Thought Bubble is at Harrogate Convention Centre on 14 and 15 November 2026. Day tickets £30, weekend £42, under-12s and over-65s free. Use Entrances 4 and 5.
Thought Bubble, the UK’s largest comic art festival, ends its week with a two-day convention at Harrogate Convention Centre on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026. It is the festival’s 20th edition. The convention opens at 10am on both days, closes at 6pm on Saturday and at 5pm on Sunday (Thought Bubble: tickets).
The quick answer
- Dates: Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026. Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm.
- Venue: Harrogate Convention Centre, Kings Road. Go in by Entrance 4 or Entrance 5, not the main conference doors.
- Tickets: £30 for one day, £42 for the weekend, each including a £1 booking fee. Students £25 and £32.
- Free: under-12s with a paying adult, over-65s with proof of age, and carers or support workers.
- On the door: only if tickets are left, and the morning queues are long.
Is it on this year?
Yes. The festival’s own site lists the convention for 14 and 15 November 2026 at Harrogate Convention Centre, and tickets are on sale through its Ticket Tailor page (Thought Bubble). The festival week runs from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November across Yorkshire, most of it in Leeds, with the convention as the finale.
Thought Bubble moved its convention to Harrogate after 11 years in Leeds. The organisers say they had “grown out of every space available” there; the festival is still run from Leeds and most of the week’s other events are still held in the city (Thought Bubble: FAQ).
Tickets and prices
These are the prices on the festival’s Ticket Tailor booking page, read on 13 October 2026. Each paid ticket carries a £1 booking fee, included below.
| Ticket | Saturday only | Sunday only | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £30 | £30 | £42 |
| Cosplay | £28 | £28 | £40 |
| Student (ID may be checked) | £25 | £25 | £32 |
| Under 12, with a paying adult | Free | Free | Free |
| Over 65 | Free | Free | Free |
| Carer or support worker | Free | Free | Free |
The free tickets still need booking, online in advance or at the door. Under-12s must be with a ticket-holding adult aged over 18, and over-65s need proof of age. A cosplay ticket is only valid if you arrive in cosplay; you do not have to join the parade or make the costume yourself. Groups of 10 to 24 get 20% off and groups of 25 or more 35% off, arranged by emailing the festival (Thought Bubble: FAQ).
Your ticket covers the exhibition halls, the panels, workshops, children’s activities and the cosplay parade. It does not cover the festival-week events before the convention, though the organisers say most of those are free. Tickets are non-refundable.
Getting in: Entrances 4 and 5
The convention uses Entrance 4 and Entrance 5 of the convention centre, and both are open all weekend for collecting wristbands and for going in and out. You get one wristband for the whole weekend; keep it on, because without it you will be refused entry. If you are in cosplay it must be visible on your wrist, not tied to a prop.
There is no cloakroom: the festival says you will have to carry coats and bags with you. There is no festival wifi either. Some exhibitors take cards and some do not, so bring some cash; there is a cash machine immediately outside Entrance 4.
Replica weapons are allowed only if they are entirely brightly coloured. A bright safety tip is not enough, and the organisers say that if in doubt you should leave them at home.
Getting there and parking
By train: Harrogate station is a short walk from the convention centre, with direct LNER trains from London King’s Cross and services to Leeds and York of about 30 minutes. By bus: the bus station is a few minutes’ walk away, and the 36 from Leeds runs every 10 minutes, according to the festival. From Leeds Bradford Airport the 747 Airport Direct runs hourly to Harrogate bus station (Thought Bubble: getting here).
By car: the venue’s own car park has around 158 spaces, entered from Springfield Avenue, but the venue says it suits Entrances 1 to 3, and HCC Car Park 2 is closed for refurbishment. The convention centre points to the 1,200 spaces at Jubilee and Victoria car parks. Jubilee is the closest, about three minutes’ walk from Entrances 4 and 5; Victoria, by the railway station, is about ten minutes away (Harrogate Convention Centre: parking). Charges and the other town centre car parks are in our guide to parking in Harrogate, and any closures that weekend will be on our roadworks and travel page.
One address trap: the festival’s directions give the postcode HG1 2HR, while the convention centre’s own address is Kings Road, HG1 5LA. Both bring you to the same building; if you are driving, set the satnav for Jubilee car park instead.
Who is coming
The festival has published its 2026 guest list. Among the names are Kate Beaton, Charlie Adlard, Simon Bisley, Becky Cloonan, Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Tula Lotay, Al Ewing and Sean Phillips. Alice Oseman is there on Sunday only and Jeffrey Brown on Saturday only; the others are there both days, at a table or in signing slots. Signing times are due closer to the convention (Thought Bubble: guests).
The Friday night before
Three festival events take place in Harrogate on Friday 13 November, according to the festival programme:
- 6.30pm to 8.30pm: the launch of Cosmic Lighthouse, a new comics publisher, in the main bar at Everyman Harrogate, with creator signings including Adrian Tchaikovsky and a free print while stocks last.
- 8pm to 10.30pm: a 35th anniversary screening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day at the Everyman.
- 8.30pm to 11.30pm: a Phonogram 20th anniversary party with Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, upstairs at Cold Bath Brewing Co.
Still to be confirmed
- The convention timetable of panels and signing slots, which the festival says will come out closer to the weekend.
- Whether tickets sell out. The festival says leftover tickets, if there are any, go on sale on the door.
Also in Harrogate that weekend: the North of England Woodworking Show and the Decorative, Antiques and Art Fair at the Great Yorkshire Showground, and the Harrogate Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Hall on the Saturday night. All of it is in what’s on in Harrogate. The following weekend the convention centre hosts Knit + Stitch.
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