Friday, November 13, 2026
Elmont Comic Con, also known as El-Con, returns for a second year on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY.
This year, the event featured a larger vintage car show, retro gaming, Dance Dance Revolution, Pac-Man, LEGO displays and competitions, crafts, cosplay, character photo opportunities, and an outdoor inflatable arcade. The event also included a film discussion and a concert by Sawanika Central High School featuring music from movies, games, and pop culture.
Elcon is a free, one-day community event celebrating fandoms, pop culture, and library resources. The event aims to bring the Elmont community together and help residents discover what the library offers.
“It really was inspired by trying to drive the community together or bring the community together. We have the opportunity and the benefit, as the library, to showcase what's really special about Elmont and our community,” Adam Bowman, head of social media, said. “And when we do something like El-con, it really brings everyone together in one central space in Elmont. I feel like Long Island doesn't have many events like that. Elmont specifically is lacking that kind of feature.”
Bowman told the Herald that through this annual event, they’re trying to expand the El-Con brand and hope to make it a recurring event people look forward to every year.
Jean Simpson, director of Elmont Memorial Library, said the event’s highlights include retro gaming and a DDR machine, along with face painting, a classic car show, the fire department’s smokehouse, and 3D printing.
This year, MC Peace served as a cosplay host at the EL-CON 2026 pop-culture convention. Peace has worked at several conventions in New York and New Jersey and will work at Mount Vernon in a few weeks.
“…It's not just one particular thing, but it's a very beautiful concept because it basically gives more life to the library and makes it more known to everyone,” Peace said. “Like, they think it's boring because of books, but you know, seeing this is just a portal to anything with pop culture.”
The National Art Honor Society at Elmont High School was invited to draw with patrons; the group participated for the second year. The group includes art students who enjoy anime, manga, and pop culture.
Camila Santander of the National Art Honor Society at Elmont High School said her favorite part of the event was seeing attendees cosplaying.
This year, the event attracted around 400 people including adults and children, many attendees from the surrounding areas.
Jay Tang of New Hyde Park heard about the event by word of mouth and attended for the first time. The children’s area stood out to him, with its photo opportunities, giveaways, crafts, and activities. He hoped the event would encourage visitors to come to the library and read its books.
“If they're able to do this every year, or, you know, twice a year… It would be amazing. They've got the old school gaming systems. They're doing the Pokémon here,” Tang said. “People are excited to come to the library, and hopefully they'll come, and they'll read the different books that are available too.”
Eric Surendranath of Oceanside also heard about the event by word of mouth and attended for the first time.
Monique Reid of Floral Park came with her daughter after learning about the event through school and library advertisements. It was their first time attending.
Now in its second year, the event is planned to be held annually if all goes well. For more information, visit https://elmontlibrary.org/
