A Fan Expo Vancouver 2026 Update. What’s Hot and What’s Not

For those who need a capsule update, Fan Expo Vancouver 2026 has a huge lineup of repeat guests and fond favourites returning to interact with fandom.

Fan Expo Vancouver 2026Runs Feb 14th to 16, 2026
Vancouver Convention Centre

The guest list is shaping up to be intense in this Fan Expo Vancouver 2026 update. Rather than a scattershot mix of genres, this year leans hard into ensemble events. There’s now an added show bringing the Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings to make those last-minute choices easy, and there are almost certainly more events still to come that haven’t been announced yet. The cast of Hazbin Hotel is back!

With so many IPs represented, choosing what to prioritize is going to be tough. The big question is whether one big auditorium is enough to contain it all, and where it’ll be held. The hall in the East Building feels like the most likely candidate, since moving it off-site would feel unusual. That space was used years back when Kevin Smith was in town, and it turned into an amazing night to remember.

Whether that kind of magic happens again depends on the vibe, the crowd, and the programming. For now, here’s what’s been announced, plus who’s attached to the after-hours specials so far.

When Middle Earth Is the Spotlight

Fan Expo Hobbits! The heart of the guest list belongs to The Lord of the Rings, with multiple combinations of the Fellowship appearing. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan headline a Shire-centric reunion, while expanded groupings add John Rhys-Davies and David Wenham for fans wanting a broader slice of Middle-earth. For those who prefer a more focused moment, Rhys-Davies and Wenham also appear together as a duo, spotlighting the franchise’s more battle-worn heroes.

On the Small Screen With Smallville and Battlestar

Tom Welling and Erica Durance Superhero television gets its due with Smallville, as Tom Welling, Erica Durance, and Kristin Kreuk reunite. For a lot of fans, this era of The CW’s superhero TV still feels personal. It helped set the table for how audiences would embrace long-form comic-book storytelling on television. There’s also an evening event with this trio built around reliving moments from the series.

Katee Sackhoff and Alessandro Juliani represent the newer Battlestar Galactica era, and their presence doubles as a reminder that genre favourites don’t vanish just because a reboot stalls out. It helps that they’re locals too, which gives this appearance a proper home-field feel.

Wizards, Wolves, and Vampires

The Phelps Twins at Fan Expo Even though the Stanley Park Forbidden Forest attraction closed its doors, the timing here still feels like a missed opportunity. With James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, and Matthew Lewis coming to town, the overlap is right there. Planning at this scale is rarely simple, but Fan Expo has been known to connect with local partners when the fit is right.

On the darker, moodier side, Twilight is well represented. Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, and Peter Facinelli appear in various groupings, including a paired photo op for Greene and Rathbone that leans into the romantic side of the franchise. It’s a reminder that this fandom remains loyal, organized, and very aware of its favourite dynamics.

The 80s Is Alive With Fond Classics at Fan Expo Vancouver 2026

Nostalgia runs strong with The Goonies, represented by Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, and Kerri Green. It’s a compact reunion rooted in one of the most enduring adventure films of the 80s, and a fun overlap year with several franchises represented across the show floor. Fans will keep hoping for Ke Huy Quan to join them someday.

On the flip side, cult cinema arrives with The Lost Boys, as Feldman reunites with Jamison Newlander, giving fans a chance to celebrate one of the genre’s most stylish eras.

The Goonies in Astoria
Sean Astin, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Kerri Green and Corey Feldman reunited for the premiere of “Love Hurts” at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 3, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Heroes in a Half Shell

One of the most ensemble-heavy appearances comes from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with François Chau, Kenn Scott, Brian Tochi, Ernie Reyes Jr., Robbie Rist, and Judith Hoag appearing together. It’s a deep cut for fans who know the voices, the performances, and the physicality behind the masks, even if the suits themselves stay off the convention floor.

Fan Expo Vancouver At “Twilight” For Love At First Bite

Fan Expo Vancouver is bringing four Twilight co-stars together for a one-night screening event at The Rio Theatre on February 16, 2026, complete with a big-screen showing and a live Q&A.

Fan Expo General LogoFan Expo Vancouver has a bonus show for fans of the film Twilight. They announced this week that co-stars Ashley Greene (“Alice”), Jackson Rathbone (“Jasper”), Kellan Lutz (“Emmett”), and Peter Facinelli (“Carlisle”) will reunite for a special one-night-only cinematic event, Twilight Special Screening: A Night with the Cullens, on Monday, February 16, 2026. Doors open at 5:30 PM, and the event starts at 6:30 PM at The Rio Theatre.

