By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
For three days this past weekend, the Von Braun Center became Alabama’s unofficial capital of fandom, as the Huntsville Comic & Pop Culture Expo celebrated its 11th year with one of its biggest celebrity lineups yet. Fans traveled from across the state — and from neighboring Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi — to meet favorites including Wil Wheaton, Ming-Na Wen, Ron Perlman, Christopher Lloyd, Tom Welling and Erica Durance.
The expo ran April 17 through April 19, with packed autograph lines, photo ops, cosplay competitions and family-friendly programming stretching across the VBC’s South Hall. Vendors filled the floor with comics, collectibles, handcrafted art and local small-business booths, reflecting the grassroots, family-run nature of the event.
“We’re able to provide a fun geekery event for the people of Huntsville, and we’ve become a destination,” founder Jeremy Long told Axios Huntsville. When asked about the event’s audience demographic, Long replied simply: “all of them.”
That inclusivity is baked in. Since launching in 2016, the expo has made giving back to the community a central part of its mission, partnering with local charities and supporting area youth programs. Organizers say the 2026 edition drew some of the biggest crowds they’ve ever seen, continuing a trend of year-over-year growth.
For many Huntsville families, the expo is an annual tradition. Kids get to meet their heroes in costume. Parents rediscover the shows and movies they grew up with. Small business owners earn critical annual revenue. For Speakin’ Out News readers, the weekend was a reminder that culture — in every form — can bring a city together.