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FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is further expanding its guest line-up and presenting its freshly published, varied stage program at the same time. From 14 to 16 May, visitors to the halls of Messe Basel can expect a wide variety of international stars as well as a diverse program of panels, shows and interactive formats.

With the expansion of the lineup, movie and TV series fans can look forward to additional actors and voice actors such as Adelaide Kane (“Reign,” “Teen Wolf”), Evie Templeton (“Wednesday”), Sophie Skelton (“Outlander”), Giuliana Jakobeit (“Detective Conan,” “Lucifer”) and Santiago Ziesmer (“SpongeBob SquarePants”). Several motion-capture actors and voice actors from the popular games “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” and “Baldur’s Gate 3” will also be on site.

The lineup is rounded out by social media stars such as Joon Kim, Alycia Marie, and CreepyPastaPunch. The organizers are also delighted to welcome the German YouTube legend Coldmirror back to the festival.

The Cosplay Village is also expanding: with newly announced guests from the cosplay scene such as Hench&Scrap (Australia), Taryn Cosplay (Italy), and Haru & Xia (Germany), the festival area is once again emphasizing its international character.

The new names add to the already star-studded lineup and once again make the festival a major hub for pop culture in Switzerland. The invited special guests will offer insights into their work, talk about their shoots and projects, and be available to fans for photos and autographs. Details about the photo and autograph sessions have just been announced here.

From ESA to SpaceX: female space pioneers on the Space Stage

Science fiction meets science and space exploration: For the fourth time, the organizers are pleased to welcome Claude Nicollier to the festival. The first Swiss astronaut has flown into space a total of four times on the Space Shuttle. For the first time, German astronauts Rabea Rogge (Fram2) and Michaela Benthaus (Blue Origin NS-37) will also be present to talk about their exciting space missions. Benthaus is also known as the first person with paraplegia to participate in a suborbital mission. Another highlight is the first-time visit of Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, who is responsible in his role for all matters related to human and robotic exploration. In collaboration with the Swiss Space Museum, other interesting scientists and experts will take the Space Stage to share stories about their exciting daily work.

New stage program offers a wide range of highlights

Alongside the expanded lineup, the official stage program has now been released—and it’s more diverse than ever. Across a total of nine stages, visitors can look forward to a packed schedule featuring lectures, workshops, live talks, shows, and interactive sessions.

Highlights include a panel with Flo Foxworthy (Wētā Workshop), who will discuss her costume work on the latest Avatar films, daily cosplay contests featuring talented participants from Switzerland and around the world, and parades by Star Wars fan clubs.

Visitors can also look forward to exciting discussions with guests, behind-the-scenes insights into the world of film and television, and program items from the fields of gaming, cosplay, anime, and online culture.

The new stage program can be viewed here.

Further guest announcements and additional program highlights will be announced on an ongoing basis in the coming weeks.

20% discount on the public transport ticket!

Fans and visitors who travel to the festival by public transport not only avoid stress and parking worries: with the Rail Away offer, travelers with SBB receive a 20% discount on the outward and return journey by public transport. You can find more information about the offer at www.sbb.ch/fantasy-basel

Current images from FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con are available for free use and can be downloaded HERE. Credit: FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con

From May 14 to 16, 2026, Basel will become an international stage for comic art: in cooperation with Cartoonmuseum Basel – Centre for Narrative Art, FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con, Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS) and Basel Tourism, an international comic competition is being held for the first time under the theme of friendship. The four partners are offering artists a wide-reaching stage and strengthening Basel's position as a comic art location in the long term.

The invited guests at FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con include internationally renowned artists such as Jorge Jimenez, Yoann Chivard, Viktor Bogdanovic, Reinhard Kleist, and many more.

Invitation to participate in the comic contest

Professional illustrators and emerging artists are invited to submit their comics on the theme of friendship. The competition deliberately focuses on diversity, bringing together different styles, narrative approaches, and visual languages. 20 works will be awarded prizes, and the selected artists will receive a fee of CHF 1,500, among other things.

The selection will be made by a five-member jury with diverse expertise: Anette Gehrig (Cartoon Museum Basel), Gabriela Oberholzer (FANTASY BASEL), Josepha Bosshart (Basel Tourism), Julia Marti (Verlag Edition Moderne, Zurich), and Thomas Ott (comic artist, Basel). 

Open-air art on the bridge “Mittlere Rheinbrücke” in Basel

The bridge “Mittlere Rheinbrücke” in Basel is being transformed into a spectacular open-air gallery: with the launch of an international comic competition, the four partners are calling on professional and aspiring artists worldwide to submit their best work. From May 4 to 18, 2026, 20 selected comic works on large-format banners will transform the Mittlere Rheinbrücke into a publicly visible exhibition space.

A special highlight: at FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con, the award-winning comics will be displayed in large format on over 130 square meters in collaboration with the Cartoonmuseum Basel. In this way, the exhibition will be presented to an international audience during the festival, further strengthening Basel's position as a city of comic art.

The Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS) is sponsoring the competition; this collaboration provides comic art with a unique platform in public space.

Further information and the complete competition documents are available online.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2026. Submissions and questions can be sent to the following address: comic@basel.com

International comic artists enrich the festival lineup

Artists and illustrators from all over the world gather at FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con. Renowned artists have been invited to showcase their art at the festival and engage with comic fans.

This year's festival guests include Jorge Jimenez (Batman, Superman) from Spain, Reinhard Kleist (Cash – I See a Darkness, Starman) from Germany, Viktor Bogdanovic (Batman, Superman) from Switzerland, Marco Santucci (Spider-Man, Captain America, Assassin's Creed, Tekken) and Maria Laura ML Sanapo (Wonder Woman, Batwoman, Red Sonja) from Italy, Ulrich Schröder (Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse) from Germany, Yoann Chivard (Spirou & Fantasio) from France, Bernard Chang (Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Superman) from Canada, and many more.

At their artist booths and on stage, they will talk about their artistic work for Marvel, DC, Disney, and other renowned comic book publishers.

FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con returns and once again focuses on what makes the festival unique: the diversity of its program and the people who come together to share their passion for pop culture. Whether it’s comics, films, games, cosplay, science, fantasy literature, comics, or art – the heart of the event beats for the wide range of creative worlds and the special encounters that arise from them. With around 100,000 visitors expected, the festival is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

From May 14 to 16, visitors can look forward to an extensive lineup of international guests from pop culture, film, TV, streaming, games, science, and art. Many of them are visiting Switzerland for the first time.

Among the first guests announced are Harry Potter actor Stanislav Yanevski as well as two voice actors from Baldur's Gate III: Samantha Béart and Tim Downie. Manou Lubowski, known as the German voice of one of the main characters Klösschen in the childhood classic TKKG, as well as Lucifer in the series of the same name, and Jamie Lannister (Game of Thrones), will also be present at the festival.

Next to these, Mark Wilkinson will be attending the festival. The renowned British illustrator is best known for his unforgettable artwork for cult bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, which is characterized by a detailed, dramatic style that combines fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian themes.

Among the first cosplay guests announced are Tine Marie Riis (Norway), Tenkou Cosplay (Sweden), and Spicythaidesign (New Zealand), already showcasing guests from all over the world.

The organizers invite fans of all ages to discover new things, meet inspiring personalities, and delve deeper into the stories and universes they love - or perhaps discover for themselves.

