MCM London Comic Con 2026: tickets, panels and arrival

MCM London Comic Con returns to ExCeL on October 23-25, 2026. Choose your day and entry window around the panels or guests you most want to see. Friday's Critical Role panel is scheduled for 11am, while Friday general admission starts at noon. A panel reservation does not move your admission time forward.

There are several separate things to arrange: admission, a physical badge, selected panel reservations, and any paid guest photo or autograph bookings. Keep their confirmations separate rather than assuming one QR code covers everything.

Which entry ticket fits your plans?

The official ticket page lists these adult daily prices and entry windows, checked October 12. Weekend and both VIP tiers were marked sold out at that check.

The daily prices are displayed with VAT and service fees included. Check the final checkout total for any administration or delivery charges. Stock can change; do not treat this table as a promise that a ticket is still available.

General admission can suit a later start, shopping and afternoon sessions. Priority admission makes sense when your chosen programme begins before general entry, or you want more time on the floor. It does not replace a required reservation or eliminate every queue.

Can a Friday general ticket get you into Critical Role?

Under the published timings, no: the panel finishes before Friday general entry begins. MCM's September 23 gaming programme places Critical Role on the Main Stage from 11am to 11:45am on Friday, October 23.

If this panel is the reason for your trip, check three things before committing to transport: an admission ticket with the right entry window, the panel's reservation availability, and enough time to reach the stage. Friday priority opens at 10am, but you still need time for entry procedures.

The same programme lists Saturday's Grand Theft Auto reunion from 10am to 10:45am on the Live Stage and explicitly says it requires priority-window tickets. Sunday includes the Resident Evil panel at noon on the Main Stage. Do not plan to arrive at ExCeL exactly when a session starts.

Guest appearances are another timetable. Critical Role's own event page confirms its founders' convention appearances on October 23 and 24. Its October 26 London live show is a separate event; an MCM ticket does not establish admission to that show.

Admission, reservations and guest bookings are different

MCM's reservation instructions limit Critical Role reservations to one person per reservation. Arrive at least 30 minutes before a Main Stage panel, or 15 minutes before other stages and sessions. Late arrival can cost you the reserved place.

You can reserve without already holding the physical badge, but you must have purchased admission for the relevant day. Use the reservation links on that official page and retain the emailed session QR code. A saved app bookmark is useful for planning; it is not proof of a reserved seat.

For a group, check each person's confirmation. Avoid back-to-back bookings that leave no time to walk between rooms. If you no longer need a reservation, follow the organizer's cancellation procedure rather than passing it to a friend.

Where do you book autographs and photos?

Start with MCM's meeting guests guide, which links to its official photo and autograph booking service. These activities cost extra, and you still need convention admission. Some guests take payments at their table; others have advance bookings.

A photo appointment is usually a brief posed photograph, not a long conversation. An autograph queue can take time even when you have paid in advance. Choose your most important guest first and leave space around that appointment, instead of budgeting five consecutive meetings into one morning.

Check the purchased guest, day and session before paying. MCM says sold-out presale sessions do not receive more tickets on the day. Do not build an expensive London trip around an unconfirmed walk-up opportunity. Bring a suitable payment method: the organizer recommends cash because not every autograph table accepts cards.

Badge pickup and activation before you enter

The event FAQ gives badge-delivery cutoffs of August 31 for international addresses and September 14 for UK delivery. Both have passed. For a new order, plan for collection using the admission confirmation QR code, rather than waiting for a badge to arrive in the post.

After you have the physical badge, follow the activation instructions. They use the unique serial printed below the badge's QR code; the organizer says activation is required for attendees over 18, not under-18s. Follow its current age instructions if that distinction affects you.

Activation can be completed through the official app. A delivered badge can be activated before the trip; a collected badge cannot be activated before you receive it. Keep the original order confirmation available until collection is complete.

