In my inaugural post on Religiously Nerdy, I am excited to share my experience at MomoCon 2026. Momocon brings together fans of Japanese Anime, American Animation, Comics, Video Games, and Tabletop Games. This year was my third year attending MomoCon in total. As an Atlanta native, it is one of the conventions that I look forward to attending most of all.

Spanning across two of three halls in the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and at the next-door Omni Hotel, there was plenty to explore. I was blessed enough to get Press to attend all 4 days. Unfortunately my schedule only allowed me to enjoy 3 days, but I sure did my best to make the most if them!

A Day By Day Breakdown

Friday

Going in with almost no plan on Friday evening after working all day was daunting for me, but I was able to have a wonderful time regardless. Feeling severely under-prepared, I used this time to get a lay of the land and familiarize myself with GWCC once again. I met up with my cousin and friend Amina and we went to a K-pop random dance play (RDP). I am mostly a Gen 2 and Gen 3 fan, so I didn’t know any dances. I was still able to recognize several songs, and the enthusiasm of fellow K-pop fans never fails to energize me!

Saturday

Saturday was much better, planning wise, even though I got to the convention later than I had planned. I missed every morning and early afternoon panel I planned for, but I was able to visit artist alley, attend 2 panels and see some wonderful cosplay! I arrived a little after 3 pm after the height of the crowds had died down. It was also extra exciting as a K-pop fan because 2 RDPs were held back-to-back that evening and night. The first one took requests via an online system.

But the second RDP?! Brought me back to my K-pop dancing days that I thought were behind me! The “Old School” RDP had all of the classics from groups like T-ara, SHINee, SuperJunior, 4minute and more. It was a blast to hear those songs and I was surprised at how many dances I’ve remembered. I also got complemented on my NCT-127 shirt several times!

Sunday

Sunday ended up being a solo day, and I started the day with attending the Black Women in Comics and Manga panel, and I also attended a panel titled Writing for Comics, which helped me understand both how easy and challenging it can be to be a comic writer. It also helped me understand more about the comics industry at large. I was also able to finally complete my peruse of Artist Alley and ended the day with seeing the Itasha car displays, a small part of MomoCon that always sparks my heart.

Highligts of MomoCon 2026

An All Hour Con (ft. Lockers)

Even though there were interesting panels towards the beginning of the day that I wish I had attended, Momocon’s Paneling hours run from 10 am to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays, so regardless of when you get there, you will find something to do.

It’s actually one of the more unique aspects of MomoCon that I enjoy and appreciate. I am in my 30’s and my body is not as spry as it was when I was in my 20’s (READ: I can’t wake up early anymore :’) ) plus, I stay up to the wee hours of the morning during conventions, so the opportunity to have interesting and exciting programming later in the day is definitely a bonus, with over 30 late night (after 10 pm) panels to choose from on any given day. It was nice to let my night naturally end when I felt tired instead of feeling rushed to leave the convention center at the end of the day.

Plus for all my gamers out there, the gaming hall and arcade have 24-hour access. For the first year at MomoCon, pop-up lockers also had 24-hour access, making it easier for night owls to store their belongings at the con. Amina made good use of that locker on Friday as she had to change into her cosplay at the con.

A word of advice, though, if you want to reserve a locker, get to the Con early, as spots fill up fast and you might not get a locker. The locker company may still be able to store your belongings in a private area.

The App

Using the MomoCon App was a breeze and really enhanced my experience and planning!

I was able to plan which panels I wanted to attend (even though the timing of many overlaped) and I got a full scope of who was attending the convention, all conveniently located in my pocket. I also was able to filter which MomoCon notifications I received.

I appreciated that unlike at other conventions that I have visited, the reception at the GWCC was fantastic and the app loaded quickly without crashing.

Artist Alley

Artist’s Alley definitely delivered showcasing a wide variety of small artists. The vendor hall and Artist Alley were both in the same area (Building B on the ground floor) but that each had their own separate area. I always go for Artist Alley first because I like supporting small businesses.