 

Well-known brands are part of the festival

In addition to a large Nintendo area where visitors can play the latest releases on the Switch 2 console, other well-known names such as The Pokémon Company, Ravensburger, Funko, Sony Pictures, Swiss Milk, Rocket Games, and Canon will also be present with their own booths and activations in the large gaming hall. Retailers Interdiscount, Media Markt, Müller, and World of Games are also sure to set the hearts of gamers and fans racing. And the Swiss Space Museum is bringing both interactive exhibitions and a three-day stage program featuring scientists and space experts to the festival. Further festival highlights will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Renowned illustrator Ingo Römling designed this year’s festival visual

Ingo Römling is a successful graphic designer, comic and cartoon artist, and cover illustrator for record labels such as Sony, BMG, and Napalm Records. He works on “Malcolm Max” for Splitter Verlag, on various Star Wars comics for Panini, and his new series “Metropolia” with Fred Duval was recently published. His detailed style shapes the visual identity of the festival.

Tickets for the festival are available in advance only via Ticketcorner. The organizers recom-mend purchasing tickets directly from Ticketcorner rather than through resale platforms.

The eleventh edition of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con once again attracted thousands of festival-goers to the halls of Messe Basel. 97,000 fans visited Switzerland's largest pop culture festival over the Ascension weekend.

As in previous years, the highlights of the event were the cosplay shows on the main stage. The FANTASY BASEL Cosplay Village with guests from all over the world is considered one of the largest cosplay gatherings in Europe. Thousands of people have created an elaborate costume for a game, film or anime character especially for FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, making the festival an incredibly colorful and cheerful meeting place. Even visitors in everyday clothes were infected by the unique atmosphere. This could already be felt at the train station and throughout the city. Basel was once again able to present itself as a great host and cultural city, even in sunny weather.

A lot of culture was also on offer in the seven exhibition halls. In addition to film stars such as Graham McTavish (The Hobbit, Outlander, The Witcher) Vanessa Rubio (Cobra Kai) and Ed Speleers (Star Trek: Picard, Eragon, Downtown Abbey), influencers and content creators such as Coldmirror, Domtendo, Carina Pusch and Raafey greeted masses of fans in the autograph zone. There was a special atmosphere at the tables of the dubbing actors, who are known as voices in current anime productions. There were long queues every day, especially for Santiago Ziesmer, who is also hugely popular as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants. In addition to current fantasy authors, the stands of internationally renowned comic and fantasy artists were also well attended. Over 400 stands with national and international artists could be discovered in the huge Artist Alley and many stars could be experienced live in talks and shows on eight stages.

 

In addition to several Swiss game design studios, the Gaming Zone also featured various other exhibitors from the gaming industry. Current games such as "The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered" could also be played. The Pokémon Company was present for the first time in Switzerland with its Play Lab. Various tournaments could be played in the Esports Corner. The internationally renowned case modder Random Design, who created unique computer cases based on films, series and video games in his Cologne workshop, was a particular source of enthusiasm.

New this year was the Community Hall, where various fan groups and clubs were able to present themselves. From knitting, model-making and chess clubs to pop culture communities, the Swiss Cheer Association and the Klugscheisser club with a "Scientainment Battle", there was plenty to experience and discover in this hall alone. In Hall 1.2, the Sports & Action Zone was a paradise for adrenaline junkies, where they could try their hand at calisthenics, wrestling, martial arts, pole dancing and a thirty-metre-long ninja parkour. There was also a large space exhibition area with various exciting stands and the Space Stage.

The Swiss Space Museum presented a large model of the James Webb Telescope and provided an exciting stage program with top-class speakers. The Science Olympiad was also present, arousing curiosity and bringing young people together with female scientists. The radio amateurs from AMSAT controlled satellites, the Swiss branch of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) deciphered the secrets of the universe with a radio telescope and other organizations also provided an exciting link to the sci-fi exhibitions also present in this hall. In addition to huge fan backdrops from the "Star Wars" universe, over 200 Stormtroopers and rebels from the Swiss Garrison and the Helvetica Base - Rebel Legion were also on show. The latter also celebrated the premiere of its new documentary film on the festival's main stage. Actors and stunt men from the "Star Wars" franchise signed autographs, but the star of the space area was the only Swiss astronaut to date, Prof. Claude Nicollier, whose stage talk attracted many space fans.

The festival traditionally concludes with the best Swiss K-Pop dance crews celebrating at the Swiss K-Pop Dance Summit on the main stage.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con opens its doors for the eleventh time on Thursday and, in addition to the stage program on eight stages, countless themed worlds and around 800 exhibitors, also boasts prominent guests from various areas of pop culture. The festival offers a platform for topics such as films, series, games, comics, anime, space travel, fantasy and science. Around 95,000 visitors from Germany and abroad are expected at the extensive exhibition grounds - making the event one of the most important pop culture events in Europe.

The largest cosplay meeting place in Europe

The heart of the convention is the unique Cosplay Village. Thousands of cosplayers bring virtual worlds to life with their elaborately recreated and handcrafted costumes. In the daily cosplay contests, craftsmanship meets creative performance - the participants authentically recreate characters from the worlds of film, games and comics and are judged by an international and renowned jury. Numerous workshops and live demonstrations provide exclusive insights into the art of costume design. The impressive line-up of Swiss and international cosplayers, such as Taryn Cosplay from Italy, Nadyasonika from Mexico, Maul Cosplay from Germany and Stylouz Cosplay from Switzerland, makes the FANTASY BASEL Cosplay Village the largest cosplay meeting place in Europe. However, a costume is not compulsory for a visit to the festival - most visitors come to the mega event in normal everyday clothing or buy a colorful accessory at the festival.

A paradise for fans of anime, comic and fantasy productions

In Artist Alley, over 400 artists showcase their work and offer the opportunity to look over their shoulders as they work. Guests include renowned comic artists such as Jorge Molina, Christina Kraus, Iban Coello and Enrico Marini, who work for Marvel, DC and Wizards of the Coast. John Howe, known for his visual concepts for "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", is also invited again and will be giving insights into his work on stage. German artist Joscha Sauer will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of his successful cartoon NICHTLUSTIG at the festival. Fans of collectible card games will also get their money's worth and meet the illustrators of Magic: The Gathering and Disney Lorcana.

Meet stars from the film world in person

Actors Ed Speleers, known from "Star Trek: Picard" and "Eragon", and Graham McTavish, known as the fierce dwarf warrior Dwalin from the "Hobbit" film series, will be bringing plenty of fantasy to the festival. This year's invited star guests also include Vanessa Rubio from "Cobra Kai", George Blagden from "Vikings" and "Versailles", Ross Marquand from "The Walking Dead" and "Avengers" and Stanislav Yanevski from "Harry Potter". In addition, there are also many voice actors such as "Spongebob" voice Santiago Ziesmer, "Dragon Ball Z" voice actor Tommy Morgenstern, other anime voice actors such as Daniel Schlauch, Nicola Gruppe-Arnoldi and Katy Townsend, who can be heard not only in Arcane, but also in the video games Fallout 4, Call of Duty and many more. The diverse line-up of stars is rounded off by social media personalities such as YouTube legends Coldmirror and Dima from the channel "Die Aussenseiter", make-up artist Carina Pusch, singer and Youtuber Ifas_core, V-Tuber EineLotta and many more. All guests will not only be on stage, but also available for photos and autographs with their fans.