Presented in partnership with FAN EXPO Vancouver (February 14–16), the evening will feature a big-screen showing of Twilight (2008) and a live audience Q&A with the cast. This marks the first time these four actors have appeared together in Vancouver for a screening event, making it a must-attend night for franchise fans. And for those already attending the expo, there’s also a chance to meet them through individual signings or group photo sessions.

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A Geek’s Essential Guide to the Sundance Film Festival 2026

Sundance remains one of the few major festivals still offering a meaningful online component. Here are five geek-friendly picks to watch for, from philosophical sci-fi and midnight body horror to an AI documentary that feels uncomfortably timely.

Sundance Film Festival MarqueeFrom one corner of the world to another, Sundance remains one of the few major festivals that still keeps a meaningful online component. For anyone who can’t travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, the at-home run is scheduled for one weekend, from January 29 to February 1, 2026.

Other festivals that have confirmed online offerings include Chattanooga and Panic Fest. Virtual access is often geo-locked due to licensing agreements. Some viewers use VPNs to get around those restrictions, but that’s a personal call, and not one I’m about to moralise for you. For geeks who must see a film, the cleanest option is often the most annoying one: wait until it’s legally available in your region.

With that in mind, here are five essentials I’m keeping my eye on, including one title that should be available online.

In the Blink of an Eye

In the Blink of an Eye Movie PosterThis isn’t necessarily a time travel film, but it plays with time the way memory does. Past, present, and future overlap as three lives cross paths in ways humans can’t fully grasp.

In the distant past, a Neanderthal family struggles to survive after being displaced, doing what they can to protect their children with little more than primitive tools. In the present day, Claire (Rashida Jones), a driven post-grad anthropologist studying proto-human remains, begins a relationship with fellow student Greg (Daveed Diggs). And two centuries later, on a spaceship bound for a distant planet, Coakley (Kate McKinnon) and a sentient onboard computer confront a disease afflicting the ship’s oxygen-producing plants.

This one sounds more philosophical than anything else. Mortality, legacy, maybe reincarnation, it’s all on the table. Life can disappear in the blink of an eye. That’s true whether it’s an asteroid, an illness, or a single choice made at the wrong moment.

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A Nerd’s Guide to the 2026 Victoria Film Festival

The 2026 Victoria Film Festival leans into ghosts, grief, food, memory, and absurdity. From haunted vacuum cleaners to intimate documentaries, this year’s lineup proves smaller festivals still take the biggest creative risks.

2026 Victoria Film Festival Current LogoNo new introduction is necessary for 2026 Victoria Film Festival as it continues to treat locals to a curated selection of films from around the world. Although the genre plate is not often full, there’s usually something curious worth checking out. This year, the focus is on tales of terror.

And padding out this list are other works of interest that should satisfy even a foodie. For those unable to make it to this corner of the world, keep an eye on your local arts theatres, many of these films are likely to travel. If I had to select only one must-see, it’s A Useful Ghost. Not for the romantic comedy angle or its Valentine’s Day slot, but because it sounds so absurd it demands to be witnessed.

The links below lead to additional information, spoilers possible, and ticket pages for those attending.

A Magnificent Life


A Magnificent Life 2025 movie posterThe Vic / 12-Feb / 3:00 PM

Sylvain Chomet is a filmmaker who loves paying tribute, not just to people, but to entire creative worlds. From his affectionate portrait of Jacques Tati in The Illusionist to his fascination with artistic spaces, his films often feel like handwritten letters set in motion.

Here, Chomet turns his attention to Marcel Pagnol. Outside France, Pagnol may not be a household name, but his influence across literature and cinema is immense. There’s a question hovering over the film, does this echo It’s a Wonderful Life in spirit? Whether that lands will depend on how modern audiences connect with a figure so deeply rooted in French cultural memory.

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With Amethyst, REIRIE Make a Daring Leap Into the Major-Label Spotlight

REIRIE make their major-label debut with Amethyst, a five-track EP blending guitar rock, emotion, and R&B, out January 28, 2026, alongside a nationwide tour.

