It’s getting closer, Comic Con Africa 2019 is now on our doorstep, getting ready to knock on the door of our inner child-geek. But the adult in us is planning every step through Gallagher Conference Centre, to make sure we see all the things, we take part in all the things, and we buy all the things. Here’s a look at the layout of the Centre and how to find what you are really looking for.



Before we start with the inside, let’s talk about the outside: parking. There are two main parking lots for visitors to park their vehicles. The main parking (Block A) is across the road, on the corner of Richard’s Drive and Johnnic Boulevard. This parking lot feeds directly into Entrance 1, but Entrance 2 would probably be able to take some of this foot traffic. A second parking area (Block sits on the corner of Richards Drive and Street of No Name which directly faces Entrance 2.

Inside, Gallager will be divided into specific sections that will keep all the goodness in their rightful place. From the Entrance 1, you can decide where you want to start and work your way through, unlike Entrance 2, which takes visitors straight into the main hall. But we’ll talk about that hall in a sec.

Let’s take a walk through each area.



Hall 2 is where Kids Con will be held, and is on the far left (southern) end of Gallagher. Here, you will find more of the toy oriented stores, such as Unicorn Slime, Paddlefoot and Sugar Dots, but also the LEGO Activation area, Candyland and the Soft Play Ball Area. Sidekick moms and dads can also watch their kids play while chilling in the SciFi Café.



Hall 3 is the gamer’s playground; this is where the Telkom VS CS:GO and DotA 2 Masters tournaments will be held. The main esports stage will be in the south corner of the hall, next to the Playstation stand. This hall will also have the most tech stands for visitors interested in checking out hardware. Incredible Connection, HP Omen, Sennheiser and BT Games are some of the stands to check out. And lastly, don’t forget about ATK’s Free Play Zone with Asus, perhaps you’ll find some big names hanging around and ready to jam with you.



The next hall, Hall 4, is one of my favourite areas: Artist Alley. Independent crafters and sellers with their hand-crafted jewellery and plush toys, pins and other tidbits to look at, admire and cave to add to your collection. Hall 4 also hosts the Cosplay Central Stage as well as the alley of comic book artists and writers. I would highly recommend checking out their more recent works and feel free to get one to add to your lounge wall.



Hall 5 is what you came for: all things pop culture. Think of last year’s downstairs area, but in 2019. Check out stalls like Cosmic Comics, Smallville Comics and Comic Warehouse to pick up comic book statues and throw your money at them. The Funko Store appears again to offer special editions, or the chance to scour the store for that last Pop for your collection. Bandai and Hot Toys, standing right next to the Main Stage, bring you yet another chance to drool over the epicness that is possibly too expensive to fit into your life (but that doesn’t stop anyone, does it?). And right in the centre of the hall is the Epic Games Fortnight stall. This hall has so many more things that should be mentioned, but there are other halls that also need to be announced, so moving along swiftly.



Between the goodness of the Artist Alley Hall and the Pop Culture Hall is the Tabletop Gaming Hall and the Panels Hall.

In the Tabletop Hall will be the Infinity, Warhammer 40 000, Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon - okay, you get it. It’s the cards and boardgames area, essentially. Tables will be laid out, and you can enjoy watching your friends (or strangers who may become new friends) go to war, execute incredible strategies over course lands, defeat dragons and believe in the heart of the cards to win the duel. If you caught that reference, please find me and high five me over the weekend.

The Panels and Screening room next to Tabletop, well, we’ll go into a little more detail about that room tomorrow, to prepare you for the exciting schedule of smaller (and often overlooked) events happening throughout the weekend.



And last, but not forgotten, is the Photo and Autograph Hall, where you’ll get to meet and shake hands with the special guests attending this year, get photo ops with them and ask them weird questions that probably have nothing to do with anything. Quite frankly, I’m dying to know what Anthony Mackie’s favourite colour is, that’s really important to me!

Oh! Something I did almost forget, the Wakanda Grazing and Watering Hole! This area is where you will get your delicious eats from pop-up restaurants and rehydrate between adventures in each of the halls. It’s found in between the Gaming Hall and the Artist Alley, and will host a live DJ throughout the weekend. Grab a bite - and if you’re not heading to watch some esports - enjoy the fresh air and the good vibes over here.

If you want more information on the list of vendors and exhibitors, check out the Comic Con Africa app, it will give you all the juicy deets, and help you plan for your amazing weekend.

Check here for the biggest special guests, that will be at Comic Con Africa 2019, and the biggest events you cannot miss!