LA Comic Con Friday 2026: Opening Day Guests and Hours

L.A. Comic Con opens its 2026 show on Friday, October 30, at the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown. The convention runs through Sunday, November 1, and Halloween lands on the Saturday. Friday is the shortest of the three days, and it has a couple of guests you won't catch on Sunday. If you're sorting through the Things Happening In Los Angeles that weekend and can only give up one weeknight, this is the one to look at.

Friday hours

General admission doors open at 3:00 PM and the show floor closes at 9:00 PM. VIP badge holders get in at 2:30 PM. That's six hours on Friday against nine and a half on Saturday, so decide ahead of time what you actually want to see.

Badge pickup in the South Hall lobby opens at 8:00 AM Friday. Picking up your badge in the morning and coming back at 3 means you skip the pickup line when the crowd arrives. Bring your order confirmation and a photo ID.

Who's there on Friday

The convention's guest page lists each appearance by day. Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad) is listed for Friday only. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Hayden Christensen (Star Wars) are both down for Friday and Saturday.

Ritter and Paul are also doing a joint photo op, and the convention says it's available on Friday only. For Breaking Bad fans, that's the reason to come on Friday. Ben Starr and Jennifer English, two of the voice actors from the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, are signing all three days.

Guest schedules can change. The convention refunds pre-bought autograph and photo op tickets if a guest cancels, but admission itself isn't refundable. Check the guest page the week of the show.

Read this before you buy

The listing we found for this Friday session was posted by Vivid Events, and its ticket button goes to Vivid Seats, a resale marketplace. L.A. Comic Con's own FAQ says tickets are sold only through the official convention website, using its ticketing vendor Leap, and asks fans to stick to those links. There's a practical catch with resale, too. A ticket for anyone 16 or older has to be transferred into that person's name before the show, and the owner has to be there when the badge is picked up. Buy direct.

Kids 12 and under get in free, but each one still needs a Kids Pass added at checkout alongside an adult ticket. Anyone under 16 has to come with a parent or guardian.

On the floor

More than 800 exhibitors fill three exhibit halls. The Main Stage sits on the show floor in South Hall, and the Gaming and Anime Stage is in West Hall. Panels are first come, first served, so get in line early for anything big. Some vendors and autograph tables only take cash, so bring a card and some bills.

Getting there

Parking at the convention center will be tight this year. The organizers say ongoing construction is cutting into the onsite lots. The L.A. Live West Garage, entered from Chick Hearn Court, charges a $40 flat rate. Metro is the easier move on a Friday afternoon: the A and E lines stop at Pico station, a short walk from the building.

Outside food isn't allowed inside, apart from small sealed water bottles and personal lunches. Backpacks are fine, though a smaller bag gets you through security faster. If your costume comes with a prop weapon, read the convention's prop policy before you pack it.

For a Friday night that isn't a bar or a movie, this is one of the better things to do in Los Angeles at the end of October. Browse more festivals or see what else is on in Downtown LA.