Niche SpongeBob characters (Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen), Pyramid Heads from Silent Hill, Amy Rose from Sonic, and tons of anime favorites strut across the stage as the audience roars with approval. The crowd ranges from graphic T-shirts to elaborate Green Arrow cosplays. It’s the Runway Cosplay contest on the opening night of GalaxyCon St. Louis 2026, and nerds across the Midwestern United States have flocked to the Con. Like any GalaxyCon event, the weekend promises booths, panels with pop culture icons, and cosplay galore. It’s nerd nirvana and a community showcase, a mid-sized convention with the atmosphere of a major comic-book convention.
Cosplay Runway Contestant Maveywavie as Amy Rose
The Floor
The floor sprawls across the American Center (formerly the Edward Jones Dome and home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams) as guests weave between artist booths and tabletop games. Half the floor features hands-on games and experiences, from open-play Pokémon and D&D to nerd-themed tattoo appointments and impromptu dance parties. Computers and consoles surround a Just Dance stage setup as guests dressed as Classroom of the Elite characters play Rock Band. It’s a social haven where pop culture fans can bond over an intricate one-shot campaign or a quick game of Super Smash Bros. Catan players sit opposite a group playing Magic: The Gathering. At the same time, a dragon statue guards the entrance to the gaming section. The atmosphere is instantly welcoming, with groups hurrying between tables and searching for collectibles.
Booths at the Con are as varied as the activities. Celebrities sign at tables and interact with fans. Artists sell original work; Funko booths stack Pops ten feet high; and card collectors search for rare Gen I Pokémon. Cons are always a cornucopia of interests, and GalaxyCon represents that abundance. You can walk 30 feet and see Power Rangers cast members taking selfies, then see a booth selling leatherwork that looks like it came straight from Skyrim. Artist Garrett Kessinger of Native Collectibles has a booth featuring dozens of Funko Pops, several with original hand-painted artwork on their boxes. His work is detailed and vibrant, with a painted profile of Naruto Uzumaki gracing the side of a Naruto Funko Pop box. The collectibles and merch booths sprawl across the floor, leading into tables for special guests.
Custom Funko Pop art from Artist Garrett Kessinger of Native Collectibles
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, has a crowd of fans waiting for her signing. She has several events this weekend, most especially “Spilling the Tea with Cassandra P.”, where she shares behind-the-scenes stories with fans in a casual, cozy setting. WWE wrestlers pose with convention-goers as fans ask, “When will Kane be signing?” Jackson Rathbone from Twilight takes selfies with fans as they gush over his portrayal of Jasper, just feet away from Ashley Greene, who played Alice. It feels like a comic-book splash page for a massive fandom crossover. iCarly cast members were sandwiched between the stars of Star Wars and Star Trek.
Panels
Con panels range widely in content and format, and GalaxyCon St. Louis was no exception. Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor took the stage to reflect on iCarly. The panel was an equal mix of wild Q&A, blissful nostalgia, and a hilarious improv show as the two stars bantered about the finer points of making the show’s classic spaghetti tacos. Trainor discussed his nerves about singing in a nerd-off against Jack Black on “iStart a Fan War,” while Nathan Kress talked about the ambiguity of the final kiss between Freddie and Carly in “iSay Goodbye.” The pair talked briefly about the revival series but, most notably, hinted at their hopes for an iCarly movie, which drew thunderous applause.
George Takei’s panel shifted the tone completely, offering a profound change of pace. As in his other Con appearances, Takei carries himself with eloquence and grace throughout his conversation about Japanese Internment during World War II. His historical knowledge was remarkable as he recited statistics and names seamlessly. He told the story of his family’s own imprisonment by the United States government because they were Japanese American. “We were treated like animals,” he recalled as he talked about being held in a “prison camp in the swamps of Louisiana.” The panel was poignant. “On Star Trek, we believed in infinite diversity in infinite combinations. That’s what makes us strong and makes us engaging.” Takei concluded his discussion by urging people to learn from history’s horrors and encourage diversity to build community. The panel was powerful, leaving audiences with a call to action to learn and embrace diversity.
