MondoCon 2026: Budapest’s Biggest Anime and Pop Culture Convention Returns This Fall
If you’re visiting Budapest in mid-October and you have even a passing love for anime, manga, gaming, or cosplay, you’re in for a treat. The fall edition of MondoCon, Hungary’s largest pop culture convention, takes place on October 17 and 18, 2026, at the Hungexpo convention center. MondoCon runs multiple times a year, but this autumn gathering is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet, headlined by a live concert from a genuine Japanese anime music star.
What Is MondoCon
MondoCon is a fan convention built around anime, manga, gaming, and everything adjacent to Japanese pop culture, though its programming has grown broad enough to appeal to pop culture fans of all stripes. Each edition, including this fall’s event, features cosplay contests, tabletop and board game clubs, interactive activities, panel discussions, and dance and music programming spread across the venue. It’s the kind of event where wandering between rooms feels like discovering a new subculture every ten minutes, whether that’s a karaoke session, a discussion panel, or a crowd gathered around an elaborate cosplay showcase.
The Highlight: A Live Concert by Who-ya
The biggest draw of this fall’s MondoCon is a live concert from Who-ya, the Japanese vocalist behind some of the most recognizable anime theme songs of the past few years. If you’ve watched Jujutsu Kaisen, you’ve heard her voice on “VIVID VICE,” the anime’s second opening theme. Psycho-Pass fans will recognize her from “Q-vism” and “Synthetic Sympathy,” the openings for Psycho-Pass 3.
Who-ya fronts Who-ya Extended, a rock and pop-rock project she launched in 2019 at just twenty years old. While the backing lineup shifts from song to song, Who-ya remains the constant voice and creative force, drawing inspiration from artists like Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. Her sound blends the emotional intensity of rock with the polish of anime soundtrack production, and she’s built a catalog that includes theme songs for Onmyou Kaiten Re, Witch Watch, Bye Bye Earth, Night Head 2041, and Build Divide, among others.
The concert takes place Saturday, October 17, at 7 p.m. on the MondoCon main stage, and Who-ya will also hold a fan signing session during the convention, giving attendees a rare chance to meet an artist whose voice most of them already know by heart, even if they didn’t know her name until now.
A Karaoke Competition With a Twist
For visitors who love singing along to their favorite anime openings, this fall edition’s karaoke competition offers a chance to actually compete rather than just sing in the crowd. This year’s edition comes with a notable change: contestants must perform songs entirely in Japanese, a shift from previous editions of the convention. The competition runs in Beginner and Advanced categories if enough participants register, and alongside the usual top-three prizes, a special Japan Embassy Award will be presented this year, adding a layer of prestige to the friendly competition.
Entrants need to register individually between August 7 and September 6, choosing a song from the official competition list and submitting an instrumental vocal recording as part of their application. It’s a fun way for visiting fans to get more hands-on with the convention rather than just observing from the sidelines, though the registration window closes well before the event itself, so early planning matters if this appeals to you.
Planning Your Visit
The fall MondoCon runs from 9:30 a.m. on October 17 through 7:00 p.m. on October 18, at the Hungexpo convention center in Budapest, a large exhibition venue easily reachable by public transport from the city center. Discounted tickets are available for 9,000 forints until September 18, making early booking the smart move if you want to save some money for merchandise, artist alley purchases, or convention snacks. Physical tickets go on sale through retail partners starting in July, with online ticket sales launching in August as the organizers transition to a new ticketing system.
For any traveler curious about Hungary’s pop culture scene, or simply looking for something different to do beyond the usual castle tours and thermal baths, this fall’s MondoCon offers a lively, welcoming environment packed with music, creativity, and a genuinely international fan community, all in one of Budapest’s biggest event spaces.