Google a few famous people and follow the link to their Wikipedia page. You may be surprised how often their headline photo was taken at a Comic Con event somewhere. And that includes some of the biggest stars of film, television, and music.
Comic Con International describes itself as an unmatched community, and a quick look at their photos, wherever in the world they were taken, doesn’t leave you in much doubt, nor about the enormous scale of the events. They are held in countries all over the globe.
While the biggest comic conventions are in Tokyo, San Diego, and New York, ‘lesser’ gatherings draw hundreds, if not thousands, of fans, as they all meet up to celebrate their love for fandom, games, comics, celebrities, anime, modern pop culture. The list seems endless.
The Kazakhstani capital of Astana, hosting yet another mammoth world-class event, is due to welcome the same types of people in August 2026, as two venues, the Barys Arena and the Alau Ice Palace, each undergo a massive transformation to make space for varied entertainment. There will be themed zones, company and partner booths, gaming areas, presentations, and interactive activities.
Comic Con Astana is no stranger to big names, previous years featuring Mads Mikkelsen, Andy Serkis, Pilou Asbæk, Scott Adkins, Esai Morales, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Percy Hynes White, and Alexander Kuznetsov.
2026 will give fans the opportunity to interact with the Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy, whose acclaimed performance as Monkey D. Luffy in Netflix’s live-action One Piece series, based on Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga of the same name, brought him worldwide fame.
Those tempted to go along should note the dates August 6-9 in their diaries, when they will have chance to meet the young actor who, as well as Monkey D. Luffy, is also known for his roles in the series The Imperfects and Who Killed Sara? He has also been in the films ¡Ánimo Juventud!, MexZombies, and No abras la puerta.
Joining him on the main stage, or perhaps elsewhere at the event, will be Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who was, in fact, announced as the first guest of Comic Con Astana 2026. Since playing Jaime Lannister in the iconic Game of Thrones series, Nikolaj has become a major draw for Comic Cons, as has SuperCrastan (Danya Kraster). This Russian-speaking YouTube creator is guaranteed to sell tickets thanks to his innovative science videos and significant DIY projects online.
To list the additional guests, in no particular order:
Kamui Cosplay — a world-famous creative duo from Germany, recognised as one of the leaders of the global cosplay industry and specialising in creating highly detailed costumes. Cosplay is one of the major attractions at Comic Cons globally, also a feature of Comic Con Astana 2026, whose contest will see entrants from many countries competing for the 20 million tenge first prize.
Jane Kravitz — A YouTuber who tells mysterious stories and talks about investigations.
Karrambaby — A popular Russian video blogger with a multi-million audience on Instagram and YouTube, where she shares content about fashion, travel, and everyday life.
Dobryak — Millions have seen the videos of this Russian-speaking animator on YouTube.
Dalbek — A popular Kazakhstani blogger and entertainment content creator known for his reviews of films, cartoons, and animation.
To purchase tickets, get online early at comicconastana.kz to avoid missing out, or you can buy from the Yandex Afisha platform.
Partners this year include leading international brands, such as Yandex Go, Yandex Food, Kinopoisk, Yandex Afisha, BIGBON, Chupa Chups, among others.
