‘Evening With the Hobbits,’ ‘Harry Potter’ Q&A’s, Local Sessions Highlight FAN EXPO Portland Panels

FAN EXPO events are all about unique experiences and lasting memories. In that spirit, FAN EXPO Portland has unveiled an array of panel programming sessions ranging from An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years, a once-in-a-quarter-century celebration featuring Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood, to celebrity Q&As, industry, cosplay, gaming, anime and entertaining, informative panels from all areas of pop culture, Friday through Sunday, January 16-18 at the Oregon Convention Center.

From show opening at 3 p.m. on Friday all the way through closing on Sunday at 5 p.m., all day and into the night, more than 125 panels, screenings and meetups make up the exclusive schedule of interactive sessions.

And while the diverse slate promises something for everyone, fans have been buzzing in particular about the ‘Hobbits’ panel on Saturday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. and the live art showdown Comics Xplosion on Saturday, January 17, at 8 p.m. at the Red Carpet on site.

FAN EXPO Portland programming operates multiple rooms throughout all three days during show hours and into the evenings. In addition to sessions with stars like Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³), Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone), the Star Trek trio of Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden and Walter Koenig, the Harry Potter duo of Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright and many others, there are dozens of informative, entertaining panels by superstar creators as well as cosplay, gaming, trivia, film, horror, podcasts, screenings and other pop culture themed sessions, many conducted by Portland-based organizations.

Fans can review the entire event schedule at https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpoportland/our-schedule/ and on the FAN EXPO Portland app. Most panels are free with event admission. Just a few of the highlights include:

Friday:
• 3:30 p.m., TMNT: Heroes in a Half Shell with Ernie Reyes Jr., Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist and Kenn Scott, Main Theater
• 3:45 p.m., Let’s Get Started! Your First Cosplay with cosplayer Faeliae and friends, Room B110
• 4:45 p.m., Exploring The Star Trek Universe: Q&A with Gates McFadden and Walter Koenig, Main Theater
• 5 p.m., The One Piece Is Real! Q&A With Eric Vale, Theater 2
• 6 p.m., Voices of Gaming: The Talent Behind your Favorite Characters with Nick Apostolides, Erika Harlacher, Alejandro Saab/CyYu, Young Maylay, Steven Ogg, Shawn Fonteno and Ned Luke, Main Theater
• 7:15 p.m., Drawing Zombies with Zombie King Arthur Suydam
• 8-10 p.m., Docking Bay 45 & Legion Sabers on Ice After Party (942 Lloyd Center)

Saturday:
• 11 a.m., One Journey, Many Worlds With Elijah Wood, Main Theater
• 12:15 p.m., Lost with Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan and Francois Chau, Main Theater
• 12:30 p.m., God of War with Christopher Judge, Theater 2
• 12:45 p.m., Feeling Super: Representation of Mental Health in Pop Culture, Room B110
• 1:30 p.m., Gen X Movies and Check the Gate Podcast, Room B110
• 1:30 p.m., Heroes & Villains: A Conversation with Stars Manny Jacinto and Mike Colter, Theater 2
• 2:45 p.m. Welcome To Hell: Hazbin Hotel Q&A with Christian Borle, Joel Perez and Krystina Alabado, Main Theater
• 3:30 p.m., Cthulhu, Queerness, and The Outsider in Weird Fiction, Room B110
• 5 p.m., Comics Storytelling with Michael Golden, Theater 3
• 5:45 p.m., How To Produce A Hit Fandom Podcast, Room B110

Sunday:
• 11 a.m., The Princess Bride: As You Wish with Cary Elwes, Main Theater
• 11 a.m., Shire Shenanigans: Behind the Scenes with Billy Boyd, Theater 2
• 12:15 p.m., Science Fiction and Fantasy Comics: A Conversation with Heather Antos and Jim Zub, Theater 3
• 12:30 p.m., Spider-Man Movies Ranked: 24 Years of Cinematic Spidey, Room B110
• 1:30 p.m., Star Trek: Starfleet Legends with Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden and Walter Koenig, Main Theater
• 2:45 p.m., Heaven is a Lie! A Hazbin Hotel Sing Along!, Room B110
• 3 p.m., Magic and Mayhem: An Evening with Lana Parrilla, Theater 2
• 4 p.m., Gryffindor Glory with Bonnie Wright and Matthew Lewis, Main Theater
• 4 p.m., Building Iconic Characters with Josh Holloway, Theater 2
• 5 p.m., Drink & Draw with Matt Horak, Hyatt Regency Portland, 375 NE Holladay St.

Dates, times and content subject to change.

Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now at www.fanexpoportland.com.
Portland is the second event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.

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