Biggest comic conventions in Canada!
Canada is one of the biggest countries in the world. And while you’d think with our big landmass, we’d have a lot of big comic cons here. Unfortunately, we’re not like the U.S.; we only have a handful of conventions that I would consider to be big. Still, we have enough large comic cons to justify making this post!
So whether you’re a Canadian looking to try out a new convention in our homeland. Or you’re an American looking to travel up north to our beautiful country for a large Canadian-style convention. If you love comic conventions, then you’ll definitely enjoy this post!
In this post, I’ll give you 7 of the biggest comic conventions in Canada you should attend. You will have a lot of fun at these cons up in Canada!
Keep in mind that although we do have big conventions in Canada, they are nothing compared to the scale of the biggest conventions in the United States (click here to see the list of biggest comic cons in the US). After all, the population of the U.S. is nearly 10x the size of Canada’s population.
But regardless, you should check this list out.
Alright, let’s get started!
1. Fan Expo Canada (Toronto, Ontario)
| Name | Fan Expo |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Venue location | Metro Toronto Convention Centre |
| Number of attendees | Nearly 100,000+ attendees |
| Next event date | Thursday August 24 – Sunday August 27, 2023 |
If you live in Canada (Toronto in particular), then you absolutely knew that Fan Expo was going to top this list! Fan Expo is a huge 4-day comic convention in downtown Toronto, Ontario that takes place during the summer. Much to my surprise, I learned that there are many Fan Expo conventions across North America. But Fan Expo Canada (i.e. the one in Toronto) is THE flagship convention for the brand.
Each year, nearly 100,000+ attendees make their way to Fan Expo Canada to take part in activities such as celebrity QA, autograph signings, participate in shows, take part in tournaments and buy stuff in the massive dealer’s room!
I’ve been to Fan Expo several times throughout the years the convention is truly massive. The event takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the biggest venue in the largest city of Canada. If you fancy big comic conventions and want to be part of Canada’s biggest cosplay convention, then you need to attend Fan Expo!
P.S. Click here to read my guide for Fan Expo if you do plan on attending.
2. Calgary Expo (Calgary, Alberta)
| Name | Calgary Expo |
| Location | Calgary, Alberta |
| Venue location | BMO Centre |
| Number of attendees | Over 95,000 attendees in 2017 |
| Next event date | Thursday April 25 – Sunday April 28, 2023 |
Even though Alberta isn’t the most populated province in Canada, the Wild Rose Country has the 2nd largest comic con in the country!
Calgary Expo is run by the same organizers of Fan Expo and as you can imagine, you can expect a great comic con weekend and turnout every year! Calgary Expo takes place at the BMO Centre, the biggest convention in the Calgary area and near the downtown area of the city.
With over 95,000 attendees in 2017, you can bet this convention gets a ton of people every year. With that many attendees, Calgary Expo is one of the largest cosplay conventions in Canada.
3. Montreal Comic Con (Montreal, Quebec)
| Name | Montreal Comic Con |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| Venue location | Palais des Congres |
| Number of attendees | Over 62,000 attendees in 2022 |
| Next event date | Friday July 14 – Sunday July 16, 2023 |
Much like Toronto with Fan Expo, Montreal gets a comic convention in Montreal Comic Con. It does make sense; Montreal is the 2nd largest city in Canada! With over 62,000 attendees in 2022, Montreal Comic Con is definitely one of the largest comic conventions in Canada.
I myself haven’t attended Montreal Comic Con, but my friends in Quebec only have positive things to say about the event. It helps that the convention takes place in the Palais des Congres, the same venue as Otakuthon and one of the biggest convention centres I’ve been to. But I’m sure the variety of activities is a big reason why attendees keep coming back to this great convention!
4. Ottawa Comic Con (Ottawa, Ontario)
| Name | Ottawa Comic Con |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Venue location | EY Centre |
| Number of attendees | Over 42,000 attendees in 2018 |
| Next event date | Friday September 8 – Sunday September 10, 2023 |
If you didn’t know, Ottawa is the capital city of the country! It’s a beautiful city located further away from the U.S. border. Fortunately, the city has the annual Ottawa Comic Con. I personally haven’t been yet but there are a lot of attendees for this annual convention, with over 42,000 attendees in 2018! That’s a TON of people for the convention, considering the smaller population compared to other American cities.
So if you’re into comic cons and want to see what Ottawa has to offer, then you should hit up Ottawa Comic Con!
5. Edmonton Expo
| Name | Edmonton Expo |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Venue location | Edmonton Expo Centre |
| Number of attendees | 40,000 attendees in 2022 |
| Next event date | Friday September 15 – Sunday September 17, 2023 |
If you couldn’t tell, the Fan Expo brand hosts a majority of the big cosplay conventions in Canada. This one had 40,000 attendees in 2022. Edmonton Expo is definitely one of them! Taking place in the wonderful city of Edmonton, this event offers all the things you’d expect from a big comic convention: celebrities, a big dealer’s room, cosplay events and more!
6. Toronto Comicon (Toronto, Ontario)
| Name | Toronto Comicon |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Venue location | Metro Toronto Convention Centre |
| Number of attendees | Over 35,000 attendees |
| Next event date | Friday March 15 – Sunday March 17, 2024 |
Isn’t it crazy? Toronto is so big and large that the city gets TWO big comic conventions happening in one calendar year! Toronto Comicon is run by the same organizers who host Fan Expo, so both events have similar vibes, especially since they are both held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Even though a lot of us in the Toronto cosplay community consider Toronto Comicon a mini-version of Fan Expo, that doesn’t mean it’s small by any means. There are over 35,000+ attendees every year for Toronto Comicon!
While there are fewer activities than Fan Expo, Toronto Comicon still attracts thousands of attendees every year during the weekend. And this is in March, where the Toronto can still be freezing cold! Just goes to show how much demand there is for cosplay conventions in Toronto. The city is fortunate to have several conventions like Toronto Comicon happening throughout the year.
7. Fan Expo Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
| Name | Fan Expo Vancouver |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Venue location | Vancouver Convention Centre |
| Number of attendees | Over 25,000 attendees |
| Next event date | Friday February 17 – Sunday February 19, 2024 |
Fan Expo Vancouver is a large comic convention by the organizers of Fan Expo Canada in Toronto! As you can imagine, the convention is huge with lots of attendees. It’s nice that the West Coast of Canada gets a big comic convention too.
Summary
To summarize, here are the 7 of the biggest fan conventions in Canada:
- Fan Expo Canada (Toronto, Ontario)
- Calgary Expo (Calgary, Alberta)
- Montreal Comic Con (Montreal, Quebec)
- Ottawa Comic Con (Ottawa, Ontario)
- Edmonton Expo (Edmonton, Alberta)
- Toronto Comicon (Toronto, Ontario)
- Fan Expo Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
And there you have it; 7 of the biggest comic conventions in Canada! I hope you found this post interesting. Maybe you’ll take a trip to Canada sometime. 🙂
Which of these conventions interest you the most? Let me know in the comments below!
My name is Roger Senpai. I’m a cosplayer that’s been in the community for well over a decade now. I’ve traveled all over the world to Anime and Comic conventions and hosted my own cosplay events. Now I’m writing articles for new and experienced cosplayers like you to help inspire, save you money and improve your cosplays!
