MegaCon Live, AnimeCon UK and MCM Comic Con have all set 2027 dates at the NEC in Birmingham, and Comic Con Midlands and VeXpo are expected back at the same venue. The NEC is a five minute walk from Birmingham International station, so all of them are easy to reach by train.
This guide is updated through the year as dates and tickets are confirmed. It also covers anime screenings, Japanese bands playing Birmingham and where to shop for anime in the city.
Birmingham Anime Convention Dates and What Else Is On in 2027
Anime and comic conventions at the NEC in 2027
The conventions are listed in date order. Where a 2027 date has not been announced, we say so.
| Convention | 2027 dates | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| MegaCon Live Birmingham | 27 and 28 March | On sale soon |
| AnimeCon UK | 12 and 13 June | Coming soon |
| MCM Comic Con Birmingham | 30 July to 1 August | Coming soon |
| Comic Con Midlands | To be announced | Not yet on sale |
| VeXpo | To be announced | Not yet on sale |
MegaCon Live Birmingham, 27 and 28 March 2027
- What it is: a comic con with guests, cosplay and traders, held twice a year at the NEC
- Organiser: Malo Events
- Dates: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March 2027
- Tickets: “will go on sale soon, with all fees included”, according to the organiser
- Link: MegaCon Live Birmingham tickets
Early entry opens at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, and standard entry at 11am on both days. If you cannot wait until March, the winter show is on 5 and 6 December 2026, with weekend tickets at £46 and standard day tickets from £20. Children aged 10 and under go free.
AnimeCon UK, 12 and 13 June 2027
- What it is: an anime convention billed by its organisers as their fifth show at the NEC
- Organiser: Oakham Group Ltd
- Dates: Saturday 12 June, 10am to 6pm, with an after party from 6pm to 9pm, and Sunday 13 June, 10am to 5pm
- Tickets: 2027 admission tickets are listed as coming soon
- Link: AnimeCon UK at the NEC
MCM Comic Con Birmingham, 30 July to 1 August 2027
- What it is: the Birmingham edition of the MCM Comic Con shows, covering comics, anime, film and games
- Organiser: ReedPop
- Dates: Friday 30 July to Sunday 1 August 2027
- Tickets: every ticket type is marked “Coming Soon”, from priority and VIP passes to daily kids’ entry
- Link: MCM Birmingham tickets
Comic Con Midlands, 2027 date to be announced
- What it is: a comic and pop culture convention at the NEC
- Organiser: Monopoly Events Ltd
- Dates: listed as “TBA” for 2027
- Tickets: not yet on sale
- Link: Comic Con Midlands
VeXpo, 2027 date to be announced
- What it is: the UK’s convention for VTubers, the streamers who perform as animated characters
- Organiser: VTuber Expo LTD, a not for profit company
- Dates: not yet announced for 2027. The 2026 show ran from 18 to 20 September in Halls 9 and 10
- Tickets: 2026 tickets ranged from £25 to £200
- Link: VeXpo at the NEC
In 2026 VeXpo hosted hololive production’s first appearance at a British convention. Our VeXpo explainer covers every edition so far, from the stages to the meet and greet ballot.
The 2026 show opened at midday on the Friday, with an Opening Concert from 8pm that evening. Saturday ended with a Premium Concert from 9pm, and Sunday ran until 6pm.
Birmingham Anime & Gaming Con at Edgbaston Stadium, 6 and 7 February 2027
- What it is: an anime, gaming and cosplay convention with anime screenings, video gaming and tabletop areas
- Organiser: Animeleague
- Dates: Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2027, at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, Birmingham B5 7QU
- Tickets: weekend from £30, Saturday from £22 and Sunday from £15. Children under 8 enter free
- Link: Birmingham Anime & Gaming Con tickets
It is the one convention in this guide held away from the NEC. Standard entry starts at 11:30am, and under 16s need a paying adult with them. Animeleague’s calendar also lists a second Birmingham show on 11 and 12 September 2027.
Anime on screen in Birmingham
The Birmingham Anime Film Festival is run by the Birmingham media collective Geeky Brummie at the Mockingbird Cinema in the Custard Factory, Digbeth. Its 2026 edition, announced by Geeky Brummie in October, showed 11 films from 9 to 11 October, with tickets from £5 a film. No 2027 date has been announced yet.
