The excitement and cosplay fun of San Diego Comic-Con is coming to Europe. Under an agreement managed by IMG Licensing, “SDCC is setting roots outside the United States for the first time in its history, making its European debut in Málaga,” the Andalucía region of Spain, this September, organizers said on Monday.
For four days from Sept. 25-28, 2025, the city will host the first official San Diego Comic Convention-licensed event outside the U.S. “This historic milestone would not have been possible without the institutional support of the Junta de Andalucía and the Málaga City Council, who have firmly committed to making Málaga the European capital of popular arts,” SDCC said.
The international expansion was unveiled during an event at the Gran Hotel Miramar in Málaga, hosted by director, and screenwriter Santiago Segura, and including Junta de Andalucía president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, Mayor of Málaga Francisco de la Torre Prados, David Glanzer, chief communications & strategy officer of the organization behind SDCC, and Jaime López-Francos, CEO of Dentsu Spain & Portugal.
The event also brought together “more than 200 exclusive guests from the worlds of film, entertainment, television, comics, and illustration, including Álex de la Iglesia, Carolina Bang, Paco Plaza, Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, Natalia Verbeke, Paloma Bloyd, Eva Ugarte, Tamar Novas, Icíar Bollain, Carlos Areces and Joaquín Mazón,” SDCC said.
“We’re very excited to celebrate comics and the popular arts, and share Comic-Con’s unique spirit, with audiences in Europe,” said Glanzer. “We couldn’t have found a more vibrant, welcoming, and creative city to begin this exciting new chapter for fans and creators.”
Added Bonilla: “For the Andalusian government, supporting this event means solidifying Andalusia as a reference in digital art and pop culture, backed by the most powerful gathering of talent.”
Monday’s launch event included the exhibition of a collectible item, the Infinity Gauntlet, inspired by the iconic artifact of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and designed by Gentle Giant Ltd. The event concluded with a performance by members of the 501st Legion, an international costuming organization dedicated to celebrating Star Wars, who, dressed as Stormtroopers and Darth Vader, guided attendees to the closing cocktails.
“Guests were able to enjoy an exclusive atmosphere with a themed cocktail where they were surprised by a flashmob in which some of the attendees revealed themselves as professional dancers, blending in with the guests to the rhythm of the iconic Mission Impossible soundtrack,” SDCC said. “As a final surprise, the cocktail also featured another guest star: the droid R2D2 who walked among the attendees to greet them.”
