FAN EXPO Canada returns this August 27-30, 2026, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, bringing together fans of pop culture, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, gaming, comics, anime, and cosplay.

The TV Watercooler has your roundup of the six things we’re looking forward to checking out at this year’s event.

The Lord of the Rings 25th Anniversary Tour

The Vibe: A Fellowship reunion of a lifetime.

What to Expect This Weekend: The ring may be destroyed, but the Fellowship lives on. For the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), and Billy Boyd (Pippin) are reuniting at FAN EXPO Canada for an adventure 25 years in the making. This isn’t just a standard convention appearance – it’s a multi-tiered fan experience.

If you want the ultimate bragging rights, the $999 (!) Backstage Pass includes a Gold Ticket to their special evening panel, a professional team-up photo op with all four actors, and guaranteed in-person autographs from the entire quartet.

Hungry like a Hobbit? On Sunday, Aug. 30 at 8 a.m., die-hard fans can head over to the InterContinental Toronto for Second Breakfast – An Unexpected Feast with the Hobbits. Hosted by all four stars, it’s billed as a celebration that will rival Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday.

The Details: If you can’t swing the VIP packages, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate. Fans can purchase individual autographs (ranging from $110 to $120) or individual and duo photo ops. If you just want to hear the behind-the-scenes stories, tickets for the Evening with the Hobbits on-stage panel start at $25 for General Admission. (Note: The Saturday night panel is already sold out, but Friday night tickets are still available!). Grab your tickets at https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpocanada/an-evening-with-the-hobbits-in-celebration-of-25-years/.

STACKTV is Bringing Fan-Favourite TV to Life

The Vibe: Build-your-own fandom merch.

What to Expect at the Activation: Corus Entertainment’s STACKTV is bringing its massive streaming catalogue to life on the convention floor. If you’re looking for a personalized, tangible takeaway, this is a must-visit booth. Fans can drop by to create their own custom collectible keychains featuring characters from some of Adult Swim’s biggest hits! You’ll be able to choose from heavy-hitters like Rick and Morty and Smiling Friends as well as characters from the brand-new spin-off, President Curtis.

The Background: While STACKTV will be showcasing a variety of its tentpole and upcoming series to stream, animation fans will definitely want to snag the President Curtis merch. The highly anticipated adult animated sci-comedy, created by James Siciliano and Dan Harmon, just premiered this past July and follows President Andre Curtis (Keith David reprising his iconic voice role) and his staff as they handle the kind of inter-dimensional diplomacy and paranormal crises that Rick Sanchez usually ignores.

Starship Troopers Reunion Q&A

The Vibe: Boot-camp bravado and bug-swarm spectacle.

What to Expect at the Panel: Service guarantees citizenship! If you are a fan of Paul Verhoeven’s cult-classic 1997 sci-fi satire, you’ll want to deploy to Constitution Hall on Saturday afternoon. The cast is reuniting to share their training-camp tales, on-set camaraderie, and what it really took to film those unforgettable, bug-busting battle scenes.

The film has only grown in popularity over the years, beloved for the way it fused massive action set pieces with razor-sharp commentary on propaganda and militarism. Now, you can hear from the Roughnecks themselves.

The Details: The panel will take place Saturday, August 29 at 2:45 p.m. on the Main Stage in Constitution Hall. The incredible lineup includes Denise Richards (Carmen Ibanez), Casper Van Dien (Johnny Rico), Dina Meyer (Dizzy Flores), Jake Busey (Ace Levy), Michael Ironside (Jean Rasczack), and Dean Norris (Commanding Officer).

For the Love of Star Trek: 60th Anniversary Celebration

The Vibe: A nostalgic voyage into the originals of the Final Frontier.

What to Expect at the Screening: Before the massive success of current hits like Strange New Worlds, there was Gene Roddenberry’s original, bold vision. This special 60th anniversary event features a screening of For the Love of Star Trek, a compelling 45-minute TVO Original documentary. The film explores how the boundary-pushing 1960s TV series transformed into a global, multi-generational phenomenon that reimagined the future as a place of hope.

Fans can look forward to unearthed, rare archival TVO interviews with Roddenberry and original series stars Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig, who share remarkable stories about how the starship changed the television landscape forever.

The Details: The celebration takes place on Sunday, August 30 at 12 p.m. in Room 713AB. Moving beyond the original series, the documentary also charts the continued, expansive success of the franchise. Expect to see unique insights and interviews from legacy heavyweights like Michael Dorn, Wil Wheaton, Robert Picardo, Robert Wise, and Nicholas Meyer. It’s an absolute must-see for anyone looking to celebrate the enduring legacy of Starfleet.

Mark Hamill Live

The Vibe: An audience with Hollywood royalty.

What to Expect at the Panel: You don’t need to travel to a galaxy far, far away to see a legend. As a friend of FAN EXPO, Mark Hamill wanted to be there to help celebrate the convention’s 30th anniversary, making a super rare appearance here in Toronto. Whether you know him best as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, the iconic voice of the Joker, or any of his other countless roles, this is a can’t-miss opportunity to hear stories from his incredible career.

The Details: The panel will take place on Saturday, August 29, at 4 p.m. on the Main Stage in Constitution Hall. Seating for this special event is first-come, first-served, so you’ll need to line up early to secure your spot!

Audible Presents: The Infinite Extent (The Bobiverse Series)

The Vibe: Sci-fi existentialism meets interactive clone army.

What to Expect at the Activation: Audible is bringing the digital frontier to the convention floor with a massive 40’ x 20’ replica of Bill’s Heaven Vessel, Ultima Thule. This isn’t just a standard photo op – guests will undergo their own “consciousness replication.”

Using full-body 3D scanning, you’ll watch a digital version of yourself multiply across 10 towering screens, creating a personalized, motion-responsive clone army. The walkthrough is heavily immersive, featuring spatial audio with narration and excerpts from the upcoming audiobook, and everyone gets a personalized digital takeaway at the end!

The Background: If you haven’t dived into the Bobiverse yet, it’s one of the biggest successful stories in audio-first publishing. The story follows Bob Johansson, a tech entrepreneur who dies and wakes up 117 years later to find his consciousness uploaded into a sentient AI space probe. Tasked with exploring the unknown, “Original Bob” begins cloning himself to survive. Soon, a legion of Bobs is battling alien threats, encountering strange races, and grappling with identity, AI consciousness, and what it means to be post-human.

The Infinite Extent marks the sixth installment in the franchise and drops on September 10 – perfectly timed for the series’ 10th anniversary. With nearly three million audiobooks sold, the series is anchored by the stellar voice work of Audie Award-winning narrator Ray Porter (Project Hail Mary).

About the Author: A major Canadian sci-fi success story, Dennis E. Taylor is a former computer programmer based in British Columbia. After a 35-year career in software, he transitioned to writing and initially struggled to find a traditional print publisher for his breakthrough novel, We Are Legion (We Are Bob). Audible recognized its potential and scooped it up for an audio-first release. It quickly exploded into a massive bestseller, beloved by fans for balancing hard science fiction and engineering concepts with a lighthearted, humorous tone.