“Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung” is already this week: what programme awaits this year?

Only a few days remain until the popular culture festival “Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung”. Every year, the festival invites visitors to meet world-famous actors, surprises them not only with impressive cosplay and K-pop dance performances, but also with an exceptionally broad programme of discussions and educational talks. This year’s programme includes conversations ranging from behind-the-scenes stories from Hollywood, the video game industry and the making of adult animation to fantasy worlds in literature, cybersecurity and academic interpretations of popular culture.

This year, “Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung” will, for the first time, introduce three authors of literary fantasy books as part of the festival’s discussion programme. Throughout all days of the event, they will invite visitors to dive into the creative writing process and the creation of fantasy worlds. Book and reading enthusiasts will also be able to attend additional discussions in Lithuanian.

“Every year, we aim for the festival to be not only a spectacle for the eyes, but also a place where people can listen, ask questions, discuss and discover new perspectives. This year’s programme is one of the broadest to date. It brings together actors, writers, film industry professionals, academics, cybersecurity experts and popular culture enthusiasts,” say the organisers of “Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung”.

Meetings with international actors will begin on Friday

For the first time, “Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung” discussions and meetings with international actors will already be open to visitors on Friday. This year, 11 film, TV series and video game actors are coming to the festival. During the discussions, visitors will be able to hear “Red Dead Redemption” franchise stars Benjamin Byron Davis and Peter Blomquist talk about what it feels like to perform in a motion capture suit and later see themselves transferred into the virtual world of a game.

Actor DJ Qualls, known from various film and television projects, will reveal what working behind the scenes in Hollywood is like, while Mike Hollingsworth will share how the popular adult animated series “BoJack Horseman” was created. Discussions with all international guests will continue on Saturday and Sunday.

A closer look at Lithuania’s film industry

The festival will also continue its long-standing tradition of presenting representatives of the Lithuanian film industry and their work, which often remains behind the scenes. This year, the “Meet Lithuanian Film Industry” discussion programme will invite visitors to get to know the everyday work of prop masters, production designers, cinematographers, photographers and other film set professionals.

Visitors will be able to see and touch film props created by prop master Gintaras Linkevičius and production designer Dovas Vyšniauskas, virtually dive underwater together with underwater cinematographer Veronika Tamulionytė, and learn about the specifics of the work of film set photographer Lukas Šalna and drone operator Domantas Kancleris. The programme will also include a discussion about what truly scares Lithuanian audiences in horror films.

This year, the conference halls will also offer even more pop culture topics. Festival participants will be able to hear stories about the largest Barbie collection in Lithuania, experiences at international cosplay competitions, the behind-the-scenes world of the music industry and current topics on Lithuania’s comedy scene.

These discussions will allow visitors not only to become better acquainted with different areas of popular culture, but also to ask questions directly to their creators, professionals and enthusiasts.

For curious minds: cybersecurity and the university programme

The festival’s partners, the Ministry of National Defence and the National Cyber Security Centre, will invite visitors to get acquainted with the “Capture The Flag” (CTF) game. The discussion will explore how a path that begins with gaming, curiosity or a first CTF challenge can turn into studies and a profession in the field of cybersecurity.

School pupils, students and all curious visitors will also be able to attend discussions and talks organised by Lithuanian universities. The programme includes a physics trial for Hollywood films, conversations about the sustainability of movie villains, an introduction to Asian popular culture and practical reflections on how to create a film that people would actually want to watch.

A place for discoveries, questions and a break from the buzz

According to the festival organisers, the discussion programme has been created so that every visitor can find a topic close to them, whether they want to ask a question to an actor from a favourite game, series or film, learn more about the film industry, discover a new book, or simply step away from the festival buzz for a while and calmly listen to interesting conversations.

“Comic Con Baltics 2026 sponsored by Samsung” will welcome visitors on 22-24 May at the Litexpo Exhibition and Congress Centre in Vilnius.

The festival is partially funded by Vilnius City Municipality