GalaxyCon Raleigh 2026: Four Days of Fandom
Every July, downtown Raleigh turns into a different planet. Stormtroopers grabbing coffee on Salisbury Street. Anime crews posing on the convention center steps. A Ghostbuster waiting at the crosswalk like it is totally normal.
GalaxyCon Raleigh 2026 took over the Raleigh Convention Center from July 23 to 26, and organizers were expecting more than 50,000 people through the doors. Out of the eight cities GalaxyCon visits, Raleigh is still the biggest show on the map. If you were there, you know. If you missed it, here is what you need to hear about.
The Galactic Arcade was home base for gamers
For anyone who grew up blowing into cartridges, the Galactic Arcade was the spot. Consoles from every generation lined the room, so you could bounce from old school classics to the newest releases without leaving your chair.
Tournaments ran throughout the weekend for anyone who wanted to prove themselves, and for everyone else it was the perfect place to sit down, grab a controller, and recharge between panels and autograph lines. Honestly, some of the best moments of any con happen right here. Strangers become player two, trash talk turns into friendship, and somebody always remembers a cheat code you forgot existed.
Tabletop fans had a whole realm to themselves
The TableTop Gaming Realm was packed with ways to roll dice. D&D one shots, Pathfinder and Starfinder sessions, and a board game cafe stocked with favorites like Catan, Ticket to Ride, Werewolf, and Betrayal at House on the Hill. No reservation needed. Just pull up a chair.
A few highlights stood out:
- Magic: The Gathering draft tournament featuring Tarkir: Dragonstorm on Friday afternoon
- The D&D Epic Game, an original adventure where multiple parties played in the same world at once, helping or hindering each other while defending the besieged city of Nyx
- The D&D Open Game, a late night dungeon crawl through trap filled temples that ran into the early morning hours
After Dark is where GalaxyCon really comes alive
When the exhibit hall closed at 8, the party was just getting started. Programming ran until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and the After Dark lineup gave the grown ups plenty of reasons to stay downtown.
The main stage turned into a cabaret each night. Thursday brought a nerdlesque showcase packed with characters from anime, animation, and video games. Friday was a salute to sci fi and fantasy, from Middle Earth to galaxies far, far away. Saturday belonged to the Cosplay Cabaret, GalaxyCon’s signature variety show, and the premium lounge seats for it sold out.
Then there were the dance parties. Retro gamers had the 8 Bit Bash, a chiptune flavored throwdown that felt made for us. Get Sad Y’all’s Emo Night gave everyone a chance to scream along to their middle school playlist, and the Y2K Millennium Bash partied like the calendar never flipped.
Round that out with an After Dark cosplay competition, 18+ panels, a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening, and the Deep Space Boutique market, and you had a full second convention happening after sundown. Quick reminder for next year: this side of the show is for adults only, so plan accordingly if you are bringing the family.
The celebrity lineup was stacked
The guest list had something for every corner of fandom. Hayden Christensen brought the Star Wars crowd. Ralph Macchio had people waxing on and waxing off in line. William Shatner, Pam Grier, and Cheech and Chong carried serious legend energy, while Angela Kinsey and Rainn Wilson had The Office fans quoting Dunder Mifflin all weekend.
The nostalgia ran deep, too. Steve Burns from Blue’s Clues, Jerry Trainor from iCarly, and Phineas and Ferb’s Vincent Martella and Alyson Stoner basically covered every childhood from the last 30 years. Ke Huy Quan, Armin Shimerman, Michael Ironside, Jamie Kennedy, and Brian O’Halloran rounded out a lineup that was hard to beat.
Voice actors every gamer knows
This might have been the best part for the gaming crowd. Tara Strong, whose voice work spans everything from The Fairly OddParents to Harley Quinn, was on hand. Sarah Natochenny, the voice of Ash Ketchum, had Pokemon fans lined up. Christopher Sabat, Monica Rial, Max Mittelman, Alejandro Saab, Erica Lindbeck, and Zach Aguilar brought anime and game voice credits by the dozen.
Critical Role fans got a treat too, with Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, and Taliesin Jaffe all on the guest list.
Wrestling legends and live action in the ring
Wrestling has become a big part of the GalaxyCon experience, and this year delivered. Mick Foley, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Jimmy Hart, and The Godfather were all on site, and live wrestling on the schedule kept the crowd loud.
Cosplay everywhere you looked
Cosplay is the heartbeat of this show. The cosplay competition kicked things off on Thursday, and costuming groups like the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs, and the Ghostbusters crew made every hallway feel like a crossover episode. Walking the floor was a show in itself.
Comics and creators
Comic fans had plenty to dig through too, with creators like Mark Bagley, Bob McLeod, and Ron Marz on hand, plus an artist alley full of prints, commissions, and one of a kind pieces you will not find anywhere else.
The real star was the community
GalaxyCon founder Mike Broder has said it best in his own way: it is not the celebrities or the activities that make the Raleigh show special. It is the fans taking photos together, helping fix each other’s costumes, and cheering each other on.
That was easy to see all weekend. People drove in from all over the Southeast, including first timers from Myrtle Beach who stayed from opening until after hours. That is the kind of place this has become.
What is next
If you need another fix before next summer, GalaxyCon brings Nightmare Weekend Raleigh back to the convention center October 10 and 11 with horror guests, cosplay, gaming, and its own After Dark programming.
And GalaxyCon Raleigh 2027? We will be counting down the days. See you in the arcade.
The NES Page is a fan-based organization for retro & modern gaming enthusiasts, collectors, and nostalgia seekers. We work within the gaming community to increase awareness and overall fandom for those who grew up in the 80’s, and 90’s, or are fans of the classic gaming era. We aim to promote the retro & modern gaming community and its contributors.
