As a secret geek, this event is close to my heart. The Vienna Comic Con offers a chance to spend two days immersed in the worlds of fantasy, science fiction, film, comics, gaming, and much, much more. Don’t forget your lightsaber.
Read on for event details and visitor tips…
- Huge international convention with star guests
- …including Elijah Wood in 2025 (squeal!)
- Covers film, TV, gaming, books, content creation & comics
- Other highlights include
- …top-level cosplay with photo opps
- …a huge expo area and artist alley
- …numerous talks and demonstrations
- 2025 dates: Nov 22-23
- Book a VR experience* in Vienna
- See also:
What’s Comic Con all about?
(Jonathan Frakes appeared back in 2023 and proved fantastically entertaining; press photo © Felix Braune, David Bitzan)
Anyone familiar with the Comic Con concept will need no further introduction to the Vienna version.
For those unfamiliar, consider it a melting pot for all things pop culture, particularly fantasy & sci-fi, comics & manga, gaming & anime.
You might bump into someone dressed as a character from a beloved show and then watch a live interview with the actor who played that same character in the actual TV series.
Watch panels and presentations, sword fights and lightsaber battles, and, basically, have a lot of fun. Not to mention the chance to browse numerous vendors and artists selling comics, costumes, toys, t-shirts, film merchandise and manga characters, original art, books, accessories and much more.
Read up on my experiences at the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2018 events.
2025 Comic Con dates & tickets
A weekend in late November is usual and the 2025 Comic Con tales place November 22nd and 23rd.
Tickets become available online at the official website or at the door (if not sold out). VIP ticket categories often sell quickly, despite the expense, and might only be available online in advance.
2025 highlights
(One Piece panel in 2024)
Comic Cons are notable for their special guests, and the Vienna event is no different. As well as photo and autograph opportunities, many of these guests also give public interviews on the main stage (which I’ve always found both entertaining and illuminating).
I’ll list the top 2025 international guests as they come in. So far we have:
- Elijah Wood: not going to lie, I’m still shaking with joy at the announcement. Star of many successful film and TV productions, but perhaps best known for his incomparable performance as Frodo in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Until that list fills out, here a quick look back at last year:
- Michael Winslow: actor, comedian and a walking database of sound effects
- Vincent Regan: stalwart of such films as 300, but I loved him as Monkey D. Garp in One Piece
- Craig Fairbrass: known for many roles but perhaps most recently for Zeff (the owner and chef at the Baratie) in the live action adaptation of One Piece
- Claudia Christian: aka Commander Ivanova in Babylon 5
- Aaron W. Reed: actor and bodybuilder who played, for example, Juggernaut in Deadpool & Wolverine
- Samantha Alleyne: model, actress, and the first female Stormtrooper in Star Wars!
- Julian Seager: mightily-beared star of such series as Vikings Valhalla
- Sarah Andersen: of Sarah’s Scribbles global cartoon fame
The previous edition had, for example, Jonathan Frakes, Andrzej Sapkowski, John Ross Bowie, Sam J. Jones, and David Anders. And the year before that the likes of Jack Gleeson, Anna Shaffer (who I met and was an utter delight), Kevin McNally, Clive Standen, Luka Peroš, and Nikola Djuricko.
I’ve met Sean Astin, David Bradley, and Alex Kingston in past years, as well.
A Comic Con highlight is also always the numerous cosplay attendees. I love seeing members of the 501st Legion Austrian Garrison Star Wars Fanclub in appropriate garb. Especially their opening parade with music (and you know exactly which music).
Visitor tips
(A star guest back in 2019, who gave a wonderful public interview)
Based on my experience, here a few tips for getting the most out of Comic Con:
- Buy your tickets in advance to save queuing time on the day (and disappointment if they sell out)
- If you only go on one day, then go Sunday. Saturdays can get extremely busy (the weekend attracts something like 39,000 visitors). But do check schedules in case someone you want to see is only there on Saturday
- With so much to see and do, you might want to attend both days, though. Then you can view the displays and exhibitor stands at your own pace and have plenty of time for signings and panel interviews
- Don’t worry about language. This is an international event, so you don’t lose out if you don’t speak German. All the top guests have spoken English when I’ve been
- You get an awful lot for a simple entry ticket. The huge exhibition areas, live action performances and, particularly, the live interviews with the stars. However…
- If you want a photo with a star or an autograph, you’re going to have to dig deeper into your pockets. But it’s your choice: you don’t have to pay
- Talking of photos and autographs, the star guests have several signing and photography slots throughout the event. To avoid unnecessary stress later, get yours at one of the earlier slots and begin queueing in plenty of time (trust me on this) for popular guests
- VIP tickets get priority queueing and include autograph/photo tokens, so that’s a strong ticket option and time saver if you’re going to get more than one or two autographs or photos over the course of the weekend
(You don’t want to lose too much time to queueing because there is so much to see and do. Some guests kindly take time to chat at the autograph tables, so waiting times can be lengthy if you’re in the non-VIP queue.)
- The main stage has a large capacity, so I’ve never had a problem attending live interviews. But if you want a seat near the front, then queue early or (again) consider an appropriate VIP ticket option
- Vienna has other events in the same genre as Comic Con: try the COMIX expo for all things comics related, as well as cosplay and a chunk of Star Wars action. Or AniNite for all things manga and anime
How to get to Comic Con
The VIECON / Messe Wien hosts the event. It’s Vienna’s main exhibition centre and easily (and quickly) reached by subway: access to the Comic Con event is from the U2 subway stations Messe-Prater and/or Krieau (depending on which halls are in use).
If you’re arriving by car, you have paid car parks close by, including underground and multistorey options. Another option is to use the park and ride car parks and then go on public transport.
Address: Messeplatz 1, 1020 Vienna | Website