How to reach ExCeL and the correct queue

For the usual visitor approach, travel to Custom House and follow MCM signs to the Queue Hall via the North Lorryway. The official travel page identifies Custom House for both the Elizabeth line and DLR. From the Jubilee line, change at Canning Town for a Beckton-bound DLR train to Custom House.

Having a delivered badge skips collection, not security. Leave time for the station exit, the walk and venue entry before your panel arrival deadline. If arriving at the eastern side by Prince Regent, follow the event's current directions rather than assuming the nearest door is your entrance.

Driving requires advance parking arrangements. Review the venue link from MCM's travel page before setting off; a convention ticket does not book a parking space.

Check your actual journey again on the day. Do not assume a route that worked on Friday will have identical weekend service. For an early Friday panel, staying somewhere with a manageable morning journey is more useful than choosing a hotel solely because its map pin looks close to ExCeL.

Build a day with room for breaks

For a first visit, choose one session or guest booking as your fixed appointment, then add a few flexible areas around it. MCM's panel guide describes the Creator Stage, Artist Alley, Writers Block and Cosplay Central alongside the larger stages. Panels are included in admission unless stated otherwise, but a full room cannot admit everyone.

Leave a lunch break and some unbooked time. Shopping, costume photos and finding the right room all take longer when your group wants different things. Agree on a meeting point before separating, especially if one person goes to an autograph queue while another attends a panel.

With children, the family guide says ages four and under enter free with an adult; discounted children's tickets are for ages five to ten. The Treehouse has family activities, and the family room is at S9. Check the rating and seating rules of an individual panel rather than assuming every session suits children.

Accessibility and costume checks to make now

The accessibility process requires Essential Companion eligibility arrangements before buying tickets. Follow the Nimbus registration or eligible Access Card linking steps and obtain the redemption code before checkout. Having a disability document does not automatically create a companion booking.

The organizer lists assistance desks, seating and a Reset Room in the Platinum Suite. Contact its team about your specific walking, standing or sensory needs before travel. An assistance route can help, but it is not a guarantee of no waiting.

For cosplay, read the complete prop rules before packing. Security has the final decision; the fact that something is 3D-printed does not establish approval. Cover props while travelling and ask the cosplay team about an unusual item before taking it onto public transport.

If taking photographs, MCM's photography rules require permission from the subjects and clear walkways. Freestanding equipment is restricted. Check the rules for panel rooms and recording devices rather than treating admission as permission to film everything.

Useful apps and mobile data for the trip

Install the official MCM app for maps, schedules, exhibitor details and badge activation. Save the map and relevant confirmations before leaving your accommodation, where you have a connection and time to check them. Bring a charged power bank and keep your group's meeting point written down.

For an overseas visitor without a suitable roaming allowance, OpenSim United Kingdom plans provide a separate mobile-data option for travel updates, messaging and finding the entrance. On October 12, the public catalog listed a 5GB, 30-day UK plan for USD4.76, marked eligible for top-up, with EE, O2 and 3 among its named networks.

That is useful if you want a fixed allowance for the London visit rather than an unfamiliar home-provider roaming tariff. It does not prove OpenSim is cheapest for every visitor, provide priority service inside ExCeL, or guarantee reception in a crowded hall. If your home plan already includes enough UK data at no additional charge, it may be the simpler choice.

Use the travel data calculator for your trip length, check phone compatibility, and review installation timing before departure. Keep ticket backups even when you have mobile data.

For the rest of your visit, see our United Kingdom with kids guide. Attending the Italian convention as well? The Lucca Comics & Games guide covers its separate ticket and town-travel arrangements.

Sources and updates

Dates, prices and visitor arrangements were checked against the linked organizer pages on October 12, 2026. Recheck the live schedule, your guest appointment and reservation availability before paying for travel, and again before the show. This guide will be revised for material changes to entry, panels, bookings or transport.

Hero photograph: MCM London in May 2017, not the October 2026 edition. Photograph by Simon King, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, resized and compressed; the adapted image retains that license.