Fan Expo Canada Begins August 27 in Toronto: Here’s What to Expect

Fan Expo Canada is returning to Toronto for another massive weekend of pop culture, gaming, comics and more. This year’s convention runs from Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30 at the Metro Convention Centre.

Each year, Fan Expo Canada invites thousands of attendees to the Metro Convention Centre for a four-day event, with celebrity appearances, panels, gaming, cosplay, shopping, and special events planned throughout the weekend. The complete 2026 schedule is still to come, so additional panels, gaming appearances and events should be announced as we get closer to the show.

As always, the celebrity lineup is one of the biggest draws. This year, John Cena is heading to Toronto for photo opportunities, autographs and a special live event on Sunday. Other major guests include Mel Gibson, Alan Ritchson, Mr. T and Bruce Dickinson.

One of the biggest celebrations this year is dedicated to The Lord of the Rings. To mark the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are reuniting at Fan Expo. The four actors will appear together for An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years, with events scheduled for Friday and Saturday night. There’s even a Second Breakfast with the Hobbits on Sunday morning at the InterContinental Toronto. Tickets for the Second Breakfast must be purchased separately.

The Lord of the Rings representation doesn’t end with the four Hobbits, either. John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, is also among this year’s guests.

Fans of Lost can find another reunion of sorts. Josh Holloway, Henry Ian Cusick and Dominic Monaghan are all appearing, while Titans stars Brenton Thwaites and Alan Ritchson are also heading to Toronto.

Gaming will once again have a significant presence throughout the convention. Fan Expo says attendees can expect gaming voice actors, panels and Q&As. Video game tournaments and free play will be available throughout the weekend.

Tabletop gaming is also returning, with Dungeons & Dragons, BattleTech and other games represented through free-play sessions and tournaments. There’s also a dedicated Trading Card Station for Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana and other games.

This year, Fan Expo is hosting the “world’s largest-ever Resident Evil reunion.” Announced by Toronto’s Alyson Court, many notable voice actors from Resident Evil will reunite on Friday, August 28th at 2PM in Room 701. Court, who played Claire Redfield in the original Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica, will be in attendance alongside  Sally Cahill (Ada Wong), Riva Di Paola (Rebecca Chambers) and Richard Waugh (Albert Wesker).

Aside from Resident Evil, horror game fans will be able to attend a Dead by Daylight panel on Saturday at 3 PM in Room 707.

Fan Expo 2026 is hosting a ton of gaming’s most iconic voice actors. Halo’s Steve Downes, who plays Master Chief, is in attendance alongside Jennifer English and Ben Starr from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The original voice of God of War’s Kratos, Christopher Judge, is also set to appear. Roger Clark, Jen Taylor, Sam Witwer and more will also be on site.

Fan Expo hasn’t yet revealed the complete 2026 gaming lineup or schedule, so we don’t yet know whether Nintendo will return following its sizeable Switch 2 presence at last year’s show.

LEGO is hosting a massive booth this year. Attendees will be able to see a life-size Pikachu made of LEGO as well as a preview of the recently launched LEGO Pokémon sets. Other LEGO activations include a life-size AT-RT photo opportunity and a life-size brick-built Spider-Man display.

This year’s comic lineup is particularly strong. Legendary The Dark Knight Returns creator Frank Miller is appearing Saturday, August 29, with a dedicated experience featuring autographs, collectibles, a photo opportunity and priority access to his panel.

Former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada will also appear throughout the weekend. Other confirmed creators include Greg Capullo, Tom King, Rafael Albuquerque, Mark Brooks, Denys Cowan, Mike Del Mundo and David Finch.

Elsewhere, Fan Expo will host its usual assortment of anime programming, cosplay events, photo opportunities, autograph sessions, fan meetups and hundreds of exhibitors across the convention floor.

Fan Expo Canada opens from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 27 and then runs through to Sunday, August 30th. Four-day pass holders receive early access beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Single-day tickets currently start at $41 but are selling out quickly.