PokeCon Orange County is a three-day, Pokemon-first convention coming to the Irvine Marriott from Friday, June 5 through Sunday, June 7, 2026. Held just down the 405 from Anaheim, PokeCon is built specifically for Pokemon TCG collectors, players, and content creators, and is a different vibe from a typical sports-card weekend show — think part vendor floor, part fan convention, with creator meetups, community panels, and a lot of trading happening between tables.
The focus, unsurprisingly, is Pokemon. Expect deep tables of modern Scarlet & Violet singles and sealed product, elite trainer boxes, booster boxes and tins, premium collection boxes, Japanese imports and promos, plus vintage Base Set and WOTC-era cards across English and Japanese print runs. Graded PSA, BGS, and CGC slabs sit in locked cases for the serious chase, and lower-priced raw singles fill the binder tables for set builders. Because the OC hobby community cross-collects, you will also see One Piece, Disney Lorcana, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, and Dragon Ball Z at a meaningful number of tables, plus sealed wax, supplies, and the occasional sports table.
This is a three-day event. Friday evening typically opens around 4:00 PM and runs into the night for early-access ticket holders and vendors getting set up, with full vendor floor hours running across Saturday and Sunday. Multi-day passes are the most cost-effective option if you plan to attend more than one day; single-day tickets are usually available too. Confirm the latest schedule and pricing on cardshows.io and the PokeCon organizer page before you go, as exact ticket tiers and any panel programming are posted closer to show week.
The Irvine Marriott at 18000 Von Karman Avenue sits in the heart of the Irvine business district, with hotel parking on site, plenty of nearby restaurants in the Park Place and Diamond Jamboree centers, and quick freeway access from Anaheim via the 5 and 405. A discounted room block is typically offered for out-of-town attendees who want to stay on property, which is a smart move if you are flying in for the weekend.
Who should attend? This show is a near-perfect fit for Pokemon collectors and players of every level, content creators looking to meet their audience and other creators in person, families introducing kids to the TCG, and competitive players who want a relaxed weekend among community before the next major Regional. Cross-TCG collectors will also find plenty to dig through, and the convention format means you can build a real itinerary across panels, meetups, and the vendor floor.
To get the most out of the weekend, build a written want list before you arrive so you can move fast on Friday or Saturday morning when the freshest inventory hits the floor, bring cash for the quickest transactions (Venmo and Zelle as backups), and pack penny sleeves and top loaders for anything you pick up raw. If you are bringing graded slabs to trade or sell, a hard slab case is worth the carry. Follow the organizer's social channels for the final guest list and any exclusive promo cards, and check cardshows.io for the latest schedule.