Fantasy authors whisk you away to magical worlds

The festival also offers fantasy literature fans and book lovers of all ages a special experience with bestselling authors such as Julia Kuhn, Robert Corvus and Marie Grasshoff. At readings and talks, the authors present their works and whisk visitors away to exciting worlds full of elves, vampires and dragons.

 

Community meeting, K-pop performances and medieval flair

A new festival hall by fans for fans: in the new Community Hall, clubs, communities and associations present their hobbies and invite visitors to exchange ideas. Stage highlights such as the cheerleading performance by the Swiss Cheer Association and the Swiss K-Pop Dance Summit, where nine K-Pop dance groups perform their dance shows to round off the festival, also ensure a lively atmosphere.

In addition to impressive fan props and photo opportunities on the film worlds of "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" as well as several exhibitions by "Star Wars" fan groups, various artist collectives, pen & paper and tabletop game clubs will also provide plenty of variety. The medieval market rounds off the experience with knights' armor, blacksmithing and the romance of time travel.

 

Get active in the Sports & Action Zone

If you don't just want to watch, but want to take part, you can work off your energy in the Sports & Action Zone. Whether archery, karate or lightsaber duels - various sports can be tried out here and thrilling shows can be watched. A special highlight is the large Ninja Parkour by Overground Basel, which organizes exciting competitions several times a day.

 

From Tetris to Fallout: gaming and esports experiences for everyone

In the large gaming hall, visitors can play both nostalgic classics and current games. The Pokémon Company will be represented with a stand in Switzerland for the first time, while other well-known brands such as Nintendo, Bethesda and Swiss game designers will also be back. The best-known gaming YouTubers and streamers, including "Domtendo" and "Raafey", will be available for meet & greets with fans. Numerous esports clans will also be represented on site.

 

Star Wars, space pros and a glimpse into the universe

A special themed area at FANTASY BASEL is dedicated to the big questions of the universe: science and pop culture come together in lectures, exhibitions and talks. Swiss astronaut Prof. Claude Nicollier will talk about his missions, while the Swiss Space Museum and its partners offer fascinating exhibitions. On the Space Stage, experts from research and technology will provide insights into current developments. The big "Star Wars" fan exhibition with huge film props and the daily parade with Stormtroopers, Wookies, Twi'leks and other characters from the "Star Wars" universe will forge a link to science fiction.

Nerds, geeks, gamers and cosplayers won't be the only ones meeting up at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con over the Ascension weekend. Together with the most important players in the Swiss research landscape, the Swiss Space Museum is offering a unique insight into exciting projects and missions at this year's festival in Hall 1.2.

Experienced experts, visionaries, researchers and nerds will also meet on the Space Stage, give presentations and show what is being worked on now and in the future. Swiss astronaut Prof. Claude Nicollier, who was involved in four space shuttle missions between 1992 and 1999, will also be present.

A large 1:4 scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope and his latest pictures from space will be among the many other objects on display. With its infinite secrets, the universe fascinates and inspires not only sci-fi fans, but also scientists. After all, there are still countless unexplored areas inside and outside our solar system that are waiting to be discovered. With new telescopes on Earth, innovative space probes, giant radio telescopes and incredible computer simulations, Swiss researchers and engineers are working on exciting missions and projects. They are developing state-of-the-art instruments, asking complex questions and unraveling the fascinating secrets of our cosmos step by step. The researchers were often inspired by sci-fi novels, films or comics to come up with new views and solutions.

The large space exhibition at FANTASY BASEL is embedded in a sci-fi landscape with huge Star Wars objects, which will be delivered to Basel by the fan group Project X1 in 5 articulated lorries. Together with members of the 501st LEGION from all over Europe, the SWISS GARRISON creates an incomparable atmosphere at the FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. Over 100 Stormtroopers as well as members of the Rebel Legion, which focuses on the "light side" of the Star Wars universe, are expected, as well as various actors, artists and stunt doubles from the franchise.

 

Art, comic and book enthusiasts can look forward to limited edition works, exclusive live paintings, new releases from the world of fantasy literature and a varied program with many stars at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con from 29 - 31 May.

A diverse stage program all about pop culture

On all three days of the festival, visitors can look forward to a varied program of talks, workshops, lectures and readings by renowned guests from the creative scene on eight stages and in seven halls. The organizers have already published the detailed stage program and the hall plan to make it easier for visitors to plan and to provide an overview of the extensive offerings.
In addition to actors and dubbing artists, international comic artists, illustrators, YouTubers, influencers, cosplayers, authors and scientists will also be represented on the festival stages. In exciting talks, panels, live paintings, gaming sessions and workshops, they will provide exclusive insights into their creative worlds and pass on their expertise to a diverse audience. A unique program mix of films and series, games and board games, comics and anime, as well as science fiction and space exploration will be created on over 100,000 square meters.

Fantastic book worlds and the creative minds behind them

With bestselling authors such as Julia Kuhn, Robert Corvus and Marie Grasshoff, the festival brings together important voices in fantasy literature with book lovers of all ages. In the generously designed author area, visitors have the opportunity to talk personally with the creative minds behind their favorite fantasy worlds. This year, the area has been expanded once again - and now offers even more space for numerous national authors. Those who want to try their hand at writing exciting stories will also find what they are looking for: Together with Slam Basel, the WORTSTELLWERK and other offerings, various writing workshops and spoken word formats will be on show this year.

From Batman to Donald Duck: get to know the artists and illustrators

The top-class guests from the international comic and art scene include renowned names such as Ingo Römling, Sara Pichelli and Tyler Kirkham - artists who have worked for Marvel and DC Comics and helped create iconic characters such as the Fantastic Four, Venom and Spider-Man. Comic greats such as cartoonist Joscha Sauer, known for his cult series NICHTLUSTIG, Swiss artists Enrico Marini and Jared Muralt, Iban Coello from Spain, Jorge Molina from Mexico, Magic: The Gathering illustrator Anna Steinbauer and many other comic greats can also be found at the festival at stage talks. A special highlight: Lord of the Rings illustrator John Howe will also be there again.

Learn from the pros: cosplay workshops for the curious and advanced

For three days, the festival will feature numerous practical workshops and panels on cosplay. Cosplayers from all over the world will pass on their knowledge of craftsmanship, costume making and the staging of props and
costumes in front of the camera to a wide audience.

In addition to "Star Trek: Picard" star Ed Speleers, fantasy actor Graham McTavish and Vanessa Rubio from "Cobra Kai", the voice of "Spongebob Squarepants" Santiago Ziesmer has also been invited to FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con.
Many other stars from the world of film, series and YouTube will be attending Switzerland's biggest festival for pop culture, cosplay and gaming from May 29 - 31 in the halls of Messe Basel.

Actor Edward Speleers is traveling from England to FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. He is known for his leading role in the film adaptation of the fantasy classic "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, but was also seen as Jack Crusher in the series "Star Trek: Picard" and Jimmy Kent in the historical series "Downtown Abbey". Also confirmed is Vanessa Rubio, who gained fame for her role as Carmen Diaz in the comedy and martial arts series "Cobra Kai". Graham McTavish, known from "The Hobbit", "Out-lander" and "House of the Dragon", is another big name from the film and series world who will be attending the festival. All three will be talking about their work in the film world at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con and will be available for photos and autographs.

