First launched in 2014, Flame Con is making some big moves for this year’s convention. Specifically, it’s heading to Broadway, though sadly not as a blockbuster musical.
Instead, the 12th anniversary of the biggest LGBTQ+ comics and pop culture convention in the world will move to the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, running Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Presented yearly by Geeks OUT, Flame Con spent the past three years in Brooklyn, and will now move to center stage in the same location as Stranger Things: The First Shadow, meaning Will Byers doesn’t need to go too far to enjoy Flame Con this year (the show is a prequel, but whatever, let me have my jokes).
“As a queer kid, I would frequently take the train into the city to join the lottery for tickets to Rent. I never imagined I would one day help produce an event alongside Broadway’s greats,” Nic Gitau, President of Geeks OUT said via press release. “Expanding the creative and celebratory space for Flame Con for the next generation of queer kids is an absolute dream come true.”
Why the move? Per PR from Geeks OUT, it was to “make more space for an increasingly diverse and inclusive Artist Alley, more tabletops for the Gaymer Lounge, more breakout rooms for panel discussions, and more runway space for cosplay and drag. All weekend long, queer comics artists, animators, and accessory designers will share the convention floor with authors, illustrators, publishers, and performers.”
As part of the announcement, Flame Con has also revealed the first three guests: Casey McQuiston, Kosoko Jackson, and Al Ewing. You can check out their bios below, and tickets are now on sale for $36.70 for a day pass, or $57.10 for the whole weekend, aka about 50% less than New York Comic Con. Just saying.
Flame Con 2026 Guest Bios:
Casey McQuiston, nonbinary New York Times bestselling author of queer romantic comedies including Red, White & Royal Blue, which was adapted to an Emmy-nominated film produced by Amazon Prime Video. In addition to receiving honors from the Stonewall Book Awards, the Lambda Literary Awards, and the American Library Association, McQuiston has been published in Washington Post, New York Times, and Bon Appétit.
Kosoko Jackson, queer Black Lambda Literary Award-winning author of the USA Today bestseller The Forest Demands Its Due.
Al Ewing, the bisexual British comics writer who won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for Empyre and was nominated twice for his work on Guardians of the Galaxy.
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