HOUSTON — Comicpalooza welcomed a record-breaking crowd of 50,778 attendees over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, 2018. Texas’ largest pop culture festival also announced it will make its annual return to the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) May 10-12, 2019.
“Comicpalooza has truly established itself as one of Houston’s iconic annual events. Celebrating our tenth anniversary, we knew that we wanted to make this year special. We continued to invest resources in areas of the show popular with our guests and better supported the team that has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for years. The huge crowds and the unforgettable fan experiences created at this year’s show are a testament to the efforts of everyone involved,” said Michael Heckman, President of Comicpalooza and Senior Vice President of Houston First Corporation.
Several fan experiences received media attention, including Tori Bernal, who recreated Tom Holland’s GQ photoshoot on social media. After meeting with the actor, Bernal soon caught the attention of Buzzfeed and comicbook.com. Two brothers also became instant stars after sharing the stage with Holland during his panel on Saturday afternoon. In addition, Houstonians witnessed a large number of fans taking over downtown dressed as their favorite cosplay characters while others walked the exhibition hall.
Featured partners for the event included BBVA Compass, who were the official sponsors of the Comicpalooza Cosplay Competition and Maker’s Space; Adult Swim, who promoted their upcoming series, “FLCL;” Lyft, who helped attendees get to and from the crowded facility easily; as well as Houston Outlaws, Papa John’s Pizza, Next Level Gaming, Rest and Relax, Sprint, Landry’s, Saint Arnold, Coca-Cola and Timewise.
Throughout the weekend, attendees were invited to explore more than 1,000 hours of programming and live entertainment. Highlights from the event include a variety of panels, cosplay contests, the annual Comicpalooza Film Festival, the Live Art Auction as well as esports and a watch party for the Houston Outlaws. In addition to Tom Holland, John Cusack, Krysten Ritter, and Charlie Cox, the event also featured a leading guest roster that included Michael Chiklis, Jeri Ryan, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Ruth E. Carter, Walton Goggins, Orlando Jones, Tricia Helfer, Ray Park, and Ross Marquand. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet and greet with famed comic book creators Scottie Young, Mark Waid, Michael Golden, and Paul Pope among others.
For the most up-to-date information, including the full list of special guests and event recaps, visit www.comicpalooza.com.