Film and series fans can also look forward to seeing actors George Blagden from "Vikings" and "Versailles" and Stanislav Yanevski from "Harry Potter".

Other well-known voices from "Dragon Ball" and "Arcane"

Famous dubbing actors will also be guests at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con this year. With Santiago Ziesmer, the dubbing voice of the much-loved "Spongebob Squarepants", a guest who is firmly anchored in pop culture could be won over for the festival this year. Anime enthusiasts can look forward to the voice actors Tommy Morgenstern ("Dragon Ball"), Nicola Grupe-Arnoldi ("Pokémon"), Amadeus Strobl ("My Hero Academia") and Daniel Schlauch ("One Piece"). Katy Townsend, the voice of Maddie in the successful Netflix series "Arcane" and Cait in "Fallout 4", has also been invited to the festival.

Meet streaming stars and creators

Coldmirror has shaped an entire generation with its dubbing and animations and is one of the pioneers of the German YouTube scene. Dima, who got his start on YouTube with "Die Aussenseiter", is also a veteran of the popular video platform. Ifas_core streams variety content on Twitch full-time, but is also a metalcore singer and Carina Pusch is also known as a make-up artist in addition to her work as a streamer. Raafey shares his passion for anime with his community, which includes over 1.2 million followers. Domtendo and Hiro from the channel "Einfach Japanisch" are also part of the festival line-up again.
All guests will talk about their creative work on the festival stages and get in touch with their fans and the community in photo and autograph sessions.

Fans and visitors who travel to the festival by public transport not only avoid stress and parking worries: with the Rail Away offer, travelers with SBB receive a 20% discount on the outward and return journey by public transport. You can find more information about the offer at www.sbb.ch/fantasy-basel.

 

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is expanding once again: the festival is being extended by one hall, offering a world of experience with over 100,000 square meters of space. The new hall offers plenty of opportunities for different communities to network and share their hobbies and passions. The festival will also once again feature a diverse line-up of star guests.

From 29 to 31 May 2025, fans of gaming, cosplay, film, comics, anime, art and Asian street food will celebrate the joy of pop culture together for the eleventh time at Messe Basel. Around 95,000 fans are expected to attend and can look forward to a diverse range of exhibitors, guests and program items, as FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is one of the most important festivals of its kind in Europe.

A new hall surprises fans with a platform for diverse community moments

The new Community Hall is a meeting point for all visitors and all comic communities represented at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. The organizers want to create a place where like-minded people can get into conversation, meet new people with similar interests and take a break from the festival activities. From regional model-making clubs, dance groups, cosplay photo & video graphs and poetry slams to action-packed matches between building block robots, creative writing and handicrafts, a wide variety of hobbies, clubs and associations can be discovered here.

Interesting star guests from all over the world

Many stars from film, TV, comics, fantasy, cosplay and social media will also be guests at the festival in 2025. Actors Ed Speleers from "Star Trek: Picard" and "Outlander", "Spongebob" voice actor Santiago Ziesmer and Italian cosplay star Tarin Cosplay with over two million followers on TikTok are already well known. Youtubers and streamers will also be attending the festival, including popular names such as Dima Koslowski, Ifas_core, Domtendo and YouTube legend Kaddi aka Coldmirror. Further guests are now being announced on an ongoing basis.

As every year, one of the highlights of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is the incomparable cosplay program. Around thirty invited cosplay influencers from all over the world are present, meet the Swiss scene and judge the artistically handmade costumes of popular video game, comic and film characters at the daily cosplay contests on the main stage.

"Magic The Gathering" illustrator Anna Steinbauer designed the Visual 2025

This year's visual was created by internationally renowned illustrator and concept artist Anna Steinbauer, who has worked with brands such as Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering), Games Workshop (Warhammer), Ulisses Spiele, Dark Horse Comics and many more. Anna Steinbauer creates fantastic worlds full of magic and mystery with her illustrations, which is also evident in the new visuals.

She will be joining around 400 other Swiss and international artists such as Sara Pichelli (Marvel Comics), Ulrich Schröder (Disney) and John Howe (Lord of the Rings) in the huge comic and artist area at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con.

The largest Swiss pop culture festival can once again report a record number of visitors for its 10th anniversary. 88,000 visitors from all over Switzerland and surrounding countries enjoyed the extremely varied anniversary program in the six halls of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con.

One highlight was the overwhelming exhibition with huge fan objects from the "Star Wars" universe. Over 220 Stormtroopers and rebels from all over Europe immersed visitors in a galactic setting that was unique in Europe. Right next to it, visitors could learn a lot about real space travel at various stands and find out about the latest findings from renowned scientists and professors. The Swiss Space Museum displayed a huge model of the James Webb Space Telescope and the latest images from the universe.

Gamers were able to enjoy exclusive presentations: publisher Bethesda also celebrated its 10th anniversary in the large gaming hall with the game "The Elder Scrolls Online". The Nintendo stand also offered exclusives: Game publisher Niantic created its own character in the game Pikmin Bloom especially for FANTASY BASEL. Niantic was also present with specials for fans on the successful online game "Monster Hunter Now". Many gamers enjoyed the direct contact with well-known esports players and the opportunity to compete against them in fun games. Fans of the Youtubers and streamers present, such as Gnu, Reved, iBlali and KingChris, put up with longer waits to get a selfie or signature together.

The film stars in attendance from well-known films and series such as Stranger Things, Outlander, Reign and Harry Potter took time for their fans and also generated a lot of enthusiasm with their stage appearances. The fact that the stars love their Swiss fans was also demonstrated by the actress Cara Buono, who did everything she could to come to Basel despite delays in her current film work and was celebrated frenetically by her fans. Other highlights of the festival include Europe's largest cosplay village and cosplay stars from all over the world. Yaya Han, who lives in the USA, is regarded as the 'mother of cosplay' and honored FANTASY BASEL with her presence for the third time. But it wasn't just the cosplay guests who created a great atmosphere; countless visitors came in elaborately designed cosplay costumes and filled the exhibition halls with joy and creativity.

 

In front of the stands of world-famous comic artists and illustrators such as Frank Cho, Esad Ribić, Stanley Artgerm Lau, Laura Braga or Mike Perkins and the internationally successful Swiss comic artists Enrico Marini, Viktor Bogdanovic and Jared Muralt, there were long queues of fans with autograph requests. The 400 artists in the large-scale Artist Alley were also an eye-catcher. Artist Alley were also an eye-catcher. Fantasy fans listened to the presentations by the "Lord of the Rings" illustrator John Howe, the readings by authors Kai Meyer, Bernhard Hennen or Carina Schnell and got autographs of the artists on trading cards
from Magic: The Gathering or Disney Lorcana. To mark the 10th anniversary of the death of the Swiss Oscar winner H.R. Giger, a small memorial exhibition was set up. This year, the FANTASY BASEL was also a meeting place for the urban art scene. Artists such as BustArt, One Truth Bros, Oibel1. and many more created large-format works of art live.

