Get ready for FACTS: Your Belgian Comic Con

It seems like only last month that we were able to escape reality for a whole weekend and wander the halls of the Expo in Gent! You know what we’re talking about: FACTS! Your favorite Belgian Comic Con is taking place again this weekend in Flanders Expo Gent. This year, the face of the festival is Céline Verbeeck. For those of you who don’t know her, she is a Belgian actress, most known for her role in the youth series Nachtwacht. She will be the one opening the convention on Saturday, April 2nd. But what does FACTS have in store for visitors? Well, we’re glad you asked. Let us walk through everything this comic convention has to offer!

Meet your favorite actors and artists

Just like they do for every edition, FACTS has invited some world-famous actors and actresses. All of them will be available for autographs, photographs and Q&A panels! This weekend, the following actors are making an appearance in Gent:

• Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead, The Suicide Squad, …)
• Michael Rooker (From Dusk Till Dawn, Sons of Anarchy, Bad-Ass, …)
• Natalia Tena (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, …)
• Rick Hoffman (Suits, Postal, Billions, Hostel, The Condemned, …)
• Jacob Bertrand (Cobra Kai, Kirby Buckets, The Swap, …)
• Peyton List (Cobra Kai, Jessie, …)
• Richard Rankin (Outlander, The Syndicate, The Crimson Field, From Darkness, The Replacement, The Last Kingdom, …)

Besides actors, many artists are flying out to Belgium to attend FACTS. This is your chance to have a chat with your favorite writer, graphic artist, or designer! These artists will attend FACTS this weekend:

• Nils Hamm (Magic the Gathering)
• Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn, DC, Marvel)
• Alessandro Micelli (Panda Mony, CNR, Valiant)
• Álvaro Martínez Bueno (The Nice House on the Lake, DC, Marvel)
• Raúl Allén (DC, Marvel, Valiant)
• Miguel Mendonça (DC, Justice League, Wonder Woman)
• Patricia Martín (Secret Weapons, Wonder Woman)
• Lee Townsend (Judge Dredd, Spider-Man, Avengers)
• Sabine Rich (Marvel, DC)
• Marco Failla (Marvel, DC, Hasbro, Disney)
• Roberto Viacava (Oracle, Millennium, DC)
• Massimo Rotundo (Prédiction, Sera Torbara, China Girl)
• Mathieu Reynès (Harmony, Alter Ego, Marsupilami)
• Steve Van Bael (Nachtwacht, De Kiekeboes)
• Peter Van Gucht (Saturday only) (Nachtwacht, Suske & Wiske)
• Marloes Dekkers (Nachtwacht, Suske & Wiske)
• Robin Lobster (street artist)
• Lectrr (cartoonist)
• Art Grafunkel (cartoonist)
• Alain Mauricet (Harley Quinn, Star Wars: Adventures)
• Mario Boon (Sunday only) (Doomsday, Onze Oorlog)
• Romano Molenaar (Birds of Prey, Storm & J.Rom)
• Kenny Rubenis (Dating for Geeks, cartoonist)
• Laurent Libessart (Sunday only) (Moréa, De Jeugd van Alex)

FACTS is also welcoming some cosplay guests: Ainlina Cosplay, Ayuru Cosplay and Gehe!

Geeky activities

Besides meeting famous people, you can, of course, do a lot more at FACTS. First up is the Gaming Hall where you can play all kinds of games! From retrogames to brand new, unreleased demos, you’ll find something that fits you for sure! There are also VR possibilities, and old-school souls can play arcade halls and pinball machines.

In the Fan Village, you can meet experts, fellow fans and props. It’s the perfect place to let go of your daily worries and emerge yourself in the wonderful world of fantasy. The Star Wars Zone offers you pictures with nostalgic decors, props and cosplayers! In the Board Game Zone, you can sit down and play a game with friends or against total strangers. A great way to make new friends! There are also Harry Potter and Jurassic Park decors for photo opportunities and if you want to go completely wild you can always go throw some Viking axes. But there is more in the Fan Village! The Fan Gatherings is where the fanclubs take you on a fandom journey in various activities. The Belgian Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock Championship. The fun fandom quizzes. The D&D Live Deathmatches. The epic Heroes vs. Villains Cosplay shoot. It’s all here!

Want to follow a workshop or hear about interesting works? The workshop is the place to be! Check out all workshops and panels on the FACTS website.

Last but not least there are the FACTS Speeddates! Are you still looking for your Player 2? Why not try Dates and Geeks’ speed dating corner? Sit down with people, talk for a few minutes, write down the number and name of the person, and move on to the next one. Afterward, matches will be revealed!

Shop ’till you drop

Get ready to spend some money. If there is one thing you can be sure of when visiting FACTS, it’s that you’re not going home empty-handed. I know I never have and I’ve been to a few editions. If you’re not familiar with FACTS already, let me indulge you. The convention is filled with exhibitors selling all kinds of amazing geeky stuff. A few of the retailers that you’ll find in the Geek Market are 4 Geeks, Akiba, Cardgameshop, Rotterdam-Comics, Technopolis and more!

Don’t worry if you get hungry either. There is plenty of food available at FACTS. From pasta and pizza to Onigiri, they got you covered!

Practical info

FACTS takes place this weekend (April 2nd and April 3th) at Flanders Expo Gent (Maaltekouter 1, 9051 Gent). The convention opens at 10 am (9am if you have VIP tickets) and closes at 7 pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.

Ticket prices
Note: These are the current ticket prices. These prices will go up on Saturday

• Standard: € 20,5
• Cosplay: € 16,5
• Priority: € 30,5
• VIP: € 99,5
• VIP Weekend: € 170
• Parking: € 10

You can buy tickets on the FACTS website.