from a simple fair: every year, the festival produces dozens of original exhibitions dedicated to masters of comics, illustrators, animation authors, photographers, and street artists, often featuring unpublished plates and materials. The festival concludes with the Palmarés, which awards the Micheluzzi Prizes to the best Italian works and the COMICON Prizes to international ones, in addition to career achievement awards presented during the evening ceremony at the Teatro Mediterraneo.
A young audience from afar
The numbers reveal a cultural phenomenon rather than just an industry event: about six out of ten visitors are under 25, and over 70% arrive from outside Naples, with an estimated economic impact of tens of millions of euros for the Campania region. The festival has thus transformed into a spring tourism engine for the entire metropolitan area, which sees hotels, restaurants, and public transport fill up during the bridge between April 25th and May 1st.
COMICON OFF, the festival outside the pavilions
With the COMICON OFF project, the event moves beyond the Mostra d'Oltremare, bringing exhibitions and initiatives to the city's iconic landmarks, from museums to castles, extending the festival well beyond the four official days and linking it to the historical heritage of the Campanian capital.
Tips for your visit
The busiest days are the holidays: those who want to attend meetings with authors should arrive at opening time and check the online program in advance, which can be filtered by day, thematic area, and room. The daily ticket allows for a single entry, while the pass allows for re-entry, a recommended solution for those staying in the city for multiple days who want to alternate the festival with visits to the historic center of Naples.
COMICON — edition 2026
An edition with over 650 events
COMICON Naples 2026 occupied the Mostra d'Oltremare for four days, from Thursday, April 30 to Sunday, May 3, with public opening hours from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The official program featured more than 650 appointments distributed across eleven thematic areas: comics, video games, cinema and TV series, board games, Asian culture, music, cosplay, Young, the Neverland LARP area, the Urban area, and the PizzaPop gastronomic format.
Exhibitions
Twenty-five exhibitions spanned comics, animation, photography, cinema, and street art. Among the most visited: «Leologia», a self-deprecating retrospective dedicated to Magister Leo Ortolani; «Caos cromatico», a tribute to artistic director and poster artist Aurélien Predal; «Orbit Orbit», which showcased unpublished plates and sketches from Caparezza's comic work for the first time; and the exhibition dedicated to «Vinland Saga» by Makoto Yukimura.
Awards and evenings
The 2026 Palmarés awarded ten honors, divided between Micheluzzi Prizes for Italian works and COMICON Prizes for international ones; the special career achievement award went to Polish master Grzegorz Rosiński. The three evenings at the Teatro Mediterraneo completed the daytime program.
Programme COMICON 2026
Thursday, April 30
- 10:00-19:00 — festival opening at Mostra d'Oltremare: exhibitions, artist alley, publishing stands, gaming and video game areas.
- Meetings and live drawing sessions in the Andrea Pazienza and Dino De Matteo rooms.
- 20:30, Teatro Mediterraneo — live recording of the «Tintoria» podcast by Daniele Tinti and Stefano Rapone, guest: cartoonist Sio.
Friday, May 1
- 10:00-19:00 — panels with authors, signings, gaming tournaments, eSports stage, and Young area activities.
- 19:30, Teatro Mediterraneo — screening of «Millennium Actress» accompanied by a critical discussion.
Saturday, May 2
- 10:00-19:00 — peak day with cosplay competitions, international meetings, publishing previews, and live performances in the music area.
- 19:30, Teatro Mediterraneo — 2026 Palmarés awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Vincenzo Comunale.
Sunday, May 3
- 10:00-19:00 — final day: last signings, tournament finals, exhibition visits, and festival closing.
Thematic areas
- Comics, Video Games (Hyperstage and eSports Stage), Gaming, Cinema and TV Series
- Asian Culture: manga, anime, cosplay, K-pop, and K-culture
- Music, Cosplay, Young (workshops for children and teenagers)
- Neverland (LARP and immersive experiences), Urban (hip-hop, street art, tattoo), PizzaPop
Highlights COMICON 2026
- Leo Ortolani, Magister of the edition, with the «Leologia» exhibition.
- Makoto Yukimura, author of Vinland Saga, and the exhibition dedicated to his work.
- Kazuhiko Torishima, legendary editor of Dragon Ball.
- Grzegorz Rosiński, special career achievement award.
- The exhibitions «Caos cromatico» by Aurélien Predal, «Orbit Orbit» by Caparezza, «Atelier Kotteri!», and «Yudori: The Search for Time».
- Guests from cinema and video games: actor John C. McGinley, voice actor Troy Baker, and composer Austin Wintory.
- Illustrators Sara Pichelli and Simone Bianchi, and a live performance by Giorgio Vanni.
- The three evenings at the Teatro Mediterraneo: Tintoria with Sio, «Millennium Actress», and the Palmarés ceremony.
- COMICON OFF: the exhibition «Cattivi pensieri» by Robert Crumb at Castel Nuovo, from May 27 to August 31, 2026, the first major Italian retrospective dedicated to the author.
Prices COMICON 2026
Practical information — COMICON
Where it takes place
Mostra d'Oltremare, Viale J.F. Kennedy 54, Fuorigrotta district, 80125 Naples (Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania).
How to get there
- Metro: Line 2, Campi Flegrei stop (Piazzale Tecchio), a few minutes' walk from the entrances.
- Cumana: Mostra stop, in front of the main entrance.
- Bus: lines C1, C2, C6, C7, C8, R6, 151, 180, 181, 615.
- Car: paid parking managed by QuickPark at the Via Terracina and Viale Kennedy entrances; however, public transport is recommended on peak days.
- Plane: Naples-Capodichino Airport, connected to the city center and the central station by shuttles.
Hours
Open to the public from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM on each of the four days; evening events at the Teatro Mediterraneo continue after the festival closing time.
Tickets
Online sales on the official platform ticket.comicon.it. The daily ticket allows for a single entry, the pass allows for re-entry. An ID document is required. No refunds are provided.
Accessibility
Disability access arrangements must be requested online on the official website by attaching the required documentation.
Where to stay
Fuorigrotta and the Bagnoli area offer accommodations close to the venue; the historic center of Naples and the Chiaia district are reachable by metro in about twenty minutes. Booking well in advance is recommended for the long weekend of May 1st.
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Where does it take place — COMICON
Mostra d'Oltremare
Viale J.F. Kennedy 54, 80125 Napoli