This year, however, I personally have too much art and too many trinkets to justify spending money on more. But I was able to pick up a cute cupcake bag charm! I was also on the hunt for art and trinkets related to the game Love And Deep Space for Elle.

Representation and Diversity in Programming/Panels

It’s no secret that Atlanta has a diverse population, and I was happy to see so many black nerds, Muslim nerds and queer nerds having so much fun while also being represented in the programming. Every panel that I attended was hosted by someone under-represented in the creative nerdy space: women, black people and specifically black women. There were definitely other panels that I wanted to go to, but I was grateful to sit in and listen to many professional creatives.

Jodeci Joestar: Black Culture in the JJBA

Maurice Valnteno did a fantastic job running the panel. It actually had to be cut short because we went over so many examples! As a new JJBA fan, I felt welcomed into the space and I walked away learning just how far and wide Black Culture has influenced the manga, and I also walked away with a greater respect for
Hirohiko Araki, the mangaka, and his appreciation rather than appropriation of my culture.

Melanin Minds – Black Women in Comics and Manga

Hosted by Natasha Jones and Ty Watts of Melanin Minds, a podcast that advocates for black women in the comics space, the panel became a discussion about representation of black women writers, artists, and characters in both indie comics and corporate comics. I learned so much about the lack of representation of black women in traditional spaces, but I learned of so many creators who are creating amazing characters and telling interesting stories in comics today.

Writing for Comics

This panel was attended by Daniel Barnes, Greg Burnham and Chuck Brown, three comic writers who have written for both licensed characters in corporate comics and for their own independent projects. I really appreciated the sentiment that if you write and publish a comic, you are a comic writer.

Knights of Guinevere and Lackadaisy

While I do like smaller panels, I look forward to the larger and flashier panels at MomoCon held on the 5^th floor ballroom. Previous years’ notable panels I ncluded the creators and voice actors of the hit show Hazbin Hotel. This year did not disappoint by holding panels for the adult independent animation shows Knights of Guinevere (KOG) and Lackadaisy, both recently green-lit by Glitch, an Australian independent animation studio.

Indie animation (and indie anything, really) tends to explore wider themes and have fresher storytelling and a more diverse creative team and characters than anything on traditional networks’ platforms, so I am glad that indie shows like KOG and Lackadaisy got their chance to shine and that fans had a chance to hear from the creators and voice cast of both shows.

I especially liked Dana Terrace’s (co-creator of KOG) answer to a question about handling disillusionment for artists within the industry when they work for big corporations. Drawing on her previous experience from working at Disney, she responded gracefully by highlighting that an artist may have seasons where they don’t have the energy or passion to create, but it doesn’t mean the passion is gone forever. It will eventually come back. As a hobby artist myself, it resonated with me and reminded me to be patient with myself on my creative journey.

Challenges

Even though I had been to MomoCon before, I still needed a few moments to remember how challenging navigating the con can be.

The layout of GWCC is a little confusing as you enter on the top floor and have to travel downstairs to get to different panels (Building B, floors 4 through 2), the vendor hall and artist alley (B- Hall, first floor) , and the gaming hall (Building, B, first floor). I spent most of my time in Building B to conserve energy, but attended a few panels in Building A, which is connected to Building B, and the Omni Hotel, which is connected to Building A of the GWCC.

Make sure if you are dead set on attending every panel you plan to go to, you leave enough time for travel, which brings me to my next point.

Escalators were the primary mode of transportation through Building B, the busiest building during the con. Escalators traveled both ways, and there were plenty of escalators to use. However, some were turned off towards the end of the day, and the mass of the crowd was either forced to climb the stairs when attendees were already tired, or funneled to use 1 or 2 main escalators.

For accessibility, elevators were available.