As the crowning finale of the festival, the K-Pop Dance Summit on the Mainstage with the best K-Pop dance crews in Switzerland

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con will take place next year from May 29 to 31, 2025 again over Ascension Day at Messe Basel. Tickets will be available from October 2024. But fans won't have to wait that long; the same organizers are also holding the ZURICH POP CON & Game Show from October 5 to 6, 2024 at Messe Zürich (tickets are already available from Ticketcorner).

If you think that only adult fans of gaming, comics, cosplay and films will get their money's worth at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, you're far from it. On the contrary, the festival also offers a wide range of activities and plenty of fun for the youngest visitors.

Families with children and young people can immerse themselves in fairytale worlds through exciting program items and experience the main characters from their favourite stories live. For example, the little ones can travel into space with the Swiss cult character Globi and listen to author Atlant Bieri read from his Globi book. The lazy tomcat Garfield is also represented at the festival and delights with his upcoming film in Swiss German.

Photos with Super Mario, Ice Queen Elsa and Shrek

At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, it's not just Luigi, Princess Peach and Cinderella who are out and about, other superheroes, Stormtroopers and Disney princesses can also be found. Talented cosplayers spend hours creating detailed costumes of film, game and comic characters and show them off at the festival. All children are sure to find their favorite character for a photo together.

An exciting program for young and old

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is celebrating its 10th anniversary with more guests than ever before: In addition to voice actresses and actors from popular anime series such as One Piece or films like Harry Potter, international comic artists and illustrators, YouTubers and authors will also be guests.
Among the guests is Clio Wolfensberger, a Zurich-based illustrator who drew Rapunzel and other Disney characters for Disney's Lorcana trading card game.

Ulrich Schröder, on the other hand, has been drawing Disney comics and the covers of Mickey Mouse books for many years. At FANTASY BASEL, he draws personal sketches for Duckburg fans.

In the Artist Alley and Cosplay Village, artists from Switzerland and all over the world will be showing off their creative tricks and children can pick up their own pencils in the Family Zone.

A whole day full of fun and surprises

With a day ticket, you can discover the countless stands and exhibitions on the huge 90,000 m2 festival site from 10 am to 7 pm. A visit to the event on Friday, May 10 is particularly worthwhile for families. On Friday, children and young people accompanied by an adult pay half price. Children up to their 9th birthday pay no admission. Families with children are advised to purchase tickets from 11 a.m. to avoid the morning rush.

Some remind us of our own childhood, others let us relive the best moments from films, series and video games: At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, well-known dubbing voices that all film, game and anime fans have probably heard before will also be guests.

Max Felder, a voice actor who has already appeared in a wide variety of film and series formats, will be represented at this year's festival. He was the German voice of Ron Weasley in the "Harry Potter" films. He was also heard as Jacob Black in the "Twilight" trilogy and Chad Danforth in "High School Musical". He has also made a name for himself as a voice actor in the anime world: his roles include Eren Jäger in "Attack on Titan" and Sentomaru in "One Piece".

Julia Casper is known as the voice of Princess Zelda from the games "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and "Tears of the Kingdom" and as Aloy from the games "Horizon Zero Dawn", "Horizon Forbidden West" and "Call of the Mountain". She is also the voice of the young Queen Elizabeth in the Netflix series "The Crown". Most recently, she voiced the role of the elf Frieren in the anime series of the same name for Crunchyroll.

Anyone who has played "The Witcher" games knows his voice all too well: Doug Cockle has been the voice of Geralt of Rivia since 2007. He received a Golden Joystick Award for his voice acting of Geralt in the game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt". Over the past 20 years, he has worked as a true multi-talent on countless projects in theater, film, television, radio and games.

Other voice actors taking part in the festival are Daniel Schlauch ("One Piece", "High School Musical", "Succession"), Vincent Fallow ("Final Fantasy XVI", "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "One Piece") and Toni Michael Sattler ("League of Legends", "Final Fantasy", "The Case Study of Vanitas", among others). All guests will talk about their everyday life in the dubbing industry in interesting panels and will be available to their fans for photos and autographs.

A diverse stage program all about pop culture

Talks with guests from the creative industry, workshops, lectures and readings will take place on eight stages over all three days of the festival. To give you an overview of the incredible variety of the programme and make it easier to plan your visit to the festival, the organizers recently published the stage programme. For its 10th anniversary, FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con will feature more stars than ever before: In addition to voice actors and actresses, international comic artists and illustrators, YouTubers and influencers as well as cosplayers and authors will be guests on the stages. A unique program mix of films and series, games and board games, comics and anime, as well as science fiction and space exploration can be experienced in six halls and on 90,000 square meters. The organizers recommend purchasing tickets early and only ordering them via the official advance booking office Ticketcorner.

More content creators than ever before - FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con has also invited a large number of different stars from platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The festival will therefore also showcase exciting pop culture from digital worlds. Fans and followers will have the opportunity to experience their idols live, get autographs and take photos home with them.

Jasmin Sibel (aka Gnu), one of the biggest gaming YouTubers in Germany, will be a guest at this year's festival. With 1.4 million subscribers on her main channel and over 560,000 on her second channel "Verspieltes Gnu", she has built up a huge community. Her content ranges from games in the horror genre to testing the most absurd mobile games.

With over 10 years of YouTube experience, Vik (aka iBlali) is a veteran of the scene. While he first became known for his wild comedy formats, he has evolved and adapted his content over time. In addition to various games from the Nintendo Universe, Vik now regularly entertains his viewers with real talk and reaction content.

Reved is one of the most influential content creators in the German-speaking world. With the founding of the "Stream Awards", she has created an important platform to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of content creation. In her streams and videos, she combines a wide range of formats from different areas, from gaming to music.

The Youtuber and streamer Sterzik, on the other hand, impresses with humorous storytelling and exciting acting in shooter and strategy games.

Cengiz brings his viewers the full load of good humor and entertainment and inspires with his very own content mix.

Other social media stars taking part in the festival include KingChris, Kalle, Lara Loft,
Hiro from "Simply Japanese", Ernesto "Erne", Layna and Yvraldis. They will also
talk about their everyday life as content creators in interesting panels and be there for the fans.

A new stage for everything to do with gaming and communities

In addition to a packed program and more invited guests than ever before, the festival is expanding its stage variety - the new Gaming & Community Stage offers space for new, diverse content and is located in close proximity to exhibitors from the fields of esports and game design. This gives visitors the unique opportunity to play a round against creators and other well-known personalities or watch the pros play. A unique program mix of films and series, games and board games, comics and anime, as well as science fiction and space exploration can be experienced in six halls and on 90,000 square meters. More stars than ever before will be appearing on a total of eight stages for the anniversary.

"The Hobbit" star Graham McTavish and Anna Popplewell from "The Chronicles of Narnia" will be visiting FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. Visitors can also expect other celebrities from the world of film and series.

Scottish actor Graham McTavish is coming to FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. He is known for his roles as the fierce dwarf warrior Dwalin in the "Hobbit" film trilogy, Dougal MacKenzie in "Outlander" and Sigismund Dijkstra in the Netflix fantasy drama "The Witcher". English actress Anna Popplewell has also been confirmed. Popplewell gained international fame with her role as Susan Pevensie in the fantasy film series "The Chronicles of Narnia". She also starred in 62 episodes of the hit series "Reign". Most recently, she appeared in the latest film in "The Conjuring" series, "The Nun 2". At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, the two will be talking about their work in the film world and will be available for photos and autographs.

