From August 6 to 9, Astana hosted Central Asia’s largest festival of modern pop culture, Comic Con Astana 2026. The 5th anniversary edition became the largest in the project’s history, spanning two major venues simultaneously: Barys Arena and the Alau Ice Palace.
This year’s festival achieved unprecedented scale, welcoming guests and participants from more than 40 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and Brazil. On the first day alone, over 16,000 people attended, bringing total attendance to over 76,000 visitors across the four days.
For the first time in its history, Comic Con Astana featured four international headliners at once:
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones)
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Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders)
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Iñaki Godoy and Taz Skylar (Stars of Netflix’s live-action One Piece)
The actors held Q&A sessions with fans, signed autographs, and participated in photo sessions. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau praised the warmth and hospitality of the Kazakhstani people, promising to pass the “visiting Kazakhstan baton” to acclaimed author George R. R. Martin. Meanwhile, Paul Anderson named this event the best Comic Con he had ever attended.
Beyond inviting international stars, the festival served as a powerful platform supporting local creative industries.
A highlight of the event was the premiere of a 3-minute AI-animated episode of Tengrida: Cyber Steppe, an art film blending cyberpunk aesthetics, artificial intelligence, and the culture of the Great Steppe. Created by Almaty-based cosplayer Aruzhan Zhunussova (Aruvibez), the character was first introduced at Comic Con Astana 2025 before evolving into a full-fledged creative universe.
The grand stage hosted an international cosplay contest with a prize pool of 20 million KZT. The jury featured world-renowned cosplayers including Kamui Cosplay, Leon Chiro, and Emilia Grafomanka.
