How to survive Shanghai Comic Con 2016

Last year, the organisers of some of the world’s largest celebrations of geekdom, ReedPOP, brought Comic Con to Mainland China for the first time. Encouraged by that success, the organisers have doubled their Mainland conventions this year. In June, Beijing held its inaugural Comic Con and now the Shanghai Comic Con (SHCC) returns this weekend with promises that it’ll be even bigger and better than last time out.

Some of the big names attending include cosplay celeb Yaya Han, Castle and Firefly star Nathan Fillion, Person of Interest's Amy Acker and comic artists Yishan Li and Billy Tan. It's going to be one of the biggest events of the year - you can get tickets for SHCC by clicking 'read more' at the bottom of this post.

Never attended a con before? Here's Time Out's ultimate convention survival guide.

Stay hydrated. Entertainment conventions are crowded events – last year’s SHCC drew over 14,000 fans. Don’t forget to eat, as well. Portable snacks like crackers and dried fruit will keep your energy up, and you’ll get to avoid the overpriced food.

Travel light. Chances are you’ll be buying things at the con, so make sure you actually have room in your bag. Since you’ll be on your feet for much of the day, a lighter bag is doubly helpful.

Know your priorities. Want to see Nathan Fillion? So does everyone else. Don’t expect to get into a popular event if you show up ten minutes beforehand.

Charge your devices. You’ll be on your phone in line. You’ll be looking up series and artists on your phone. You’ll be finding your friends with your phone. You’ll be taking a lot of pictures with your phone. If you have a portable battery, bring it.

Talk to the artists in Artist Alley. Artists love to answer your questions about their work, and most of them take commissions, so you can walk away with a picture made just for you of whatever you want.

Budget. Some guests charge for autographs, some don’t. Find out if that action figure is an event exclusive, or if you can get it without a markup online. Some vendors only accept cash.

Follow the 5-2-1 rule. At least five hours of sleep, two real meals, and one shower every day of the con. You’ll have more fun, and people will have more fun around you.