Film and series fans can also look forward to seeing actors Cara Buono from "Stranger Things", Staz Nair from "Game of Thrones" and Chris Rankin aka Percy Weasley from the "Harry Potter" film series.

Familiar voices from "Final Fantasy" and "One Piece"

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con will once again be hosting well-known voice actors this year. With Vincent Fallow and Toni Michael Sattler, two voices from the "Final Fantasy" games have been added to the list of invited guests. Furthermore, Max Felder, Daniel Schlauch and Kaiji Tang, the voices of well-known anime series such as "One Piece", "Attack on Titan" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" have been invited to the festival. Doug Cockle (Geralt of Rivia in "The Witcher") and Julia Casper (Aloy in "Horizon Zero Dawn", Princess Zelda in "The Legend of Zelda") complete the high-caliber line-up.

Streaming stars and creators meet

With over one million subscribers on the streaming platform Twitch, German influencer Reved has built up a considerable community in a short space of time. She regularly takes her community with her in mobile IRL streams and gives an insight into her everyday life. Social media star Ernesto "Erné" also delights his fans with regular livestreams and runs one of the biggest FIFA channels in Germany. He has recently added a lot of IRL content, such as food tours and stadium visits. More stars from the social media world will be communicated soon.

Tickets for the anniversary edition of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con are now on sale. From 9 to 11 May 2024, the organisers will cover a total of 90,000 m2 thanks to an additional hall. The visual for the anniversary was drawn by internationally renowned star illustrator Stanley Artgerm Lau.

Over Ascension Day 2024, tens of thousands of fans of gaming, cosplay, film, comics and anime celebrate pop culture in all its facets every year. Around 80,000 visitors are expected. A three-day ticket with early access to the festival site and an anniversary merchandise bundle will be offered especially for the anniversary edition.

 

Star illustrator Stanley "Artgerm" Lau designed the 2024 visual

This year's visual was illustrated by Singapore-based Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. As an illustrator and designer, he works for top brands in the entertainment and gaming industry, such as Capcom, DC Comics and Marvel Comics. His most popular covers include Supergirl, Cat Woman and Wonder Woman. The organisers are honoured to be working with a world-renowned comic artist such as Stanley "Artgerm" Lau for the anniversary visual. Artgerm will be exhibiting together with other national and international artists in the extended comic area of FAN-TASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. In addition, over 300 artists will be exhibiting in the Artist Alley.

 

The most diverse programme in Europe

Over the past nine years, FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con has established itself as one of the biggest pop culture events in Europe. The variety of exhibitions and activities is unique and not only inspires niches, but also attracts a broad and interested audience. In 2024, the gaming, esports and board game zones will therefore be further expanded, the Asian food zone will be enlarged and the line-up of content creators will also grow.

A special feature of the festival is the Space Hall, which brings visitors closer to space travel and science as well as science fiction through a varied stage programme. Other highlights include the cosplay competitions and the Cosplay Village, which attract cosplayers from all over the world and make FANTASY BASEL an internationally relevant meeting place. The organisers will announce which star guests from the world of film and series will be attending the festival over Ascension Day in the coming weeks.

 

Tickets for the festival are now available in advance exclusively via Ticketcorner. In recent years, some ticket categories have been sold out. It is therefore worth making use of the advance sale early on. The organisers also recommend purchasing tickets directly via Ticketcorner and not via resale platforms and planning your journey by public transport.

Switzerland's largest festival for pop culture once again registered a record attendance of 72,000 visitors*. The days Thursday and Saturday were completely sold out. A very diverse program was offered on 77'000 m2. The city of Basel was therefore over the Ascension days entirely in the hands of cosplayers, game, comic and film fans.

The FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con has built up a huge fan base across Europe in recent years and welcomed visitors*Innen from around the world. Film and series stars such as Itziar Ituno (Money Heist), Chuku Modu (The Good Doctor) or Sean Biggerstaff from the "Harry Potter" universe delighted fans with the stage talks, autograph sessions and photo shoots. Also at many comic artists and fantasy illustrators long queues of fans formed, who arrived for autographs or a personal drawing.

The film industry also paid respect to FANTASY BASEL: exclusively selected visitors were among the first in the world to watch the new film SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE by Sony Pictures. This under the highest security standards. "The fact that such an exclusive screening could take place during FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is a huge honor for us" say the organizers.

The anniversary ceremony for the "Swiss Garrison", an offshoot of the worldwide "Star Wars" fan group, was no less international. Greetings from the USA, also from Lucasfilm employees surprised the Swiss fans. They could imagine themselves in the middle of the movie in an exhibition with huge "Star Wars" objects and sets of the fan group ProjectX1. Over 200 Stormtroopers, Jawas & Co were available for photos. Other highlights included the international line-up of stars from the cosplay scene and the daily cosplay competitions.

In the large gaming hall, a LEGO® king-sized Bowser was a unique eye-catcher in the Nintendo Zone and was literally besieged as a photo subject. The latest gaming devices were presented as well as the latest Swiss games. The Ovation Esports booth was also very busy, with Esports stars such as Noahreyli and Katoo in attendance. The "Creators Lounge" was the meeting place for streamers and content creators. Retrogames and VR games were presented in a second hall.

Science fiction as well as space fans were offered a top-class program around space and space travel. Renowned personalities such as Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier and astronomer Dr. Seth Shostak, who is known as an alien hunter, gave talks on the Space Stage. The interactive exhibition of the Swiss Space Museum, "Out There Beyond the Limits," delighted experts as well as families.

The organizers are now planning a further expansion due to the great success. FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con will take place again next year from May 9 - 11, 2024 at Messe Basel. Advance sales will start in October. The same organizers realize also the festival ZURICH POP CON & Game Show from 30.09. - 01.10.2023 in the Messe Zurich, which offers a similar program.

The diverse program of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con attracts space fans from all over Switzerland to the Messe Basel from May 18 to 20.

From May 18 to 20, more than 60,000 people will once again meet at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con at Messe Basel. The diverse program around pop culture, movies and series, games, cosplay, comics, anime also allows exciting views into the universe and thus creates a bridge from science fiction to science.

 

Three-day panel program on the Space Stage

Visitors can expect exciting talks from scientists around the world. Traveling from the United States will be Dr. Seth Shostak, a researcher known as an alien hunter. From Germany, the researcher for extraterrestrial colonization Dr.-Ing. Christiane Heinicke will be there. The geophysicist is developing living and working spaces for the moon and Mars at the University of Bremen. Christiane Heinicke spent a year rehearsing life on a simulated Mars station in Hawaii. With Claude Nicollier, a real astronaut is also on site.

Other top-class speakers from Swiss universities and the ETH will provide insights into their exciting research work. Among those to see and hear are Dr. Audrey Vorburger, an astrophysicist from the University of Bern who is involved in ESA's Juice mission, and Maria Schönbächler, a cosmochemist from ETH Zurich who was hunting for meteorites in Antarctica a few months ago.

Some 150 Swiss scientists from the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS are constantly discovering and unraveling new mysteries surrounding exoplanets and our own solar system. At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, interested people will have the opportunity to get in touch directly with researchers from the NCCR PlanetS and the other scientists present and ask questions.

