| Fan Expo Dallas | |
| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Speculative fiction |
| Venue: | Plano Centre (2002–2006) Richardson Civic Center (2003–2010) Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas (2011–2013) Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (2014–19, 2021–) |
| Location: | Dallas, Texas |
| Country: | United States |
| First: | October 2002 |
| Organizer: | Comic Con /Informa Connect |
| Attendance: | 50,000 (2014) |
| Website: | fanexpodallas.com |
Fan Expo Dallas, previously known as Dallas Comic Con (or DCC for short), is a three-day speculative fiction, (including comic books and gaming)[1] fan convention held annually in the Dallas, Texas area. Larger in scale than the Dallas Fan Days events under the same management, Fan Expo Dallas focuses on comic book artists, writers, and publishers. These events usually also feature question and answer sessions, a large dealers room, and autograph-signing with a number of famous comic and media guests. The event is produced by Informa doing business as Fan Expo HQ.
In 2002, Ben Stevens, producer of the Sci-Fi Expo (1994–present), and Philip Wise, owner of rebelscum.com and theforce.net, brought on consultant Mark Walters (of the defunct Dallas Fantasy Fair, who had staged the Dallas Comic & Toy Fest from 2000 to 2002) and produced the first Dallas Comic Con. The show attracted 5,000 attendees.
Starting with the October 2012 show, Dallas Comic Con expanded to three days. C2 Ventures sold control of Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo, and Fan Days to Informa in early 2014.[2]
There was no expo in 2020, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
To date, the Dallas Comic Con has been held at one of four locations. The first three locations were in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Early editions were held at the Plano Centre in Plano, Texas, or the Richardson Civic Center in Richardson, Texas. Beginning in May 2011, the event relocated to the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. In May 2014, the Dallas Comic Con relocated to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. Dallas Fan Days events remain at the Irving Convention Center.
| width=10% | Dates | Convention Name | width=18% | Location | Guests | width=18% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 12–13, 2002 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre | |||||
| April 5–6, 2003 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | A collectible program book was produced with dual covers by artists Dave Dorman and Adam Hughes. "Celebrity Autograph Series" trading cards featuring Zachariah Jensen were distributed to promote this event. While the card is numbered "Promo 1", the line was dropped due to licensing issues, and this was the only such card issued. | ||||
| October 25–26, 2003 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre | |||||
| October 23–24, 2004 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre | A collectible program book was produced with dual covers by artists Adam Hughes and Dan Brereton. Activities at this event included a costume contest and a free screening of the motion picture Saw. | ||||
| February 12–13, 2005 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center. | |||||
| October 15–16, 2005 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre. | Mark Brooks, Ale Garza, Cliff Chiang, Rich Buckler, Terry Moore, Michael Lark, James O'Barr, Cal Slayton, Kerry Gammill, Jaime Mendoza, Cat Staggs, Cynthia Cummiens, David Hopkins, Ben Dunn, Hector Cantú, Carrie Fisher, Jonathan Frakes, Adam Baldwin, Kevin Sorbo, Peter Mayhew, Erin Gray, Donnie Dunagan, Marc Singer, Kane Hodder, Bill Johnson, Genie Francis, Bonnie Piesse, Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, Steve Sansweet, Paul Black, Fanboy Radio. | A collectible program book was produced with dual covers by artists Mark Brooks and Terry Moore. | |||
| April 29–30, 2006 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre. | A collectible program book was produced with dual covers by artists Dave Dorman, Tom Hodges, and Cat Staggs. | ||||
| October 28–29, 2006 | Dallas Comic Con | Plano Centre. | |||||
| June 30-July 1, 2007 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| January 12–13, 2008 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| April 5–6, 2008 | Dallas Comic Con & Sci-Fi Expo | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| October 25–26, 2008 | Star Wars Fan Days II | Plano Centre. | |||||
| January 2009 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| August 15–16, 2009 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| January 30–31, 2010 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center. | |||||
| August 28–29, 2010 | Dallas Comic Con | Richardson Civic Center | |||||
| May 21–22, 2011 | Dallas Comic Con | Leonard Nimoy, Carrie Fisher, Amanda Pays, John Wesley Shipp, Alexis Cruz, Thomas Jane, Todd Farmer, The Walking Dead, Stan Lee, John Romita Jr., Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Cal Slayton, Bernie Wrightson, Steve Niles, Tim Bradstreet, Rick Leonardi, Kerry Gammill, Todd Nauck, James O'Barr, Michael Lark. | |||||
| May 19–20, 2012 | Stan Lee Presents Dallas Comic Con | Organizers estimated the total attendance at 20,000 for the weekend. | |||||
| October 19–21, 2012,[4] | Dallas Fan Days | ||||||
| May 17–19, 2013 | Dallas Comic Con | ||||||
| October 4–6, 2013 | Dallas Fan Days | John Barrowman, Simon Bisley, John Heder[5] | |||||
| May 16–18, 2014 | Dallas Comic Con | First convention under the new ownership. | |||||
| October 17–19, 2014 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[6] | |||||
| February 7–8, 2015 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[7] | |||||
| May 29–31, 2015 | Fan Expo Presents Dallas Comic Con | ||||||
| October 16–18, 2015 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas [8] | |||||
| February 13–14, 2016 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[9] | |||||
| June 3–5, 2016 | Fan Expo Dallas | First convention under the new branding. Attendees reached a total of over 100,000. | |||||
| October 14–16, 2016 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[10] | |||||
| March 31–April 2, 2017 | Fan Expo Dallas | Mark Hamill, Stan Lee, Tim Curry, John Barrowman, Alan Tudyk, Jason Isaacs, Catherine Tate, Jason David Frank, Thomas F. Wilson, Alex Kingston, Meat Loaf, Barry Bostwick, Charisma Carpenter, Jim Lee, Mike Zeck, Ian Somerhalder, Adam West, Burt Ward[11] | Adam West and Burt Ward's final appearance together. This was also Stan Lee's final Texas convention appearance. | ||||
| October 20–22, 2017 | Dallas Fan Days | ||||||
| April 6–8, 2018 | Fan Expo Dallas | Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Jeff Goldblum, Chuck Norris, Tom Cavanagh, Val Kilmer, Cary Elwes, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Lloyd, Amy Jo Johnson, Richard Dean Anderson, Eliza Taylor, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Reubens[12] [13] | |||||
| October 19–21, 2018 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[14] | |||||
| May 3–5, 2019 | Fan Expo Dallas | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center[15] | |||||
| October 18–20, 2019 | Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[16] | Ron Perlman, Anthony Daniels, Adam Baldwin, Matthew Modine, Patrick Warburton, Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tommy Flanagan, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Casey Cott | ||||
| Fan Expo Dallas | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center[17] | Postponed and then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially planned to be held March 27–29, 2020. | |||||
| Dallas Fan Days | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[18] | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||
| September 17–19, 2021 | Fan Expo Dallas | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center[19] | Return of the event, following the previous cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| December 11, 2021 | Dallas Fan Festival | Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas[20] | Its name was changed from Dallas Fan Days to Dallas Fan Festival. | ||||
| June 17–19, 2022 | Fan Expo Dallas | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center[21] | |||||
| June 9–11, 2023 | Fan Expo Dallas | ||||||
| June 7-9, 2024 | Fan Expo Dallas | Danny Elfman, David Tennant, Mads Mikkelsen, Finn Wolfhard, Tim Curry, Gaten Matarazzo, William Shatner, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Sam Raimi, Temuera Morrison | |||||