Comic Con Africa has grown into the world’s fourth-largest Comic Con event, with its Johannesburg edition now attracting about 80,000 visitors over four days, organisers have said.
The event, organised by RX Africa, launched in 2018 and has expanded rapidly amid strong demand for gaming, entertainment and pop culture events in South Africa.
According to RX Africa Managing Director, Carol Weaving, Comic Con Africa now ranks behind major Comic Con events in Brazil, San Diego and New York.
The 2026 edition was held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec from September 24 to 27.
Weaving said the event’s growth had forced organisers to carefully manage attendance, safety and the physical space available to visitors.
Rather than allowing the venue to become overcrowded, RX Africa now caps daily ticket sales at 20,000, resulting in an attendance of about 80,000 across the four-day event.
“To maintain that status, growth has to be managed organically,” Weaving said, noting that the strategy involved ticket limits, safety measures and expanding facilities such as seating areas and food villages.
Comic Con Africa was first held at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in 2018, but attendance exceeded the venue’s capacity. The event subsequently moved to Gallagher Estate before relocating to the Johannesburg Expo Centre after organisers again ran out of space.
Weaving also disclosed that RX Africa had held discussions with rAge, a long-running South African gaming expo, about possible collaboration. She declined to provide details, citing non-disclosure agreements.
The event generates revenue through three main streams: ticket sales, sponsorships and activations, and exhibition space.
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Major brands including Telkom, Red Bull and Kellogg’s participate through sponsorships and experiential activations, while hardware vendors, game distributors and pop culture retailers rent exhibition space.
Weaving said all three revenue streams were important to making an event of Comic Con Africa’s scale commercially viable.
She also highlighted a shift in how brands market their products at the event, saying companies are increasingly working directly with content creators and livestreamers instead of relying primarily on traditional advertising agencies.
“Content creators are effectively replacing traditional ad agencies for brands at the show,” Weaving said.
She added that direct engagement with creators allows brands to connect with gaming communities and potentially turn casual attendees into customers for hardware and software products.
With tens of thousands of people attending the event, organisers have also introduced strict safety measures. Attendees carrying realistic replica weapons for cosplay must use designated drop-off and collection points, while anti-harassment rules and “Cosplay is Not Consent” guidelines are enforced both at the venue and across the event’s digital platforms.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
