Anime NebrasKon 2026 takes over the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs from Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, 2026, bringing the region's largest anime and fandom convention back to the Omaha metro for a full three-day weekend. While anime is the headline, NebrasKon has become a genuinely worthwhile stop for trading card collectors and players, with a vendor hall and tabletop gaming space that lean heavily into the TCG side of the hobby.
For card people, the draw is twofold. First, the vendor hall: dealers and exhibitors fill the Mid-America Center's exhibition space with Pokemon singles and sealed product, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Lorcana cards, along with Japanese imports and promo cards that rarely surface at standard Nebraska card shows. Anime conventions are consistently one of the best places in the Midwest to find Japanese-exclusive Pokemon product and graded anime-adjacent cards. Second, the gaming hall: NebrasKon runs organized tabletop and TCG play throughout the weekend, so players can jump into casual and structured events between vendor-hall sessions. Beyond cards, expect artist alley, cosplay contests, panels, video gaming, and guest appearances filling out the convention's programming across all three days.
Typical convention hours run Friday afternoon into the evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday until late afternoon, with the vendor hall keeping slightly shorter hours than overall programming. Badge pricing follows the standard convention model — weekend badges offer the best value, with single-day badges available for Saturday-only visitors. Check the official Anime NebrasKon site for current badge prices and hall hours before you go, as final schedules are typically published in the weeks before the show.
The Mid-America Center sits just off Interstate 29 at exit 53 in Council Bluffs, five minutes across the river from downtown Omaha, with a large free parking lot and hotels within walking distance. It is the same venue that hosts the metro's biggest card expos, so veteran show-goers will know the layout well.
Who should attend? TCG players and collectors will get the most card-specific value, especially anyone hunting Japanese product or One Piece and Lorcana inventory that local shops struggle to keep in stock. Families with anime-curious kids will find a full weekend of entertainment beyond the cards, and cosplayers and fandom folks need no convincing. Sports-card-only collectors should probably save their budget for the metro's dedicated card shows.
Tips for the weekend: go Saturday if you only have one day, since the vendor hall is at full strength, but shop Friday evening if you can — first pick of vendor inventory matters just as much here as at a card show. Bring cash for smaller vendors, set a budget before entering the hall, and if you are hunting a specific card or sealed item, walk the entire hall to compare prices before buying, because pricing spread between convention vendors can be significant. Lines for badge pickup peak Saturday morning, so buying a badge online in advance saves real time.
