Middle East Film and Comic Con

The Middle East Film & Comic Con (commonly referred to as MEFCC) is a speculative fiction convention held annually in the United Arab Emirates.

Inaugurated in 2012, it is the first & largest pop culture convention in the Middle East. In the first few years, MEFCC was held at the World Trade Centre and other venues across Dubai, moving to Abu Dhabi for its most recent editions in 2022 and 2023. In March 2023, it was announced that the twelfth edition of the MEFCC would be held in February 2024.

History
The convention was founded in April 2012 by the Dubai-based events management and communications agency ExtraCake PRA and T he Alliance. In 2018, Informa. took over operations of the event. The 2022 and 2023 editions were held by Informa with the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.

The 2024 edition of MEFCC saw record-breaking numbers, with over 38,000 visitors attending the three-day festival held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Events and Attractions
Focusing on comic books, science fiction, fantasy, film and television in the initial years, MEFCC has expanded over the years to include more niches within popular arts and culture including animation, anime, manga, video games, webcomics and fantasy fiction. Toys, merchandise and collectibles are also a key attraction at the convention.

MEFCC features activities for different interests and age groups. These include the Creative Academy which has comics, art and craft workshops, and Cine Club, which screens movies and Meet the Stars which offers fans the opportunity to meet celebrities and take photographs or autographs with them. Also at the event is Cosplay Central, a zone exclusively for cosplayers. MEFCC hosts a popular Cosplay Competition where participants dress up as their favorite characters and perform for a large crowd. The festival houses the Artist Alley, which gives up-and-coming local artists a platform to display and sell their pop culture creations. In addition, the International Artist Alley showcases global creators who have played an influential role in the world of comics, manga and the arts through their specialized skills in sketching, animation, editing, storytelling, fan art and animation.

MEFCC also has a dedicated Gaming Arena which has held tournaments ranging from PUBG, FIFA, CS:GO, Valorant, Fortnite and Tekken. In 2022, a prize money pool of approximately AED 30,000 was available to contestants.

Other facilities at the venue include the Festival Plaza, an entertainment and relaxation zone with food trucks, where fans can enjoy music and dance performances, and other forms of entertainment.

Celebrities at MEFCC
Since inception, MEFCC has hosted many stars from popular film and television franchises including Jason Momoa, Hayden Christensen, Andy Serkis, Zachery Levi, David Harbour, Matt Smith, Karl Urban, Giancarlo Esposito, Charlie Cox, Anthony Mackie, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker & May Calamawy. A more detailed list of celebrity guests is included in the table below.