REIRIE AmethystREIRIE, the duo formed by Rei Kuromiya and Rie Kaneko, will make their major-label debut with their first EP, Amethyst, on January 28, 2026. The release arrives via MoooD Records, a label under Bandai Namco Music Live. Ahead of the EP’s launch, the music video  “Aishiteyo” is available to view online and see how these two artists want to present themselves. It’s a mix of art nouveau and glam. In between the layers of stage presence and glam is a look that suggets more than leather and lace, but also stillness and motion. Their sound is a mix of J-pop meets Speed Metal, and although their style is hard to pin down, I’d say they are borrowing from not only the  Rococo but also historical Gothic.

Amethyst will be released in three version: the Rei, Rie, and a Standard Edition. The Rei release includes a Blu-ray featuring footage from the free live show held last year in Sept at Kabukicho Tower Stage. The Rie set includes a Blu-ray of the Tokyo performance from Reirie Live Tour 2025 – BaD=DoLL –, held October 26. As a first-press bonus, each of them will include one randomly selected trading card from a set of six.

Musically, The advance digital single “BaD=DoLL,” composed by Yuki Tsujimura and MEGMETAL, delivers a charged, dramatic rock sound.

 

“Aishiteyo,” created by the same team, leans further into raw emotion and heightened intensity, brought to life in the newly released music video.

Additional tracks include “Holy Brighters,” which portrays heroism that pushes forward despite doubt and anxiety, “Not Philosophy,” a song about strength and love expressed through feeling rather than words, and “Contact,” a soulful R&B-based track that embraces pain and inner conflict as part of personal growth.

In support of the release, REIRIE will launch Reirie Live Tour 2026 – Amethyst – in February 2026 around Japan. Locations are as follows:

Feb 1, 2026 – Chiba LOOK [Chiba]
Feb 7, 2026 – Hiroshima CAVE-BE [Hiroshima]
Feb 8, 2026 – music zoo KOBE Taiyo to Tora [Hyogo]
Feb 15, 2026 – HEAVEN’S ROCK Saitama Shintoshin VJ-3 [Saitama]
Feb 23, 2026 – F.A.D. YOKOHAMA [Kanagawa]
Feb 28, 2026 – KYOTO MUSE [Kyoto]
Mar 1, 2026 – OSAKA MUSE [Osaka]
Mar 8, 2026 – LIVE HOUSE enn 2nd [Miyagi]
Mar 13, 2026 – ell.FITS ALL [Aichi]
Mar 15, 2026 – HEAVEN’S ROCK Utsunomiya VJ-2 [Tochigi]
Mar 21, 2026 – Fukuoka DRUM SON [Fukuoka]
Mar 31, 2026 – Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO [Tokyo]

Tickets

REIRIEPremium Ticket: ¥18,000 (incl. tax)

(Premium tickets include guaranteed access to the front area, one cheki photo, and exclusive merchandise)
A Ticket: ¥6,600 (incl. tax)

*A separate drink fee is required for all ticket types.

 

Tracklist (all editions)

  1. BaD=DoLL
  2. Holy Brighters
  3. Not Philosophy
  4. Contact
  5. AISHITEYO

About REIRIE

Formed in January 2023, REIRIE brings together Rei Kuromiya and Rie Kaneko, who previously performed in separate units before reuniting after several years apart. Their distinctive artistic vision has resonated strongly with fans, particularly women, and their striking visuals and powerful live performances have seen them appear at festivals in Japan and overseas. Their solo concerts continue to grow their nationwide audience.

A 2026 Fan Expo Brand Focus: From Portland to Vancouver…

In 2026, Fan Expo’s branding around the world show how guest lineups, venue scale, and programming choices is not very varied, but where it matters is in where they are and who’s on board. Updates on the upcoming Portland and Vancouver show.

2026 Fan Expo General LogoThis weekend will be the 2026 Fan Expo Portland show, and for the Canadian-side cousin, Vancouver, the tour is certainly focussed on Lord of the Rings and the Turtles. From An Evening with the Hobbits to original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a splash of Goonies, both are slightly different from one another for good reason, availability. The State-side show is said to be roomier with room to navigate around, but that needs to be verified. Also, Gates McFadden and Walter Koenig will be appearing.

As with other Fan Expo events, some programming is placed behind additional ticketed access, a practical decision given how limited certain convention spaces can be. Even in Seattle, expansion required the construction of an entirely new building to accommodate demand. For attendees on the fence about premium panels, such as discussions with the Lord of the Rings cast reflecting on Peter Jackson’s epic productions, there is no waitlist alternative once those sessions sell out.

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