 

The James Webb Telescope is coming to Basel

The Swiss Space Museum's theme this year is "Out There Beyond the Limits." The museum is bringing a 1:4 scale model of the world-famous James Webb telescope and a large, interactive space exhibit to Basel. Volunteers have spent more than 800 hours working on the faithful replica of the world's most advanced telescope. Also on display are models of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Juice space probe, as well as a remote-controlled Mars rover. In addition to fascinating experiments and interactive experiences for the whole family, the Globi book "Globi in Space", which will be published in the summer, will also be presented - of course Globi will be there live and doing experiments!

Under the title "Treasures of Space Flight," the Swiss Space Museum is also displaying several original historical space objects that have never before been seen in Europe. These include Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter's survival gear, as well as a science panel from the Skylab space station and the in-flight suit worn by Skylab astronaut Ed Gibson for 84 days in space.

 

Hundreds of Stormtroopers Arrive

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Garrison, a "Star Wars" fan group, a large "Star Wars" fan exhibition featuring giant movie props will be held. The organizers also expect over two hundred Stormtroopers in original costumes to parade at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, accompanied by other visitors from distant galaxies.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is Switzerland's largest festival of pop culture and will take place at Messe Basel from May 18-20, 2023.

From 18 to 20 May, FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con attracts gaming fans from all over Switzerland to Messe Basel by featuring Fortnite stars, streamers, a giant Bowser Lego figure and classic games.

eSports has experienced a rapid rise in recent years. This is also noticeable in the large gaming and eSports area at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. International manufacturers will present their hardware and new games, flanked by numerous eSports clans and well-known eSports players. This year, the organizers are especially looking forward to Noah aka "Noahreyli", one of the best Fortnite players in the world. He is currently playing in a duo with the world champion "Aqua" at the "FNCS Global Championship 2023". Also taking part is Kevin aka "Katoo", the most successful Fortnite streamer in Germany. He regularly reaches an audience of millions with his live streams. Both players can be found at the Ovation eSports booth. In addition, numerous other eSports clans will be on site.

Gamers play for entry into European Championship

On Thursday, May 18, the official "Splatoon 3 Swiss Championship" with the popular game from Nintendo will take place live at the festival in the large gaming hall. At this tournament, the best Swiss teams will play to qualify for the final of the "Splatoon 3 European Championship 2023". Switzerland is also ready for international success with its new games: the latest and most exciting Swiss games and game studios will be presented at the booth of the Swiss Game Developers Association (SGDA).

Welcome from the LEGO® king-sized Bowser

In the huge gaming hall there are not only eSports but everything a gamer's heart desires. A LEGO® king-sized Bowser from the Super Mario universe welcomes visitors to the Nintendo Zone and provides a powerful photo backdrop. In the Creators Lounge, around 50 content creators from Germany and abroad will meet for a creative exchange and stream live from the festival. The well-known streamer and cosplayer Anni The Duck from Germany will also be a star guest. In a second gaming hall, exhibitors will offer virtual reality experiences alongside retro games and current games.

Even more game classics: Pokémon GO and Magic: The Gathering

Pokémon GO brings exclusive in-game bonuses for Pokémon hunters to the festival grounds of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. With Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, visitors will also find other game classics in Hall 2, where a large zone for "Pen & Paper", board and trading card games also awaits them. In the comic and book area, visitors will find Seb McKinnon and Ciruelo, among others, who are known for their artwork for Magic: The Gathering.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is Switzerland's largest pop culture festival and will take place May 18 to 20, 2023 at Messe Basel. Tickets are available at https://fantasybasel.ch/de/tickets.

Otakus celebrate anime, manga and all aspects of Japanese pop culture, dedicated "Harry Potter" readers call themselves Potterheads and the popular K-pop group BTS has a so-called "army" of fans. At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, a wide variety of fan groups and communities come together to celebrate the joy of being a fan.

May the 4th be with you

May the 4th be with you; because May 4th is the international "Star Wars Day". "Star Wars" fans can not only celebrate the day on the so-called "May the fourth" but also at the FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. They can expect a large "Star Wars" fan exhibition with huge movie props, organized by the "Star Wars" fan group Project X1. The scenery will be framed by a large parade of Stormtroopers, Wookies, Twi'leks and other characters from the "Star Wars" universe. The fan group "Swiss Garrison" is part of the worldwide active "Star Wars" costume organization and its members regularly dress up as different characters from the Lucasfilm universe. This year they are celebrating their 25th anniversary.

From a Jawa piggy bank to Commanding Officer

Rafael Tanner is Commanding Officer of the Swiss Garrison and has been a member of the organization since 2015. "What fascinates me about Star Wars is the universe and the well-balanced struggle between good and evil," he says. He came to Swiss Garrison through an event of a higher kind: a Jawa piggy bank. He bought it on a sailing trip in Holland during a stop caused by bad weather, and it inspired him to tailor a Jawa costume, Tanner says. At FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, he is especially looking forward to meeting friends from all over Europe and fellow "Star Wars" fan groups, and getting to know new people. "FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is the biggest party of the year for us," says Rafael Tanner.

A Festival for Communities

Communities form an important part of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. This year, for the first time, the groups Peramicus and Conversio are taking part. They have recreated the "Diagon Alley" from the popular "Harry Potter" films with two carnival floats. To stay as close as possible to the original, the members even traveled to the original film sets in London. Potterheads and all other visitors can marvel at the Diagon Alley from May 18 to 20 at Messe Basel. The organizers also welcome the Furry Fandom, which are fans of animal figures and mythical creatures with human attributes. They can be found in elaborately made animal costumes, so-called "fursuits". The Itasha community with its anime-style decorated cars and numerous other fan groups and clubs will also be present. Everyone is welcome at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Com, whether as part of a community, as a fantasy fan or out of pure curiosity.

Fulminant K-Pop Dance Show as Festival Finale

K-pop is not a niche phenomenon anymore but has become a worldwide hype. The Swiss K-Pop scene also continues to grow and enjoys great popularity. That's why K-pop can't be missing from the program of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. On Saturday, May 20, at 6 p.m., visitors can look forward to a brilliant K-pop dance show as the festival's crowning finale. Five Swiss K-pop dance groups will thrill the audience with energetic interpretations of choreographies by famous K-pop stars such as Blackpink, BTS or Twice.

Friday is Family Day

By the way, Friday is Family Day! Families can expect an exciting, diverse day of programming for young and old and everyone in between. Youngsters up to their 16th birthday accompanied by an adult pay half the admission price. Children up to the 9th birthday pay no admission.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is Switzerland's largest festival for pop culture and will be held at Messe Basel from May 18 to 20, 2023.

The FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con announces the line-up of film stars: "House of Money" star Itziar Ituño and Chuku Modu from "The Good Doctor" come to the FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. In addition, the visitors expect other actors from the film and series world.

The Spanish actress Itziar Ituño comes to the FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con. Ituño gained international fame with her role as Inspector Raquel Murillo aka Lisbon in the hit Spanish series "House of Money." Before that, she had appeared in numerous Spanish TV productions, mainly in the Basque Country. Also confirmed is British actor Chuku Modu. Modu is known for his roles in the TV series "The Good Doctor," "Captain Marvel," "Game of Thrones" and "The 100." The two will talk about their work on the film sets at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic and will be available for photos and autographs.

