MEFCC 2026 full guide: celebrity lineup, schedule and tickets

Middle East Film and Comic Con 2026 returns to Abu Dhabi from 11–13 September, with John Cena, Simu Liu, Mackenyu, Pom Klementieff, Arden Cho, Jacob Romero, Charithra Chandran, Shameik Moore and Joonas Suotamo on the celebrity guest list.

The event takes place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, featuring celebrity panels, autograph and photo sessions, comic creators, cosplay competitions, gaming, anime programming, and the Otaku District, spread across three days.

MEFCC 2026 celebrity guests and appearance dates

The official MEFCC celebrity lineup covers film, television, streaming, animation and comics. John Cena, the WWE star and actor known for Peacemaker and the Fast franchise, appears on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. The official schedule lists his Sunday panel, “The Time Is Now – John Cena live”, from 16:00 to 16:45 on the Main Stage.

Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Ken in Barbie, is appearing on Friday, 11 September. He is also listed for the Friday celebrity panel “Beyond the Multiverse” with Pom Klementieff, scheduled for 18:30–19:15.

Mackenyu appears on Saturday and Sunday. He is best known to many visitors as Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s live-action One Piece and will join Jacob Romero for the Sunday panel “Beyond the Grand Line – The Swordsman & the Sniper” from 13:15–14:00.

Pom Klementieff, who played Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. She joins Liu on Friday’s multiverse panel and appears with Cena, Charithra Chandran and Joonas Suotamo in Saturday’s group celebrity panel from 16:00–16:45.

Arden Cho is scheduled across all three days. Her credits include Teen Wolf, Partner Track, Avatar: The Last Airbender and the voice of Rumi in K-Pop Demon Hunters. Her Saturday panel, “Demon Hunter, Kitsune Warrior & K-Pop Icon”, runs from 14:00–14:45.

Jacob Romero is also appearing on all three days. He plays Usopp in the live-action One Piece and joins Mackenyu for Sunday’s One Piece panel. Charithra Chandran, known for Bridgerton and her role as Miss Wednesday/Nefertari Vivi in One Piece, is scheduled across the full weekend and has a Friday panel, “From Bridgerton to the Grand Line”, from 16:00–16:45.

Shameik Moore, the voice of Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, is appearing from Friday to Sunday. His Saturday panel, “Into the Spider-Verse”, is scheduled for 18:00–18:45. Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and appeared as Kelnacca in The Acolyte, is also scheduled across all three days. He joins the Saturday group panel with Klementieff, Cena and Chandran.

The full official MEFCC celebrity list links to individual guest pages, while the official agenda carries the live session timings.

MEFCC 2026 schedule: what happens each day

The event runs in Gulf Time. Doors are scheduled for 15:00–23:00 on Friday, then 12:00–23:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The agenda is split between the Main Stage, Festival Plaza, Otaku Stage and Meet the Stars areas.

Friday 11 September: opening party and the first celebrity panels

Friday’s Main Stage programme includes “Beyond Human: Not So Human LIVE” at 17:00, the Tidal Idols Star Stage at 18:00, the MEFCC opening party from 19:00–20:15, Team Anime DXB’s Demon Slayer show at 20:30 and Metarust Unleashed at 21:00.

The Otaku Stage has live anime and J-pop music, a quiz show, anime dance, karaoke and the Walk of Heroes cosplay catwalk from 20:00–22:00. The Main Stage also carries Charithra Chandran’s Bridgerton-to-One Piece panel, the Pom Klementieff and Simu Liu panel, a cosplay workshop and the short film competition.

Meet the Stars sessions are scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening. The official agenda should be checked for the exact autograph and photograph slot for each guest, as the displayed timetable can change.

Saturday 12 September: cosplay competition and the group panel

Saturday’s Main Stage is dedicated to the cosplay competition, with categories for kids’ cosplay, stage performance, craftsmanship and the World Cosplay Summit UAE preliminaries. The winners’ ceremony is scheduled for 22:15–22:30.

The Otaku Stage includes trivia, a Just Dance 2026 competition, K-performance, karaoke and a Janken Battle Royale. The celebrity programme includes Arden Cho’s panel at 14:00, the group panel with Pom Klementieff, John Cena, Charithra Chandran and Joonas Suotamo at 16:00, the AI-in-gaming panel at 17:00 and Shameik Moore’s Spider-Verse panel at 18:00.

Sunday 13 September: One Piece, John Cena and the closing programme

Sunday’s Main Stage programme runs from 17:00, with live music, K-pop, a Demon Slayer show and a final party. The Otaku Stage includes a voice-acting competition, anime debate, karaoke and further live performances.

The Main Stage celebrity programme starts with Mackenyu and Jacob Romero’s One Piece panel at 13:15. It is followed by a panel on human artists in the age of AI at 14:30, John Cena’s solo panel at 16:00, a comic creator sketch battle at 17:00, a cosplay armour workshop at 18:00 and a Pokémon pack-opening party at 19:00.

MEFCC tickets and prices

Standard MEFCC tickets are currently listed at AED 160 for Friday, AED 190 for Saturday and AED 160 for Sunday. The three-day early-bird pass is AED 390. The official ticketing listings also show VIP tiers, although the AED 1,300 VIP, AED 2,730 Super VIP and AED 5,880 Ultimate VIP options are marked sold out on the ticket listing checked for this guide.

Saturday tickets are the most restricted of the three daily allocations. Visitors should use the official MEFCC tickets page or its listed ticketing partners before travelling, rather than relying on an older price or availability screenshot.

Celebrity autograph and photograph voucher prices

Standard admission does not automatically include an autograph or photograph session. The official guest pages say visitors without a VIP ticket must purchase autograph or photograph vouchers at the Meet the Stars zone on the day, before the relevant session begins.

These vouchers are separate from the entry ticket. The official pages also advise visitors to check the agenda for the exact session time before attending.

Comic creators and attractions at MEFCC

The comic creator lineup includes Jim Cheung, Federico Vicentini, Brett Breeding, Dexter Soy, Ken Lashley, Francesco Mobili, Mike Choi, Jimbo Salgado, Frank Martin and Martin Simmonds. Their listed work includes Marvel and DC characters, One Piece-related fandoms, Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Wolverine and major crossover storylines. The official comic creator page has the individual biographies.

Away from the celebrity stages, visitors can plan around the Otaku District, Gaming Zone, TCG Arena, Tabletop Zone, Bookworm Lounge, Collectors Gallery, Artist Alley and Cosplay Central. The event also features a short film competition, a cosplay catwalk, and TCG tournaments. Tbreak previously covered the new Otaku District at MEFCC and John Cena’s Abu Dhabi appearance.

Planning your MEFCC 2026 visit

MEFCC 2026 is held at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from Friday 11 September to Sunday 13 September. Friday runs from 15:00 to 23:00, while Saturday and Sunday run from 12:00 to 23:00. Check the official agenda on the day of your visit for any session changes, exact autograph and photo slots, and venue instructions.

If a celebrity session is the priority, allow time to buy or redeem the relevant voucher before the session begins. If the goal is the wider convention, the daily agenda offers enough options to move between the Main Stage, Festival Plaza, Otaku Stage, Meet the Stars, and the event’s gaming, comic, and cosplay areas. The timetable is busy enough that a little planning will save a great deal of corridor-based decision-making.