Comic Con Astana 2025: Kazakhstan’s Premier Geek Culture Festival Set to Break Records

Geek culture has become a vibrant facet of Astana’s tourist appeal, and on July 9, the city kicked off the fourth edition of Comic Con Astana, Kazakhstan’s flagship festival for anime, comics, and cosplay. Over the years, festival-goers have become a familiar sight in the capital's summer streets, embodying characters from across the worlds of comics, gaming, and fantasy. While other Central Asian capitals, including Tashkent, have made similar attempts, it is Astana that has succeeded in establishing a sustainable and growing comic convention. The inaugural Comic Con Astana was held in 2019, but subsequent years were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political turbulence of 2022. In 2023, however, the festival returned with renewed energy, drawing not only domestic fans but also international guests eager to meet Hollywood actors Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn, known for their roles as Yondu and Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy. The guest list also included top Eurasian video bloggers and prominent cosplayers, names that may be unfamiliar to the broader public, but are iconic within the global geek community. That year, organizers reported at least 60,000 attendees. [caption id="attachment_33875" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image: TCA[/caption] In 2024, the festival built on that momentum. A major highlight was the appearance of Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, famed for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in the eponymous TV series, whose popularity kept him signing autographs late into the night, well past the scheduled program. He was joined by Canadian actor Percy Hynes White, who had recently risen to prominence through his role in Netflix’s Wednesday. Now, in 2025, Comic Con Astana is aiming to surpass its own benchmarks. [caption id="attachment_33876" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image: TCA[/caption] "This year, we decided to scale up and break our own record: two venues, Astana Arena and Barys Arena, and an extended five-day program," said Natalina Abrashkin, general producer of Comic Con Astana. "Every year, Comic Con grows in terms of guests, international stars, and economic impact. In 2025, we expect more than 75,000 attendees, including at least 10,000 foreign tourists." Organizers estimate that each foreign visitor spends around 118,000 KZT ($228) per day. With an average stay of three days, the festival is projected to generate over 3.5 billion KZT (nearly $7 million) in economic activity through accommodation, food, transportation, entertainment, and shopping. This year’s expanded program reflects that ambition. Even the two arenas may struggle to accommodate the crowds expected to attend appearances by three Hollywood stars: Andy Serkis, renowned for his motion-capture roles as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Caesar in Planet of the Apes, will headline. He will be joined by Esai Morales (Ozark, Titans, Mission: Impossible, La Bamba) and Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Doctor Strange, Ip Man 4). Their public sessions are scheduled for the festival’s final weekend. [caption id="attachment_33877" align="aligncenter" width="1832"] Image: TCA[/caption] A central feature of Comic Con Astana remains the cosplay competition. This year, organizers have raised the prize fund to 15 million KZT ($29,000). Cosplay has been a cornerstone...

Comic Con Astana 24: Mixed Impressions from Delight to Disappointment

Comic Conventions, known as Comic Con, began back in1970 when a group of enthusiasts gathered in San Diego, California to exchange comics. Since then, international festivals promoting comics, pop culture, sci-fi, video games, anime and related films and TV series have soared in popularity, attracting thousands of fans to venues across the globe. Now an annual event, Kazakhstan’s Comic Con was first staged in 2019, and Comic Con Astana '24, running from 25-28 July at the city’s Expo International Exhibition Center, was one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the world of pop culture. Tickets were available online from 15 April as well as at the door. Quick to sell out, the four-day festival attracted over 53,000 visitors from 30 countries. [caption id="attachment_21630" align="alignnone" width="720"] photo TCA : Center stage[/caption] Comprising a comprehensive program representing all aspects of the international comics industry, Astana’s festival included appearances by numerous superstars such as Russian actors Ruzil Minekaev and Anton Lapenko, and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen renowned for his leading role in the TV series ‘Hannibal’ and as Cliff Unger in Hideo Kojima’s video game ‘Death Standing.’ Representing the home front, presentations were made by over 100 Kazakh authors of graphic novels. In addition to having a unique opportunity to meet their heroes, actors and authors, visitors were able to actively participate in various themed events, masterclasses, autograph sessions, and exhibitions. Professionals and attendees alike, injected great flair to the event by dressing as their favorite heroes to compete for prizes totaling US$ 27,000 in a Cosplay contest. [caption id="attachment_21629" align="alignnone" width="540"] photo: TCA: Cosplay participants[/caption] Response to the organizers’ delivery of a dynamic, wide-spanning program was generally positive, with visitors reporting that the event had met their expectations. Many however, commented that their overall impression was significantly marred by the considerable discomfort caused by lengthy, bottleneck queues of up to three hours to either enter the building or access popular events. [video width="480" height="848" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Video-2024-08-13-at-17.49.23_d55b7dfb.mp4"][/video] "The program was great, especially meeting our favorite actors,” a guest named Altair, told TCA. “But the queues were simply unbearable. We spent almost half of the day just waiting, and it greatly affected our enjoyment.” Nastya, another guest, also expressed her dissatisfaction over the control of the flow of visitors: "The festival was cool, but the crush, which led to some visitors fainting, made our stay not as comfortable as we would have liked. I hope that in the future, Comic Con will take this into account and improve the organization.” Aruzhan, the third visitor interviewed by TCA, added, "I liked everything, it was especially cool to see stars from all over the world, but I think they should have sold fewer tickets so that everyone was comfortable in the building.” On the other side of the fence, blogger Anastasiz and a guest headliner of the Comic Con, was similarly upset by administrative oversights and in a video post, condemned the fact that because the queues were not closed, hundreds of people, standing in tight...