From CONsole Room to Twin Cities Con 2026: What conventions to look forward to in 2026 in Minnesota
- Holly Burd
- 27 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Holly B | January 4th, 2025
As 2025 is wrapping up, those of us at Epic Realms are starting to plan out our 2026 schedules. To help you (and us) with picking which conventions to attend, we have compiled a list of conventions happening in Minnesota in 2026. Here are what conventions to look forward to in 2026 in Minnesota.
January 2026
CONsole Room | January 23-25 | Hilton Minneapolis Airport
Convention for lovers of Dr Who that has been in the Twin Cities since 2014. There are many panels to participate in, a costume contest, scavenger hunt, and vendors. There are options to attend both in person and virtually.
Castle Con | January 22-25 | Historic Chateau Theater Rochester
Board games, RPGs, MTG, war games, tournaments, learn to play sessions, and givaways.
Protospiel MN | January 23-25 | DoubleTree Minneapolis
If you have designed a tabletop game, sign up as a designer to get playtesting for your game. If you just like playing games, sign up as a play tester.
2D Con Unplugged | January 30- February 1 | DoubleTree in Bloomington
Board games, TCGs, RPGs, Miniature games, card games, and room parties. Limited to 600 guests.
February 2026
Con of the North | February 13-15 | DoubleTree in Bloomington
Play all the games: board games, card games, roleplaying games, LARPS, console games, miniature games, and more.
March 2026
Mars Con | March 6-8 | Hilton Minneapolis Airport
Science and Science Fiction convention with music, art, vendors, panels, cosplay and more.
Sports Romance Con | March 13-15 | Radisson Blu Mall of America
Meet some of your favorite Sports Romance writers, attend panels, and get your books signed.
Anime Detour | March 27-29 | Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
This convention is all things anime. They have voice actors and industry experts, rooms playing anime, panels, cosplay, room parties, tabletop games, video games, and vendors.
April 2026
Minicon | April 2-5 | DoubleTree Bloomington
Science Fiction convention of about 500 guests. They have programming, gaming, readings, films, music, vendor hall, and activities.
Nerdinout Comic Convention | April 12-13 | Graham Arena Rochester
Meet celebrities, authors, artists, vendors, and an arcade.
VGM CON | April 17-19 | Crown Plaza Minneapolis West
Convention that celebrates video games and video game music. You can listen to live music, play music, attend panels and workshops, play indie video games, and more.
Dave Con | April 24-26 | Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West
RPG convention celebrating the history of RPGs.
May 2026
Quantum-Con | May 15-17 | Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West
Focus on Sci-Fi, Fantasy, anime, and gaming with panel and workshops to attend.
June 2026
Spring Con | June 6th | MN State Fairgrounds Education Building
This is the convention for comic book lovers. You can meet authors, artists, local creators, and more. There are also sellers bringing in items from the golden age, silver age, and modern eras.
Midwest Bookish Fest | June 19-21 | DoubleTree Bloomington
Meet authors, get books signed, buy books, go to panels, and attend a masquerade ball
St Paul Deaf Con | June 21 | St Paul Deaf Club
Board games, card games, and RPGs for folks who are fluent in ASL.
July 2026
CONvergence | July 2-5 | Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Every year there is a new theme and the 2026 theme is The Geek in the Machine. CONvergence is known for its room parties and cosplay, but you can also attend panels, meet the special guests, hear live music, play games, and more.
August 2026
Big Minneapolis Anime | August 8-9 | Minneapolis Convention Center
Anime con with celebrities, panels, cosplay, and a concert on Saturday night.
Make a Scene | August 14-16 | Minneapolis Center for Performing Arts
Live Action Roleplaying based around a central theme. Theme to be announced in 2026.
Excalibur Con | August 15-16 | Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
Come meet actors and artists, play games, enjoy panels, peruse the vendor hall, and participate in the cosplay contest.
2D Con | August 21-23 | DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington Minneapolis South
Minnesota's Best Gold Winner for Arts and Culture Event in 2025. They have voice actors to meet, music concerts, room parties, cosplay, and table top, arcade, LAN, and indie games to play.
September 2026
Furry Migration | September 11-13 | Hyatt Minneapolis
Theme for 2026 is Be Kind Rewind. A convection for those that love furries. There is a parade, gala, dances, art, gaming, room parties, and more.
The Uncanny Experience | September 12-13 | Minneapolis Club
Immersive X-Man convention with cosplay and panels with creators and voice actors
SkålCon | September 18-20 | Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West
Gaming convention that raises money for charity. Play board games, RPGs, miniature games and more for a good cause. The charities that they are working with in 2026 are Tubman and Pawsitivity Service Dogs
October 2026
CryptiCon | October 2-4 | Crown Plaza Minneapolis West
Convention focused on the strange, weird, and unusual in pop culture. There is an indie film festival, costume contest, tattoo contest, make-up contest, vendors, panels, and photo ops.
Fall Con | October 11 | MN State Fairground Grandstand
This is the convention for comic book lovers. You can meet authors, artists, local creators, and more. There are also sellers bringing in items from the golden age, silver age, and modern eras.
November 2026
Fables and Flames | November 6-8 | Double Tree by Hilton Minneapolis
Romantasy convention that brings in many great authors of the genre. There are panels, book signings, a gala, tattoos, and tea parties.
Twin Cities Con | November 20-22 | Minneapolis Convention Center
Convention where you can meet actors, voice actors, artists, and authors. There are also cosplay contests, panels, workshops, sketch battles, vendors, and more.
December
Do you have any local convention favorites that we missed?