But the beauty of panels lies in their variety. It’s the choose-your-own-adventure nature of a Con. Takei spoke about personal experiences, yet the next panel turned to sound design across Star Wars. Matthew Wood, David W. Collins, and Sam Witwer took the stage excited to highlight Maul: Shadow Lord. To an outsider, it’s emotional whiplash; to a Con-goer, it’s just another day at the convention. One panel can explore diversity and inclusion; the next can shift to droid noises, because Cons are, in essence, chaotic vessels of community. Wood, Collins, and Witwer discussed Star Wars: The Clone Wars finale, with Witwer stating, “great dialogue is easy to learn” when referring to Maul and Ahsoka’s final interactions. They jumped into Star Trek impressions on a Star Wars panel. The panel ended with the entire hall singing “Happy birthday” to Wood’s dad, Chester, via video message. Fans left laughing at Wood’s comment, “Luke can suddenly use the Force; what a Mary Sue.”
Yet for all the panels offered, Twilight was perhaps the culmination of everything. Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, and Jackson Rathbone represented the Cullen Family as fans devoured their stories about shooting the iconic baseball scene in the pouring rain. Rathbone spoke to why he believes the Twilight community connects with Jasper, citing that the Cullen Family is “the wallflowers of the wallflowers. I think Jasper really represents that to people.” Despite its size, the panel felt intimate and honest, as Ashley Greene said, “I love conventions like this. People are celebrating what they love.” But it was a perfect contrast: Rathbone opened up about his five years of sobriety. Then the audience roared with laughter as Rathbone later shouted, “I’m Team Bella, take care of yourself, girl,” before he launched into an exaggerated Bella impression. Facinelli spoke to the theme of the entire Con, community, emphasizing how much the Twilight fanbase has always shown love and support for the cast. Fans left buzzing about Greene’s love of A Court of Thorns and Roses while Rathbone high-fived anyone near the stage.
The final event of Saturday night was the Craftsman Cosplay competition as EDM blasted through the speakers and the hosts introduced the judges and each cosplay division. The field was as eclectic as the previous night’s contest and the following night’s Masquerade, with costumes ranging from Custom Mt. Dew and Pepsi-themed Mandalorians to elaborate Monster Hunter cosplays, complete with realistic giant swords. Contestants won championship belts and cash prizes as fans cheered on the dedication of every contestant, from sewists and leatherworkers to armor makers and all-around cosplayers.
12 Years in the Making
Cosplayer Aaron Rabe as Jack Sparrow at GalaxyCon St. Louis, 2026
My first Con ever was Wizard World St. Louis in 2014. I was a year out of high school and dreaming of one day seeing the majesty of San Diego Comic-Con. Within the first minute of hitting the Wizard World floor, I saw the spitting image of Jack Sparrow stumble up to me and ask for “just a drop of rum.” The rest of the Con was a dream come true for the shyer Midwestern nerd I was then. I met my childhood hero, the original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank. I watched my brother pull off the perfect Johnny Bravo cosplay, complete with constant flexing. And I saw fans line up to meet Matt Smith during the height of the modern Doctor Who era.
12 years later, I walked the halls of GalaxyCon and saw that same Jack Sparrow, Aaron Rabe, as if pulled not just from Pirates of the Caribbean, but from my own memory more than a decade ago. He still looked and acted the part, and he instantly connected me to the shy nerd I’d been after high school. Over the decade since, I’ve sat on panels at San Diego Comic-Con, worked on documentaries about my favorite TV shows, and grown far beyond my shyness. But my experience with Rabe reminded me why mid-sized Cons matter and what GalaxyCon is doing across the United States. Not everyone goes to nerd mecca and gets to line up for Hall H. Yet fans should always have the opportunity to experience the warmth and community of a convention close to home. Fans should always have the chance to tell people why Twilight matters to them or pose with their favorite Power Rangers. Just as Rabe unknowingly welcomed me to the world of conventions, GalaxyCon can welcome fans to a world built around what they love.
Stay tuned for more coverage of GalaxyCon St. Louis, including interviews with Legend of Korra voice actor Janet Varney, Twilight star Peter Facinelli, and Kermit the Frog’s longtime puppeteer, Steve Whitmire.
