ICC Wales is strengthening its position as a leading destination for gaming, fan culture and consumer events, with Comic Con Wales returning for its fifth consecutive year alongside a new Warhammer tournament series in 2026.
Comic Con Wales returns to ICC Wales on 8-9 August 2026, extending its successful partnership with the venue into a fifth consecutive year. Since its debut in 2022, the event has generated more than £10m for the local economy.
Organised by Monopoly Events, Comic Con Wales continues to attract thousands of fans, exhibitors and special guests to ICC Wales each year.
Andy Kleek, CEO of Monopoly Events, said: “We always look forward to returning to ICC Wales for Comic Con Wales. The venue offers a fantastic experience for both guests and exhibitors, with excellent facilities, strong accessibility links and a dedicated team that supports us in delivering a high-quality event.
“The space works well for an event of this scale and allows us to continue growing the show year-on-year. The surrounding location also provides a great atmosphere for fans travelling in.”
Comic Con Wales will be followed by the Warhammer Open Series Games Workshop on 14-16 August, marking the event’s first visit to Wales. Hundreds of players are expected to compete across three days of Grand Tournaments featuring Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Kill Team and Warhammer Underworlds, alongside hobby workshops and the travelling Warhammer store. Many will also be vying for a place at the World Championships of Warhammer in Barcelona.
The growing popularity of gaming, collectables and fan culture events at ICC Wales is reflected in strong repeat business from organisers choosing to return to the venue, highlighting its ability to deliver high-footfall consumer experiences alongside its established meetings and conferences portfolio.
Badz & Bears Events hosted The Celtic Card Show at ICC Wales in June, bringing together collectors, traders and enthusiasts for a dedicated trading card event featuring rare cards, exclusive merchandise, trade-ins and more. Following the success of the event, the company has committed to a further four to five events at the venue, with future dates set to be announced shortly.
Alex Badham, Owner of Badzgaming and Co-Owner of Badz & Bears Events said: “We were incredibly impressed by ICC Wales. The venue is modern, spacious and easy to access, while the events management team have been outstanding to work with. The feedback from both vendors and customers has been overwhelmingly positive and, because of how successful the move has been, we’ve now secured the next four to five events with ICC Wales and are excited to continue growing the Celtic Card Show with ICC Wales as our flagship venue.”
The venue also hosted a successful Orbit Card Show earlier this year, part of a growing calendar of collector and trading card events touring the UK, demonstrating the venue’s capacity to deliver large-scale consumer exhibitions alongside its core business events activity.
The growing gaming events calendar also reflects Wales’s expanding reputation as a hub for the games industry. The Welsh Government cites that video games are now a $250 billion global industry with more than three billion players worldwide, while Wales is now home to more than 100 video game companies, with around half founded in the last decade.
Studios such as Penarth-based Wales Interactive, whose horror title Maid of Sker has attracted more than a million players, and Rocket Science Group, which opened a European base in Cardiff in 2023, have helped establish Wales as a growing force in the global gaming industry.
Amy Phillips, Head of Sales at ICC Wales, said “Five years of Comic Con Wales demonstrates the strong relationship we build with organisers and the confidence they have in ICC Wales as a venue partner. Gaming is one of Wales’s fastest-growing creative sectors, and our booking calendar reflects the breadth of events we can host – from trading card shows, tabletop gaming and fan conventions to the data conferences and corporate events we’re renowned for.
“We’re continually listening to organisers and audiences to understand what they need from a venue, and we’re proud to be creating spaces and experiences that help events grow year after year.”
