MCM Comic Con London

MCM Comic Con London has run twice a year at ExCeL London since 2002, and the October edition is the bigger of the two — a multi-day fixture that has grown into one of Europe's largest pop-culture conventions. Run by the same company behind Comic Con shows across the UK and Europe, MCM keeps a broad, fan-first remit: comics, anime, film and TV, gaming, and cosplay all share the same enormous show floor rather than being siloed into separate events.

The show floor is the heart of it. ExCeL's cavernous halls fill with publishers, retailers, and licensed merchandise stands alongside artist and creator booths, and the Comic Village — roughly 200 tables of independent and small-press comic creators — gives MCM a genuinely comics-first spine that some larger, more Hollywood-leaning conventions have lost. Past guest lists have drawn a wide mix of names across film, television, voice acting, and comics, with panels, Q&As, and signings running across multiple stages all weekend.

Cosplay is one of MCM's defining features. The convention's masquerade and photo areas are packed throughout the weekend, and ExCeL's wide concourses and natural light give cosplayers some of the best conditions of any UK con for photography. The crowd skews broad rather than niche — families, first-timers, and hardcore collectors mix easily across the halls — which keeps the atmosphere welcoming even as the show has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in Europe.

Getting to ExCeL is straightforward. The venue sits on the Royal Victoria Dock in East London, served by its own DLR stations (Custom House and Prince Regent) that connect directly to central London in under half an hour, and London City Airport is a few minutes away by the same line, making MCM one of the more air-travel-friendly conventions on the continent. The surrounding Royal Docks area has hotels at a range of price points, though rooms nearer central London and the Jubilee line fill up fast for the October weekend.

Tickets are sold in day and weekend tiers through the official MCM site, with premium options and photo/autograph sessions for headline guests selling out first — buy as soon as the on-sale date is announced and decide early which sessions matter most. Bring comfortable shoes and a portable charger; ExCeL's halls are vast, and a single day covers a lot of ground.

For a geek traveler, MCM London is an easy con to build a city trip around. Beyond the convention, London itself carries plenty of adjacent appeal — the Warner Bros. Studio Tour and Harry Potter sites, Forbidden Planet's flagship store, and a deep bench of comic shops and gaming bars across the city. Pair a con weekend at ExCeL with a few extra days exploring, and October in London becomes a genuinely rewarding fan pilgrimage rather than just a one-day show.