[PRESS RELEASE] ROSE CITY COMIC CON BRINGS SUPERHEROES, SASQUATCH, CRAFT BEER, AND LIVE TATTOOING UNDER ONE ROOF

ROSE CITY COMIC CON BRINGS

SUPERHEROES, SASQUATCH, CRAFT BEER, AND LIVE TATTOOING UNDER ONE ROOF

Rose City Jr. Returns With Exciting Kids Programming
While New Adult Experience, Dave’s Hideaway,
Makes Its Debut

PORTLAND -- Rose City Comic Con is creating an “everyone wins” experience that is uniquely Portland: an event where kids can design their own Pokémon or meet PBS star Daniel Tiger while a parent slips away for a craft beer and quick tattoo session. Taking place September 11-13, 2026, at the Oregon Convention Center, Rose City Comic Con announces two headlining experiences – the all-new Dave’s Hideaway for the grown-up geek crowd, and a more concentrated Rose City Jr. for families and young fans, ensuring every member of the family has a place to call their own.

“Rose City Comic Con has always been a family event, but this year we’re refining that definition a bit,” commented Lauren Dabb, Event Director of Rose City Comic Con. “Now, whether you’re six years old drawing your first comic book or sixty years old getting your first tattoo, we’ve got a spot with your name on it.”

Dave’s Hideaway: Where Portland Weird Meets Comic Con

Named after Rose City Comic Con’s beloved sasquatch mascot, the all-new Dave’s Hideaway is a (mostly) adult oasis that is equal parts bar, tattoo parlor, performance stage, and wrestling arena. In short, everything you’d expect from a Portland comic convention that refuses to be ordinary.

Within Dave’s Hideaway, the Cryptid Cantina, sponsored by Portland’s own Gigantic Brewing and Portland Cider Co., will offer craft beers, cider, and soft drinks in a relaxed lounge setting. Tattoo Trail will bring together seven tattoo studios – Inkheart Tattoo, Upper Moon Tattoo, Needle & Magpie Tattoo Studio, Medusa Tattoo, Capriotti Creations Tattoo, Beardedmoney, and Anatomy Tattoo – for live tattooing throughout the weekend. Attendees looking for live entertainment can catch standup comedy, lip sync competitions, puppet shows, angsty game shows, and more on the Keep It Weird Stage, with a Sunday takeover by the Portland Weird Festival delivering what we believe will be “the zaniest performances imaginable to the feeble human mind.”

Roundtable Pro Wrestling rounds out the experience with live matches featuring OIWA United States Heavyweight Champion Badd Blood, RPTW World Independent Heavyweight Champion Big Vicious, and the RTPW World Independent Tag Team Champions Christopher Crowley and Darkness, among others. 

Rose City Jr.: The Whole Family Gets to Be a Fan

While the grown-ups are getting inked, Rose City Jr. has the kids covered with a full weekend of interactive programming, creative workshops, and appearances from some of the most beloved names in children’s comics and illustration. 

The Jr. Movement Zone keeps energy high with Lightsaber Training, Story Times, and a Kids Cosplay Parade running both Saturday and Sunday. The Free Play Area invites the youngest attendees to explore an assortment of BRIO trains and toys at their own pace. And the Jr. Workshops area, led by award-winning cartoonists Chris and Mark Mariano of Kids Love Comics, gives aspiring young artists the chance to develop their skills alongside working comic book professionals.  

Rose City Jr. featured guests include Eisner Award-winning author Aron Nels Steinke (Mr. Wolf’s Class), New York Times bestselling author and 14-time Eisner nominee Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026), illustrator Josh Cleland (The Woofmore Series), comics creator Kata Kane (GFFs: Ghost Friends Forever), author-illustrator Mike Lawrence (Star Scouts), Portland-based illustrator Shelly Swann, as well as Brian and Josie Parker of Believe In Wonder, a youth-focused Portland publishing house. 

Featured workshops this year include Super Hero University, a Make Your Own Pokémon Drawing Workshop & Card Swap celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary, a Lego Drawing Workshop & Minifigure Swap Meet, and the Dave the Sasquatch Art Competition, in which the winning young artist’s work will be featured on next year’s official Rose City Comic Con Child badge. 

 
Rose City Comic Con will be held September 11-13, 2026, at the Oregon Convention Center. Attendee badges may be purchased at rosecitycomiccon.com.

About Rose City Comic Con
Rose City Comic Con is Portland's largest and most dynamic pop culture convention, uniting over 60,000 passionate fans for an unforgettable weekend celebrating comics, cosplay, anime, gaming, books, celebrities, and all things geek. With a bold spirit as unique as Portland itself, Rose City Comic Con is proudly weird, wildly creative, and fiercely inclusive. Signature experiences include Rose City Jr. for families, the whimsical Book Fair, cosplay haven Destination Cosplay, anime hotspot Anime Yokocho, and Creator Pro for industry pros and aspiring talent alike. Produced by LeftField Media, Rose City Comic Con is where fandoms thrive, friendships form, and creativity takes center stage.

About LeftField Media
LeftField Media, LLC is an events company focused on developing face-to-face events in a range of communities rooted in contemporary culture and shared passion. LeftField was formed in 2014 by Greg Topalian (President, LeftField Media) and is now owned by Topalian and Clarion Events Ltd. With a keen sense of the evolving needs of businesses and their consumers, as well as new opportunities created by change, LeftField takes a clean slate approach to its work. LeftField’s portfolio includes Awesome Con (awesomecon.com), Washington D.C.’s Comic Con; Rose City Comic Con (rosecitycomiccon.com), in Portland, OR; Anime NYC (animenyc.com), New York City’s Japanese pop culture festival; and Anime Frontier (animefrontier.com) in Dallas-Fort Worth. LeftField Media is headquartered in Shelton, CT (leftfieldmedia.com).