Convention season is basically the haunt industry's version of going feral. Something about putting thousands of people who professionally terrify strangers into a convention center together just works — ideas fly, deals get made, and at least one person ends up hauling home a prop they have absolutely no room for. We've been that person. We'll be that person again next time we go to a horror and haunt convention. There's no recap video or trade magazine that replicates the experience of standing in a hotel bar at 12 A.M. next to the person who built the thing you've been trying to figure out for two years. The show floor is great. The hallway conversations are better.
For us at Iron, Wood, and Glitter, a few shows anchor our calendar every year. TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis remains the industry's premier trade event in the spring — the place where the business side of haunting gets done. IAAPA Expo in Orlando is the other non-negotiable: the global attractions industry gathering that increasingly speaks directly to haunt professionals through its expanding Haunting Grounds pavilion. Beyond those two pillars, we make it a point to get out to some fan-facing horror conventions throughout the year — they're essential for staying connected to the audience, discovering emerging talent, and keeping a pulse on where genre culture is heading. The haunt industry doesn't exist in a vacuum, and the horror community that walks through our doors every October is the same community that fills these conventions year-round.
This list covers June through the end of 2026 — it's not the full year, since a lot of spring shows have already come and gone. We'll be putting together a complete 2027 calendar as we get closer, so stay tuned for that. For now, here's everything worth circling from summer through December.
June 2026
- Living Dead Weekend: Monroeville 2026 — June 12–14 | Monroeville Mall, Monroeville, PA
- Monster Bash Conference Summer 2026 — June 12–14 | Pittsburgh Marriott North, Cranberry Township, PA
- HorrorCon Los Angeles 2026 — June 13–14 | Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
- Maryland Pop and Horror Con 2026 — June 13–14 | Best Western Plus Hotel & Conference Center, Baltimore, MD
- FrankenCon 2026 — June 26–28 | Hilton Knoxville Airport, Alcoa, TN
July 2026
- Metropol Con Berlin 2026 — July 2–5 | silent green Kulturquartier, Berlin, Germany
- Montreal Comiccon 2026 — July 3–5 | Palais des congrès de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Creep I.E. Aftermath 2026 — July 10–12 | Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, CA
- MonstahXpo 2026 — July 11–12 | Sheraton Nashua, Nashua, NH
- St. Louis Horror Con 2026 — July 11–12 | Greensfelder Recreation Complex, Manchester, MO
- Days of the Dead Indianapolis 2026 — July 17–19 | Indianapolis Marriott East, Indianapolis, IN
- Grossfest 2026 — July 31–August 1 | Comfort Inn Conference Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- CreepyCon 2026 — July 31–August 2 | Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, TN
August 2026
- Midsummer Scream 2026 — August 7–9 | Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach, CA
- Monsterama 2026 — August 7–9 | Atlanta Marriott Northeast/Emory Area, Atlanta, GA
- Deep South Para-Comi-Con 2026 — August 8–9 | City of Enterprise Civic Center, Enterprise, AL
- Sci-Fi Horror Fest 2026 — August 14–15 | Vernon Downs Casino Hotel, Vernon, NY
- The PropCon 2026 (Postponed — rescheduled to October 2–4) — August 15–16 | Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL
- Gathering of the Ghouls 2026 — August 22–23 | Mesa Convention Center, Mesa, AZ
- Tanoshii Con 2026 — August 22–23 | Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL
- Fan Expo Canada 2026 — August 27–30 | Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Smoky Mountain Terror 2026 — August 28–30 | MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center, Kingsport, TN
September 2026
- HorrorHound Weekend: Cincinnati 2026 — September 11–13 | Sharonville Convention Center, Cincinnati, OH
- Tidewater Horror Convention 2026 — September 11–13 | Wyndham Garden Norfolk Downtown, Norfolk, VA
- Colorado Festival of Horror 2026 — September 18–20 | Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver, CO
- Horror Fiesta 2026 — September 19 | Embassy Suites East Peoria Riverfront Hotel & Conference Center, East Peoria, IL
- SC Horror Con 2026 — September 19–20 | Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, SC
- Creature Kon 2026 — September 25–26 | Radisson Hotel Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
- Extremicon 2026 — September 25–27 | St. Robert Community Center, St. Robert, MO
- Florida Horror-Fest 2026 — September 26 | DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops, Fort Myers, FL
- Triangle Terror Con 2026 — September 26 | Millennium Hotel Durham, Durham, NC
October 2026
- HallowScreamCon 2026 — October 1–4 | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
- Artists Assemble Horror Fest 2026 — October 2–4 | DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Mesa, Mesa, AZ
- Scaradise 2026 — October 2–4 | Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL
- The PropCon 2026 — October 2–4 | Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL
- Central Illinois Horror Con 2026 — October 3 | Holiday Inn & Suites Peoria at Grand Prairie, Peoria, IL
- Midwest MonsterCon 2026 — October 9–10 | Minot Municipal Auditorium, Minot, ND
- Appalachian HorrorFest 2026 — October 10 | Holiday Inn Knoxville West–Cedar Bluff Rd, Knoxville, TN
- Nightmare in Vegas 2026 — October 10–11 | Silverton Casino Lodge, Las Vegas, NV
- Nightmare Weekend Raleigh 2026 — October 10–11 | Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC
- North Shore Horror + Anime Fest 2026 — October 10–11 | Danvers Indoor Sports, Danvers, MA
- Monster Bash Conference Autumn 2026 — October 16–18 | Pittsburgh Marriott North, Cranberry Township, PA
- Multiverse 2026 — October 16–18 | Hilton Peachtree City Atlanta Hotel & Conference Center, Peachtree City, GA
- Charleston Horror-Fest 2026 — October 18 | Embassy Suites by Hilton Charleston Airport Hotel & Convention Center, North Charleston, SC
- Frightreads Book Festival 2026 — October 24–25 | Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, MD
- Villain Invasion Halloween Festival 2026 — October 24–25 | Holiday Inn Corpus Christi Downtown Marina, Corpus Christi, TX
- Monster-Mania Con 2026 — October 30–November 1 | Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
- Spooky Empire – Fall 2026 — October 30–November 1 | Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, FL
November 2026
- IAAPA Expo 2026 — November 16–20 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL
- Days of the Dead Chicago 2026 — November 20–22 | Marriott Chicago O'Hare, Chicago, IL
December 2026
- Cajun Con 2026 — December 5–6 | Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales, LA
Nobody's hitting all of these. That's fine. Pick your battles, book your hotels early (seriously, do it now), and don't be surprised when you run into the same twelve people at six different shows — that's just how this community works... it's one of our favorite things about it. We'll be out there too, doing our best to document everything and embarrass ourselves at least once per convention. Look for our coverage throughout the year.
Full 2027 convention calendar coming as we get closer! We'll have the whole year mapped out for you.
