Essential info on travel, accommodation and more for MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025 at the NEC (28-30 November 2025)
What, where and when is the MCM Birmingham Comic Con?
• MCM Comic Con at the NEC is the second largest con in the UK, attracting around 35,000 visitors
• It takes place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) to the east of Birmingham. The postcode is B40 1NT
• MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025 takes place on 28-30 November 2025
What’s on at MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025?
Comic Cons are fabulous fan fests, whether you love cosplay, roleplay, gaming, celebs, movies, Lego, TV, superheroes or shopping.
The Cosplay Central stage will feature expert panels as well as the popular Cosplay Masquerade and Casual Cosplay Showcase (both on Saturday & Sunday) for showing off your cosplay creations.
You’ll also find mega stage shows, celebrity ‘panels’, how-tos, about a billion photo opps; you can play Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox til your eyes water, and buy more cool art and artefacts than you have room for.
Meet your friends, make new ones (yes there will be someone there who adores that obscure anime you thought only you watched) and soak up the chilled and friendly vibe.
What time is MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025 open?
FRIDAY
Priority Entry Tickets: 10:00-18:00
General Entry Tickets: 12:00-18:00
SATURDAY
Priority Entry Tickets: 09:00-18:00
General Entry Tickets: 11:00-18:00
SUNDAY
Priority Entry Tickets 10:00-17:00
General Entry Tickets 12:00-17:00
Buying tickets for MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025
Weekend ticket £65
Friday
Priority £25
General £20
Kids (4 & under) free with paying adult
Kids (5-10) £5 with paying adult
Friday Squad Bundle (5x Priority) £100
Saturday
Priority £32
General £26
Kids (4 & under) free with paying adult
Kids (5-10) £5 with paying adult
Sunday
Priority £30
General £25
Kids (4 & under) free with paying adult
Kids (5-10) £5 with paying adult
Sunday Squad Bundle (5x Priority) £120
Book tickets by clicking here. (Tickets will not be available until nearer the show date)
How do I get to MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025?
You can get to the NEC easily by plane, train and automobile. Oh, and bus or coach. There are bus and train stations and an airport on site, and the centre sits next to the M42 motorway, with the M6, M5 and M40 only minutes away.
There’s an online tool to help you plan your NEC road, bus or rail trip here.
Driving to MCM Birmingham Comic Con
Located at the centre of Britain’s motorway network, the NEC is relatively easy to drive to from most places in the country.
Pop the postcode B40 1NT into your sat nav or phone, and on arrival the NEC site you’ll see signs directing you to the correct car park for Comic Con (the NEC is BIG!).
There are numbered North, South, East and West car parks and you can either walk (5-20mins) or take a free bus to the exhibition halls.
Most events charge for parking. Pre-paid and disabled parking cost around £10; parking on the day costs £13.95 (and you may have to queue).
Click here to pay parking in advance.
Electric vehicle charging is available in car parks: North 2, East 1 and South 7. Details of charges are on the link above.
A Type 2 connector is required.
Taking a train to MCM Birmingham Comic Con
Birmingham International Railway Station (at the NEC)
Trains take approximately*…
2hrs from Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds
90 mins from London Euston
1hr 40 mins from Bristol Temple Meads
2hrs 40 mins from Newcastle
4hrs 30 mins from Edinburgh Waverley
4hrs 40 mins from Glasgow Central
*depending on time of day and service
For train prices and bookings, check out thetrainline.com here.
Trains from Birmingham New Street to the NEC take 14 mins and run 192 times a day.
The NEC station is a five-minute, covered walk to the exhibition halls.
Taking a bus or coach to MCM Birmingham Comic Con
National Express coaches runs 120 services a day to the NEC from all over the country.
Local bus routes 75, X1 and X12 run to the NEC.
Taking a taxi to MCM Birmingham Comic Con
The following firms serve Birmingham and the NEC.
Uber
TC taxis
Minicabit
Flying to MCM Birmingham Comic Con
Birmingham Airport
This international airport, next to the NEC, is a hub for 50 airlines flying from all over the world, as well as the UK.
The free Air-Rail Link takes you straight to the NEC halls in 90 seconds, with a shuttle every two minutes.
