Mississippi Comic Con is a 2-day event that takes place in Jackson Mississippi every summer. The family-friendly event is held in the Mississippi Trademart Center and brings together a diverse list of guests and celebrities, vendors, exhibitions, and fandoms from all around.
If you’re thinking of taking a trip down south to Mississippi Comic Con or maybe you’re a resident Mississippian who’s never been before then this is the ultimate guide that shows you how to prepare for the Comic Con event in the Mississippi Trademart Center and also what to expect when you’re there.
Whilst the Mississippian event is not one of the biggest Comic Con events around, especially when you compare it to the one in San Diego, there will still be thousands of people who attend the convention at the Mississippi Trademart Center.
The event seems to be growing in popularity each year, so if you want to guarantee entry then you should try to buy your ticket as far in advance as possible.
You can buy advance tickets normally 6 months before the convention online on the Mississippi Comic Con website.
These advanced tickets are normally at a discounted rate and will be around $30-$40 for the weekend of the event, buying an advanced weekend ticket will provide you with a wristband for the event which will allow you to skip the ticket lines.
However, if you’re still waiting for the schedule for panels and meet and greets to be finalized, then you can buy your tickets closer to the event or even on the day if there are tickets left over.
The day of pricing is normally around $30 for each day, however, if you decide to buy a weekend ticket you’ll get a slight discount and only pay $50.
Kids under 10 years old get a free ticket when entering with a paid adult admission but it is limited to two free kids tickets per paying adult.
The doors open at 10 am on Saturday and 11 am on Sunday, so if you were planning on turning up on the day and buying a ticket we’d recommend you get there early to join the lines as many people will be doing the same thing as you.
If you’re interested in having a vendor space at Mississippi Comic Con, then you will need to apply on the site far in advance to secure a spot. One space is $370 and you’ll receive two vendor badges that you must wear at all times when at your booth.
Each space will also come with a table and two chairs but you’re welcome to bring along your own tables, chairs, backdrops, and grid wall as long as it’s within the boundaries of your allocated space.
What To Bring To Mississippi Comic Con
One thing you should not forget when coming to Mississippi Comic Con is a backpack to keep your possessions in and to store anything you buy in there.
You’ll want your hands to be as free as possible whilst you’re moving around the venue and looking at all the exhibitions and collectibles that vendors have on display.
You should bring along a refillable water bottle with you so you can stay hydrated throughout the busy day and also some snacks or lunch as there are no to limited food vendors on the convention site most of the time.
If you’re a poster collector then you’ll want to bring along your poster tube to put all your purchases in neatly and so they’re kept safe.
Some vendors will have spare art tubes to give you when you make a purchase but bringing you ensures you’re not caught out.
A notebook and pen are recommended if you plan on getting some autographs from guests or you can also choose to bring along your favorite comic or comic art to get signed.
Whilst you may not be able to take many selfies on your phone with guests, you’ll still be able to get some great snaps of the day and even some selfies with other attendees in their costumes.
So make sure to bring along your camera with an SD card or just use your phone and bring along a portable phone charger so don’t run out of juice.
What To Wear To Mississippi Comic Con
Mississippi Comic Con is almost always held in the middle of June and average temperatures are normally around the 90 degrees Fahrenheit mark so you’ll see people who are not in costumes in shorts and t-shirts to stay cool.
However, there is air conditioning inside the convention center so you may want to consider bringing a light sweater just in case it gets too chilly inside.
Ensuring you’ve got comfortable shoes should be at the top of your priority list when attending Mississippi Comic Con.
You’ll be walking around for hours and spending a lot of time waiting in line for panels and to meet the guests, so you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing suitable and comfortable shoes like sneakers or at least some thick-soled sandals.
You’ll find many people will buy or make their costumes for Mississippi Comic Con so feel free to do so as well. You can go as anything from something more common like Superman or opt for your favorite character from a lesser-known TV show.
There is also a costume contest at Mississippi Comic Con so if you’d like to be rewarded for the effort you’ve put into finding or making your costume, then be sure to enter at the Cosplay Central booth up until 2.30 pm on Sunday as the contest will be held later in the afternoon.
There is no entry fee to enter, so if you’ve got no panels or meet and greets with celebrities around that time, then why not enter yourself in for the fun of it or even just swing by the contest to see everyone else’s cool costumes.
Easy Mississippi Comic Con Costumes
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to have a dope costume, you can make one yourself from items from your closet, and just use some cheap face paints from Walmart, and some leftover cardboard to create weapons or armor.
If you’re struggling with some ideas of what you can wear to Mississippi Comic Con, then these easy costume ideas below should inspire you.
Can You Go To Mississippi Comic Con Without A Costume?
Of course, there is no obligation to dress up on either of the 2 days of Mississippi Comic Con, so if it’s not your vibe, then just wear your regular clothing and you’ll find many other attendees do too.
What To Do When Nobody Gets Your Cosplay?
Bask in your superiority. You’ll see many people will wear iconic costumes like Star Wars, DC, Marvel, Game of Thrones costumes at Mississippi Comic Con so if someone doesn’t recognize or understand yours then you know you have a unique taste – so be proud!
Guides To Mississippi Comic Con Lines And Crowds
When you arrive at the convention, you may find lines at the entrance as people will be buying tickets on the door, however, if you already have a weekend wristband you can enter through the re-entry entrance which will save you a load of time, so make sure to ask a member of staff where the entrance you need is.
It’s not a massive event compared to others around the US, but you will have to spend time waiting to get into panels and also for photo-ops and autographs. Just make sure to get in line early.
