Kaboom returns to the Pan Asian Center in Maplewood for its October weekend, Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2026. Falling on the last full weekend before Halloween, this date tends to draw a slightly different crowd than the September edition, with pop culture and non-sport collectors turning out alongside the regular card buyers and the vendor mix leaning a little harder into comics, figures and horror-adjacent collectibles.
The floor remains a broad collectibles show rather than a card-only event. Sports dealers bring baseball, basketball, football and hockey in raw, graded and sealed form, spanning vintage through ultra-modern with the Minnesota regional depth you expect from a Twin Cities show. Trading card game vendors cover Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Disney Lorcana. Around them you will find comics from golden age through modern, action figures, Funko Pops, video games and consoles, vinyl records, anime merchandise, sports memorabilia, autographed items and assorted pop culture pieces. That range is deliberate, and it makes Kaboom one of the better shows to attend with a group whose interests do not all overlap.
Saturday hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday runs 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free both days with no ticket required, parking is free in the venue lot, and free raffles run throughout the weekend with prizes typically announced on the show calendar beforehand.
The Pan Asian Center is at 3001 White Bear Avenue in Maplewood, part of the Maplewood Mall complex just off Interstate 694 on the northeast side of Saint Paul. It is a straightforward drive from Saint Paul, White Bear Lake, Roseville, Oakdale, Woodbury and the north metro, and about twenty-five minutes from downtown Minneapolis. The space is indoors, level and easy to move through, restrooms are on site, and the surrounding area has an unusually good concentration of restaurants if you want to make an afternoon of it.
Kaboom suits collectors who value variety and a manageable crowd. The table count is modest compared to the big convention shows, which means you can actually talk to dealers, examine cards without a queue behind you and negotiate at your own pace. Families do well here given free admission, free parking and the raffles, and the mix of comics, figures and games gives kids more to engage with than a card-only room. Serious collectors should not dismiss it, since smaller shows are frequently where undervalued vintage surfaces simply because fewer people have looked.
Timing matters at a two-day show. Saturday morning gives you the widest selection. Sunday afternoon gives you the most negotiating room, because dealers would rather sell than repack. Bring cash, a want list, and sleeves and top loaders for raw purchases. Ask each dealer whether they have anything in your area that is not out on the table, since display space is limited and a lot of the better material stays in boxes underneath.
Kaboom continues at this venue with additional dates in November and December. Check cardsota.com for confirmed dates, vendor announcements and raffle details.