Birmingham also gets hololive concerts on the big screen. hololive English’s fourth concert, Serendipity, was screened at Cineworld Birmingham NEC on 17 September 2026, the first stop on a six city European tour. The company that produced it told us how those screenings are put together, and our guide to virtual concerts in the UK covers the other ways to see one.
Japanese cinema reaches the city too. The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme came to the Midlands Arts Centre from 14 to 20 March 2025, as Midlands Movies reported.
Anime music and Japanese bands live in Birmingham
The Sound of Epic Anime brings orchestral anime music to Symphony Hall on Sunday 15 November 2026 at 3pm. B:Music lists tickets from £20.50 to £38.50.
Three Japanese bands have Birmingham dates in the first half of 2027:
- SiM play the O2 Institute in Digbeth on Monday 25 January 2027, with tickets at £29.30 including the booking fee. Anime fans know them for “The Rumbling”, an opening theme from Attack on Titan The Final Season.
- Esprit D’Air open their UK tour at Asylum on Friday 12 February 2027, according to the band’s own announcement.
- Shonen Knife, the Osaka pop punk band formed in 1981, play The Castle & Falcon in Moseley on Sunday 6 June 2027, with tickets at £22 including the booking fee.
Where to shop for anime in Birmingham
Bandai Namco Cross Store Birmingham, New Street
- What it is: Bandai Namco’s second Cross Store in the UK, after Camden
- Address: Unit 2, 42 New Street, Birmingham B2 4EG, on the former Muji site
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, according to the shop’s own page
- What it sells: gashapon, the Japanese capsule toy machines, and Ichiban Kuji, a prize draw where every ticket wins a piece of merchandise. There is a Tamagotchi shop inside, and it is an official seller of the One Piece Card Game
- Link: Central BID’s first look inside
The store opened on 14 April 2025, as UK Anime Network reported. Banpresto, Sun Star Stationery and MegaHouse goods are on the shelves as well. London has a sister store in Camden, covered in our guide to anime and manga shops in London.
TokyoToys Birmingham, Corporation Street
- What it is: an anime and manga shop that also sells trading cards and video game merchandise
- Address: 31 Corporation Street, Birmingham B2 4LS
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm
- Link: TokyoToys
Worlds Apart, Smallbrook Queensway
- What it is: a pop culture shop listed by Forbidden Planet as its Birmingham store, selling manga, anime goods, comics, Gundam and Pokémon cards
- Address: 14 to 16 Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EN
- Opening hours: open every day, with the longest hours on Saturday, from 9:30am to 7pm
- Link: Worlds Apart Birmingham
Getting to the NEC for a convention
The NEC sits beside Birmingham International station, a five minute walk away according to the NEC’s travel page. Trains run to Birmingham International from London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
Flying in, take the free Air Rail Link from the upper level of Terminal 1 at Birmingham Airport. It runs every two minutes and takes 90 seconds to reach the station.
Drivers can use the postcode B40 1NT to reach the NEC site. The NEC warns that it will not take you to your event’s car park, so once you arrive, follow the event signs.
Anime conventions in Birmingham: common questions
MCM Comic Con Birmingham runs from Friday 30 July to Sunday 1 August 2027 at the NEC. Tickets are marked “Coming Soon” on the MCM website.
Yes. AnimeCon UK returns to the NEC on 12 and 13 June 2027, and VeXpo, the VTuber convention, is held there each September. MegaCon Live and MCM Comic Con also run at the NEC, and Birmingham Anime & Gaming Con is at Edgbaston Stadium on 6 and 7 February 2027.
By train to Birmingham International station, a five minute walk from the NEC. From Birmingham Airport, the free Air Rail Link reaches the station in 90 seconds. Drivers should use B40 1NT, then follow the event signs to the right car park.
Birmingham has more than one comic con. MegaCon Live runs on 27 and 28 March 2027 and MCM Comic Con Birmingham from 30 July to 1 August 2027, both at the NEC. Comic Con Midlands has not announced its 2027 date. Its 2026 show ran on 11 and 12 July in Halls 17 and 18.
