Hype Con returns to the Santa Clara Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2026 with its Sports and TCG Edition, a full convention-scale weekend that sits comfortably between a traditional card show and a pop-culture con. Hype Con built its reputation on breaker culture, live streaming, and high-energy floor activations, and the Santa Clara editions have become one of the South Bay's signature collecting weekends — big enough to draw national dealers, tight enough that you can still cover the whole floor in a day.
The vendor hall splits its attention between sports and gaming. On the sports side, expect deep MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, boxing, and soccer inventory ranging from 1950s Topps and Bowman vintage through the newest Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Select, Mosaic, Contenders, Topps Chrome, Bowman Draft, and premium National Treasures, Immaculate, and Flawless. San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks, and Oakland Athletics material draws the local crowd. On the gaming side, Pokémon dominates — raw singles across every era, Japanese exclusives, graded illustration rares, and sealed booster boxes and elite trainer boxes — alongside Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon, and Flesh and Blood. Expect live case breaks running throughout both days, on-site grading submission drop-offs, PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC slabs in locked cases, autograph guests, memorabilia, comics, Funko Pops, anime merchandise, and retro video games.
Saturday runs 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific and Sunday runs 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific. Hype Con typically sells both general admission and VIP tickets online in advance, with VIP granting early entry ahead of public hours each day plus a swag pack; day-of tickets are usually available at the door at a higher rate. Children under a stated age generally enter free with a ticketed adult. Buy in advance through the promoter's ticketing page — VIP for the two-day pass tends to sell out first.
The Santa Clara Convention Center is at 5001 Great America Parkway, adjacent to Levi's Stadium and California's Great America, directly off US-101 and Highway 237. On-site paid parking is extensive, and the venue is served by VTA light rail and the Santa Clara Caltrain station with a short connection. The hall is fully climate-controlled, ADA-accessible, and laid out in wide aisles, and there are hotels, restaurants, and coffee within walking distance — a genuine advantage if you are making a full weekend of it.
The crowd spans every collector type: serious buyers working VIP early entry, breakers and content creators streaming from the floor, competitive TCG players hunting deck singles before fall Regionals, families with kids chasing Pokémon, and first-timers who want the full convention experience without flying to a national show.
To get the most from it, buy VIP if you are targeting specific high-end cards, since the first ninety minutes decide who gets the good raw vintage. Bring cash for negotiating plus Venmo and Zelle as backup, a want list organized by sport and set, and sleeves, top loaders, and a carrying case. Walk the entire floor once before buying anything — prices on the same card vary widely table to table. Follow Hype Con's social channels for guest announcements and ticket links.