SYDNEY – Supanova Comic Con & Gaming has announced its 2026 schedule for Sydney and Perth, featuring a dedicated vocational initiative aimed at students and emerging professionals in the creative and technical sectors.
The inclusion of a professional development component marks a strategic expansion of the event’s scope, moving beyond consumer exhibition to address workforce pipelines in gaming, coding, and digital innovation. By integrating educational seminars and industry networking into the convention framework, the event seeks to formalize the transition from pop culture consumption to professional employment in the creative industries, in step with national efforts to align schooling with vocational pathways outlined in the Australian Government’s Vocational Education and Training for Secondary Students framework.
Professional Development and the Level Up Initiative
The “Level Up” program will launch the Sydney event on Friday, June 19, 2026. The initiative is designed for students in Years 8-12, tertiary students, educators, and emerging creatives, targeting the point at which many students begin to make subject and post‑school pathway choices.
The programming consists of:
- Industry seminars and networking opportunities with developers, producers and technical specialists
- Esports stages and competitions designed to showcase careers around competitive gaming, production and event operations
- Exhibitor showcases and interactive demonstrations highlighting tools, studios and training providers
Admission to the Level Up programming on Friday is free for students in Years 8-12 who attend as part of a registered school group accompanied by faculty, positioning the event as a potential adjunct to careers education and vocational learning delivered under state and territory Senior Secondary Certificates.
The Sydney program will include keynote presentations from science communicator Adam Spencer, who will appear exclusively for the Level Up event, alongside actor Anthony Daniels and maker Adam Savage. These sessions are structured to provide technical and professional insights into storytelling, science communication, and the technology sectors, while also touching on issues such as digital literacy and responsible engagement with online platforms governed by Australia’s online content rules under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005.
2026 Guest Roster and Scheduling
The full Sydney event will run from June 19 to June 21, followed by the Perth convention from June 27 to June 28, maintaining Supanova’s traditional east-west format on consecutive weekends.
The initial wave of guest announcements includes Christopher Lloyd, known for his roles in Back to the Future, The Addams Family, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Lloyd is scheduled to appear at both the Sydney and Perth events, anchoring a slate that mixes legacy franchises with contemporary streaming and gaming‑adjacent titles.
Other confirmed guests appearing across both weekends include:
- Anthony Daniels: Actor known for the Star Wars franchise
- Simon Pegg: Actor known for Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible
- Adam Savage: Former MythBusters co-host and founder of Tested
- Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause: Charmed cast members
- Alex Garfin and Michael Bishop: Superman & Lois cast members
- Veronica Taylor: Original voice actor for Ash Ketchum in Pokémon
- Mitchell Hope, Nathan Jones, John Jarratt, and Lincoln Lewis
Specific appearances are limited to the Sydney event for actor Karl Urban, following the release of Mortal Kombat II, and Neil Fanning, the voice of Scooby-Doo in the live-action films. Organisers say further announcements will refine which guests participate in Level Up-branded programming versus general fan engagements, as Supanova continues to balance its role as a pop‑culture festival with growing expectations around skills pipelines and regulation‑aware digital citizenship in Australia’s creative economy.
Tickets and further guest announcements are currently being managed via the official Supanova website.