You’ll find more airport details here
Where to stay: MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025
Hotels on site
Hotels close to the NEC are relatively expensive, these include:
Moxy from £230
Crowne Plaza Call hotel
Genting Hotel from £312
Hilton Metropole from £215
NEC Premier Inn from £56
Hotels close by
Novotel Birmingham Airport from £150
Ibis Birmingham Airport from £173
Ibis Styles Birmingham Airport from £154
The airport hotels generally cost less, but are a 15-20-minute walk away from the halls. Parking at the hotels costs extra (including the Premier Inn), and, if you have to drive from the hotels to the halls, you’ll pay multiple parking fees.
Hotels off site
There are numerous hotels within a few miles of the NEC, that offer cheaper accommodation than those on the NEC site itself.
An online search ‘Hotels close to the NEC’ will reveal dozens, but these ones are a <£20 taxi ride away from the exhibition halls.
Arden Hotel & Leisure Club from £170
Royal Square Hotel from £95
The town of Solihull is a short drive from the NEC.
Travelodge Solihull from £80
Premier Inn Solihull from £70
Ramada by Wyndham Solihull call hotel
NOTE: All hotel prices may vary throughout the year. For MCM’s direct link to hotels click here
Who can go to MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025?
Everyone’s welcome at Comic Con, young or old: families, friends and fiends, plus singles, seniors and superheroes. The NEC has excellent facilities for visitors with mobility issues, too.
MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025: Food & drink
There’s a huge range of food and drinks available at the NEC, including treats from Starbucks, Subway and Wetherspoons, plus the NEC’s own restaurants.
As you’d expect, all charge a premium as they have a captive audience. If funds are tight, take your own food, as there are plenty of places you can sit down to eat in comfort.
MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025: Cosplay weapons/props and confiscation
MCM reserves the right to reject/confiscate any cosplay weapons or props it feels may cause a nuisance or danger at ExCeL. Metal blades (sharp or blunt), working projectile weapons and wooden or metal bats & paddles are all forbidden. Confiscated items that can be legally returned to you, should be collected when you leave the event. For full details, click here.
Fixing your cosplay at MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025
The Cosplay Central area at MCM Comic Cons have Cosplay Repair Stations, manned by a team of volunteers stocked with glue, tape, needles and threads, staples, and all those other crafting essentials. There is also a changing area and washrooms where you can fix your make-up, but there is no longer baggage storage, instead head to the cloakrooms (see below). Occasionally, you’ll see a good Samaritan, like this cosplayer, who’ll help to fix any rogue costumes. (That’s rogue, not Rogue!)
Cloakrooms & loos
There are cloakrooms at the NEC where you can leave coats, bags, and even your Steyr Pflager Katsumata Series-D Blaster! (Blade Runner, obvs!).
Each item left costs £1, but there is no overnight storage. Cloakrooms open 30 minutes before the show.
Lost Property at the NEC
Lost something? Head to the NEC Security Office in either the Piazza or Atrium and they’ll try to help. Alternatively, call the Lost Property Department on 0121 767 3883.
Cashpoints at the NEC
There are cash points (ATMs) all around the venue (though withdrawal fees apply). Free NatWest and HSBC cash machines are located at the railway station.
Smoking at the NEC
Smoking and vaping are not allowed inside the NEC, except for in the designated smoking areas you’ll find outside the Piazza entrance, in the Piazza garden and near the Atrium main entrances.
Praying at the NEC
The NEC has a multi-faith prayer room on the Piazza by Hall 3. There also a men’s Wudu room adjacent to the prayer room and a ladies’ Wudu facility within hall 2 ladies’ public toilets.
The NEC’s chaplain is available on 0121 767 2911.
“Go ahead. Make my day”
At Comic Con, it’s great to compliment cosplayers on their costumes. Go on, just do it… ‘Positivity breeds content’.
Click here for more details on MCM Birmingham Comic Con 2025.
Author:
John Sootheran
John’s a cosplay photographer and videographer who visited his first con in 2017, and has been to numerous London, Birmingham and Manchester events since.
He finds the cosplay vibe addictive and is one of the team to launch worldofcosplay.com
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