Getting Your Comics Signed
If you were hoping to get a comic or another collectible signed by a guest at Mississippi Comic Con then you’re in luck, as there’ll be allocated time slots for certain celebs where you can pay to get something signed by them.
For the main guests, autographs will be around $150 for a standard-sized item, however, the larger the item you want to be signed, the more expensive it will be and other merchandise will be priced accordingly by the team at the booth.
Most of the other celebrity guests’ autograph prices will be around $40 per autograph and will sometimes charge an additional fee if you’d also like a quote written with the autograph.
Some guests will also offer a pre-sale option where you can buy your ticket in advance to have something signed by them so you won’t have to wait in line for ages and possibly miss your chance if they don’t have time.
There is also a CBCS autograph witness at the event who is available at the official merch booth.
They’ll be able to witness your comics or other comic art being signed to authorize it, submit them to CBCS, and then have them shipped back to you at home at a later date.
Your item will then have a sticker that classifies it as authentic which will make it more valuable if you ever come to sell it.
How Much Money Do You Need?
Whilst tickets for Mississippi Comic Con are relatively inexpensive you can still manage to spend hundreds if not thousands across the weekend at the vendor booths, on celebrity photo-ops and autographs as well as accommodation and travel.
However, you could easily still have a great time at this event without spending anything more than what you did on your ticket.
For a couple of photo-ops and autographs with guests, you could spend on average $100-$500 depending on who you’re meeting and how many guests you meet.
There will be a variety of vendor booths around the venue where you can buy high-value collectibles or just a cool baseball cap to take home with you.
So if you intend to score some good finds at the booths, make sure to bring along both cash and card with you.
As a minimum, we’d recommend bringing along $100-$200 for each day of Mississippi Comic Con just to accommodate the cost of food, possible photo-ops or autographs, and buying stuff from vendors.
You may even find you finish the weekend with money left to spare, it just depends on what you’re planning to do there.
Don’t Forget To Bargain
Not every price on the price tag is final, so make sure to try your luck with the vendor and see if you can get it for a lower price.
If you’ve seen the same item on Craigslist for half the price then show the vendor and maybe you can agree on a better deal for you.
It’s also beneficial to do your research on things you’d like to buy, so you know what you should be paying for certain things and you don’t end up paying too much just because you’re at the event.
Browse around all the booths first as you may find one vendor is selling the same item for half the price of another vendor.
Other Tips For Mississippi Comic Con-goers
Make sure to plan your schedule ahead of the convention and look up what rules some celebrities will have at their booths.
Some guests will be happy to have a selfie or photo with you free of charge when you’re getting their autograph at their booth, however, others will only be doing photos with attendees at the professional photo op booth which you’ll need to pay extra for.
Be respectful of other attendees and also their costumes. Do not touch someone else’s costume without asking them first as some people will have spent hundreds of dollars buying them or weeks of work trying to make them themselves.
You’ll spend a lot of time just waiting around to meet guests and walking around the convention floor looking at vendors, so make sure you have a filling breakfast and a strong coffee to keep you energized as it can end up being a long day.
If this is your first Comic Con event, then we know you might feel slightly apprehensive, but just try to embrace the atmosphere and soak it up.
Don’t be afraid to speak to other attendees regardless of what fandom they’re from – you never know you may find a friend for life.
You might be an affectionate, touchy-feely person, but the celebrities may not so don’t go straight in for a hug as they may have personal boundaries.
Some guests are more open to certain things like a kiss on the cheek or more personalized photos, so politely ask before just jumping straight into it.
Personal hygiene goes a long way at events like Comic Con so don’t skimp on the deodorant.
Hotels Nearby
If you’re coming to Mississippi Comic Con from out of town, then you’ll need somewhere great to stay to refresh yourself and to re-energize ready for a big weekend.
There are some awesome hotels around Jackson that you can stay at that are within walking distance of the convention center and go for as little as $100 a night.
Below are some of the best hotels to stay at for Mississippi Comic Con and also their distance from the convention center.
Hampton Inn & Suites (0.45 miles)
Guest Unit At Magnolia Manor ( 0.82 miles)
The Westin Jackson (0.85 miles)
OYO Hotel Jackson MS Downtown (1.33 miles)
We recommend booking the room far in advance as hotels will increase their prices closer to the dates of conventions and rooms will fill up pretty quickly.
Car Rental Nearby
If you need a car rental to help you get around Jackson during the weekend of Mississippi Comic Con, then you’ll have a couple to choose from. If you’re flying into Jackson then you can also rent a car at the airport.
The two main car rental companies near the Trademart Center are Hertz and Enterprise.
Parking At The Event
There are 1,500 available parking spaces at the convention center, so if you do intend to drive there then you’ll want to get there early to guarantee yourself a car parking space.
There are also public car parks within walking distance of the center that you can pay to park at for the day. FAC IV Garage will only cost you $7 for 9 hours and is just a 20-minute walk from the Trademart Center.
Public Transport To The Event
You can get a train into Jackson and you’ll arrive at Union Station. It’s only a 30-minute walk from the station to the convention center or a 5-minute car ride.
The Union Station also accommodates Greyhound buses, so you can travel to the convention on one of these from your area.
There are two bus lines that will drop you off near the Mississippi Trademart Center which are line 1 and line 4B, you’ll be able to catch these buses from a handful of locations across the city.
You can get both these bus lines from Union Station (the bus station is also at the train station) and it’ll be a 20-30 minute journey to the center.
Jackson also has Uber and Lyft within the city, so you can order a car right from your phone and they’ll be able to take you where you need.