My advice: go with the flow and give yourself enough time to travel between panels or to get to the first floor for the vendor hall, gaming hall, and artist alley. I was fortunate enough to not mind the stairs when I did have to take them, even though I was always out of breath! At least I got to count taking the stairs as exercise.

Despite the confusing layout and the large crowd, I had a great time at MomoCon. When I didn’t have a plan, I had fun. When I did have a plan, and had to modify it, I still had fun! The longer hours of the con gave me plenty of options and flexibility to relax and enjoy my time, easing my planning anxiety.

And the sheer enthusiasm of my fellow nerds and seeing nerds of all kinds left me feeling right at home. If you have an interest in even just one of thetopics that the convention has to offer, I highly recommend giving MomoCon 2027 a visit.

Planning your visit

Hopefully I’ve convinced you to visit MomoCon next year. I’ve gotten to MomoCon in a variety of ways in the past years, but planning to do so gives me HEAVY anxiety. ATL is a car-dependent city, so below I’ll share some tips that will hopefully help you decide how you’re going to get to the con.

Driving In – Purchase Parking Early!

I personally prefer parking in the Red Deck or the Orange Deck because they are THE closest parking options to the convention center at only a couple minutes’ walk to the entrance of GWCC. I recommend you BUY PARKING EARLY because the Red and Orange decks fill up quick! Give yourself some extra time to get to your deck, as traffic is backed up in front of the convention center.

The Blue and Yellow lots are a 10-15 minute walk to the convention center. This year, the weather was rainy, and if it’s not raining, the weather will probably be hot and humid, which is why I recommend the Red and Orange decks, but this parking is still close by and monitored by security. You can purchase all parking on the GWCC website. Remember, MomoCon is in ATL – the traffic is gonna build up.

Parking in either the decks or lots runs about $16 per day as of 2026, and you can buy multiple days of parking at once. Visit the MomoCon website or GWCC website for more details.

If you aren’t able to snag GWCC parking, there are plenty of parking lots in the surrounding area, but I’ve paid as high as $60 for one day of parking. Don’t be like me and Buy. Parking. Early. 🙂

Ride Share

Ride-share is also a great yet expensive option. Similarly to if you decide to drive in, remember that you are in Atlanta, and there. will. be. traffic. Give yourself some extra time for that.

Public Transit

If you’re like me and you live in the city, and procrastinate on getting parking (or if you just hate driving in Atlanta traffic), MARTA is a fantastic option. I recommend traveling by train. Most MARTA stations offer free 24 hour parking, and each trip one-way is $2.50 at the time of this writing.

Take any line (Red, Gold, Green or Blue) either northbound or southbound and get off at the SEC District (Sports, Entertainment, and Convention District) station. Go up the long escalator, and walk to your left around State Farm Arena. Make a right and the GWCC will be straight ahead! Keep track of the train schedule and upcoming trains with the Marta App. You can pay for transit with either a credit card or a breeze card, purchased at any Marta station. You can manage your breeze card with a separate app.

Keep in mind that trains stop running around 1 AM (even on weekends) and that the train stations get less populated the farther you get from the city and the later you leave the convention. Stay aware of your surroundings, and BE SAFE!

Conclusion

I recommend MomoCon to anyone interested in nerdy culture. The 2026 convention was a great way to kick off Con Season for me. Even though there was so much to see and experience, I didn’t feel like I missed out at all. The MomoCon website and app are great resources to help you plan your con. If next year’s con is anything like this year’s, it will definitely be a highlight of the year. I hope you plan to attend in 2027!

Known as the largest anime convention in the southeast, Momocon covers all kinds of nerdy topics including gaming, anime, comics, cosplay and more. It lasts for 4 days between the Thursday through Sunday preceding Memorial Day in downtown Atlanta. The 2026 convention boasted 67,000 attendees and that number is only expected to grow in 2027. For all updates about MomoCon 2027, visit the website at: https://www.momocon.com