Comic Con Africa is taking place in Johannesburg later this month and sees the introduction of KidsCon. The event has expanded to a larger venue this year at Gallagher Convention Centre to accommodate crowds. The new venue is expecting to see 60 000 guests come through over the four days from 21-24 September. It also has more parking plus a partnership with the Gautrain to get to the venue via busses. There will be seven halls, bigger activity zones, over 250 exhibitors, a bigger main stage, and 17 tabletop tournaments.

The family friendly event will have a dedicated hall for kids at KidsCon, created by kids. At the media event in Johannesburg today, the company introduced some of the 14 kids (aged 5 to 10) who made up the “Board of Little Experts” who decided what went into making this a fun experience for kids.

Headline sponsor at KidsCon is Jaguar Land Rover who created fun and playful activities for kids who can win prizes if they are adventurous enough to get their hands dirty; see the F-Pace; and experience the tech in both Land Rover and Jag vehicles.

Other fun zones include the BIC Artist Corner to create new words while immersed in the Play-Doh Creators space; face-off to show their blasting skills in the Hasbro Nerf Zone; and experience the Nerf Fortnite range. Other activities include playing Monopoly and taking pics at the Nintendo selfie wall to win prizes.

Characters that kids can look forward to meeting are Mario & Luigi, Transformer Bumblebee or their favourite My Little Pony. For kids who’ve never experienced Nintendo Labo before, they can build RC Cars and race them or compete in the Transformers Speed Station to see who can build a transformer in the quickest time. Other tournaments include Mario Kart and Ultimate Dance competitions.

Lego will also host the largest activation in Africa at KidsCon, giving kids a chance to let their imagination run wild and build anything; take part in the Lego Robotics challenge; or race against your friends to see who is the fastest builder between you. There are prizes to be won at the Lego station, along with various Marvel, DC and Star Wars characters on display. Forever Resorts will also be giving away R80 000 worth of family holidays.

DATE: 21-24 September 2019
TIME: 9am-6pm daily
VENUE: Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand
PARKING: R20