They made the costumes for "Avatar"

More active behind the camera are Flo Foxworthy and Sanit Klamchanuan of Weta Workshop from New Zealand. The award-winning company Weta Workshop conceptualizes and produces costumes and props mainly for cinema blockbusters. For example, for "Avatar: The Way of Water," for which the company won an Oscar for "Best Video Effects" at the 2023 Academy Awards. Foxworthy, the head of Weta's costume department, and Klamchanuan will be speaking at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con about their latest projects, including "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Thor: Love and Thunder" and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

Magicians meet superheroes

Actress MyAnna Buring, best known from "The Witcher" as Tissaia de Vries, principal of the Aretuza School of Magic and as Slovak vampire Tanya Denali in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn," and Sean Biggerstaff, one of the best Quidditch goalkeepers from "Harry Potter," will bring magic to the festival.

Also part of this year's star lineup from the film industry are Ross Marquand, known from "The Walking Dead" and Marvel's "Avengers," Freddie Stroma known from DC's "Peacemaker," "Bridgerton" and HBO's "Game of Thrones" as well as Samantha Alleyne known from various films from the "Star Wars" universe and many more guests from faraway galaxies and virtual worlds.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con is Switzerland's largest festival for pop culture and will take place from May 18 to 20, 2023 at Messe Basel.

One more hall: After last year's record attendance, FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con has expanded to 77,000 m². From 18 to 20 May 2023, visitors can look forward to a diverse mix of pop culture exciting all film, gaming and fantasy fans in what will now be five halls at Messe Basel.

FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con attracted over 62,000 visitors last year - a new record. This makes the festival one of the largest and most important pop culture festivals in Europe. This requires space. This year, visitors will find a wide variety of pop culture on 77,000m² in five halls at Messe Basel. In addition to film, series, comics, manga, fantasy and science fiction, they can expect a larger gaming zone and an expanded cosplay area with numerous top-class cosplay stars beeing present.

Anni The Duck and the prince

One of the stars among cosplay, gaming and social media is Anni The Duck. With her entertaining, detailed content and authentic style, she inspires hundreds of thousands of fans on social media. In addition to well-known content creators, visitors can expect an exciting line-up of stars and actors. Already confirmed is Freddie Stroma, "Bridgertons" Prince Frederick of Prussia, "Harry Potters" Cormac McLaggen and "Peacemakers" Adrian Chase aka Vigilante. Further star guests will be announced in due course.

The James Webb Telescope is coming to Basel

The organisers are linking science fiction to science in the large space sector: the Swiss Space Museum is bringing a model of the world-famous James Webb telescope to Basel. Volunteers have worked for over 800 hours on the authentic replica of the world's most modern telescope. Visitors can also look forward to an interactive space exhibition and exciting discussions with scientists from all over the world. Dr. Seth Shostak, a researcher known as the alien hunter who also works for NASA, will be arriving from the USA. From Germany, the researcher for extraterrestrial colonisation Dr. Christiane Heinicke will be present. The geophysicist is developing living and working spaces for the Moon and Mars at the Centre for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity at the University of Bremen.

Hundreds of Stormtroopers arrive

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Garrison, a "Star Wars" fan group, there will be a large "Star Wars" fan exhibition with huge film props. The organisers expect over two hundred Stormtroopers in original costumes to parade at FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con, accompanied by many other visitors from distant galaxies.

Gamers play to enter European Championship

On Thursday, 18 May, the official "Splatoon 3 Swiss Championship" with the popular game from Nintendo will take place live at the festival in the large gaming hall. At this tournament, the best Swiss teams will compete to qualify for the final of the "Splatoon 3 European Championship 2023". At various stands, everything a gamer's heart desires will be on display, including e-sports players and content creators.

Star illustrator John Howe will be a guest again

Over 300 artists from all over the world will be showing their work in the Artist Alley. Besides many artists from the comic universe, John Howe, one of the illustrators of "The Lord of the Rings", will be back in Basel. The best Swiss street artists will be creating works live on site. Moreover, many other areas of current pop culture can be experienced in the five halls, from action sports zones to tattoo art and virtual reality.

Tickets are already available through See Tickets. It is recommended to buy tickets only through the official pre-sale point and plan to travel by public transportation.

Switzerland's biggest pop culture event reports a new record number of visitors.

62,000 people visited FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con from May 26 to 28 in the halls of Messe Basel. Over 450 booths on 70,000 m2, around 350 artists, huge film sets, exclusive exhibitions and an extensive supporting program made the event one of the most important of its kind in Europe.

A special highlight was probably the most famous throne in the world; the Iron Throne from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, on which fans could have their picture taken. Boba Fett's throne, the control chair from Stargate and other movie sets from the STAR WARS universe created by fan groups also delighted the audience.

Comic artists and cosplayers traveled from all over the world to FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con: among them were Yaya Han from the USA, Tine Marie Riis from Norway, Maul Cosplay and cosplay streamer Anni The Duck from Germany. Around 200 illustrators showed their art in the Artist Alley, including world-famous illustrators such as Luis and Romulo Royo, John Howe (The Lord of the Rings), Disney cartoonists Ulrich Schröder and Ingo Römling, and Basel-based Batman artist Enrico Marini. Other highlights were the cosplay contests on the main stage, where the best costumes and most creative performances were selected.  

The Space Area was larger than ever, with the Swiss Space Museum, the PlanetS research group and other exhibitors spanning science fiction to space travel, new technologies and space exploration. Sci-fi fans met scientists who greatly appreciated this exchange. With Didier Queloz from ETH Zurich was among other experts even a Nobel Prize winner present. Lectures such as "Star Trek and the Future of Artificial Intelligence" or "Learning Physics through Hard Science Fiction" were enthusiastically received by the audience.

The film stars present, such as Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts, The Walking Dead), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter, How to get Away with Murder), Georgia Hirst (Vikings), Daniel Portman and Vladimir Furdik (Games of Thrones), Hans-Georg Panczak (STAR WARS) or Superman Dean Cain, also enjoyed particular attention, with fans lining up for photos and autographs.

Japanese food lovers could indulge themselves in the food zones. The Swiss Mangkas Ban Zarbo and Gin Zarbo were present for an autograph session as well as other talents of the genre. In addition, urban artists from the Swiss and international scene worked live on walls up to 10 meters in size and showed their latest works of art.

In the Gaming Zone, current video games, gaming classics and new Swiss games were played. Also several eSports teams were on site. In the action zone, visitors could not only marvel at wrestlers, but also try out archery, fencing and "pickleball", a new trend sport from the USA.

The mega-event has definitely established itself internationally through its diverse program and is one of Europe's leading conventions for pop culture. The organizers emphasize that the primary goal remains to make the visitors happy and to guarantee the high quality of the program: "FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con 2022 was a complete success. The diverse program can hardly be described in words, you have to experience the festival live. We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from all sides. We sincerely thank all exhibitors and artists, our volunteers and, of course, the visitors who make our festival so unique and created an incomparable atmosphere once again this year".

The next edition of FANTASY BASEL - The Swiss Comic Con will take place again over the Ascension Holiday from May 18 - 20, 2023. If you cannot wait until then, you may visit the ZURICH POP CON & Game Show from October 1-2, 2022, which will be held by the same organizers.