[photo credit: Visit Pasadena]
DesignerCon, the art and designer-toy convention founded in Pasadena in 2005, returns to the Pasadena Convention Center on Saturday, June 20, and Sunday, June 21, 2026 — its first show in the city since 2017. Saturday hours run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday hours run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Single-day passes are $20, weekend passes are $35, and children under 12 enter free, according to the event’s website. Organizers describe the Pasadena show as a smaller, more curated companion to the convention’s larger November event in Las Vegas.
The venue is the Pasadena Convention Center at 300 E. Green St.
DesignerCon began in 2005 as the Vinyl Toy Network. It was renamed DesignerCon in 2009, expanded to a two-day annual show in 2013, and left Pasadena after 2017. The show moved to Anaheim in 2018 before settling in Las Vegas, where its flagship event is scheduled for November 13 to 15 at The Expo at World Market Center.
In a March 19, 2026 press release issued through GlobeNewswire, Founder and CEO Ben Goretsky said the return to Pasadena “feels like coming home.”
“This is where our community first came together more than 21 years ago,” Goretsky said in the release. “Bringing the show back in a more intimate format allows us to reconnect with the artists and fans who built this from the beginning, while continuing to grow the brand in new ways.”
According to the event’s website, featured 2026 vendors and artists include Tracy Tubera — who designed this year’s collectible art badges — along with Scott Tolleson, Crisalys, Ron English, Tragic Girls, Jermaine Rogers, Creature Bazaar and Rokimoto. The site also lists Secret Walls as a live-art partner running competitions on the show floor and Palmstreet as a live-streaming partner.
A 600-car subterranean parking garage on the convention center grounds is shared with The Hotel Dena, with more than 2,500 additional spaces within a one-block radius, according to event organizers. Standard parking is listed at $15 per car with no in-and-out access; reserved parking is $25, both subject to change. The convention has arranged room blocks at Hotel Dena and Hyatt Place Pasadena.
As of the official event website at the time of publication, single-day Saturday and Sunday passes are listed as sold out. Weekend passes are sold through dcon.eventround.com.
The show began in a single 1,100-square-foot room inside that same complex. On June 20, it comes back to the building where it started.
DesignerCon Pasadena — Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. DesignerCon returns to Pasadena June 20–21, 2026 | 🔗 https://www.visitpasadena.com/events/designercon-pasadena/ Visit Pasadena
