Front Row Card Show – Las Vegas

Front Row Card Show in Las Vegas is a two-day trading card and collectibles show at the Rio Hotel & Casino, with 600 tables of cards, comics and other collectibles. It runs on a Saturday and Sunday in the Rio Convention Center, adds a Saturday evening Trade Night, and is built for collectors who want a large floor, on-site grading and authentication, and a family-friendly setup.

What you'll find on the floor

The vendor mix covers sports cards (baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, racing, boxing, UFC), Pokémon, Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, Disney Lorcana, comic books from Marvel, DC Comics and indie publishers, Star Wars, original artwork, action figures, Funko Pops, toys, video games, sports memorabilia and autographs. Artists have their own dedicated area for original work, including comic book art, sports art and anime.

Grading and authentication happen at the show. CGC, JSA and Beckett accept submissions for cards, autographs and more, and JSA authenticates autographs on-site, so bring autographed items early to leave time for the work. Paradise Breaks takes PSA grading submissions.

Attendees can bring their own cards to buy, sell or trade, since many vendors deal in all three. Free hobby workshops run on Saturday, with prizes for the first 20 people at each one. Food is available through the venue.

Dates and format

The show runs Saturday and Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM, with VIP ticket holders entering at 10 AM. Trade Night follows on Saturday from 5 PM to 9 PM.

Trade Night is free for all attendees and vendors and takes place outside the vendor hall: collectors show off their cards, make deals with one another and enter for prizes.

Tickets and admission

General admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. VIP early entry is $20 for one day or $25 for two days in advance, and $25 or $30 at the door. Kids 10 and under are free with an adult. Online sales close at midnight on the Friday before the show, and a limited number of full-price tickets are sold at the door. Tickets are scanned from a phone or a printout, and VIP ticket holders swap their ticket for a wristband at the VIP line. A wristband lets you leave and come back the same day.

The first 200 ticket holders each day get a free swag bag with a comic book, packs of cards and other products. All attendees can enter prize drawings, and Sunday's drawings include four $250 shopping sprees and a $200 voucher from Captain Ticket. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are the least busy stretches of the weekend.

Vendor tables and rules

Anyone selling cards, comics or collectibles must book a vendor table; artists selling original work have the separate artist area. The show sells out quickly, and sold-out shows keep a waitlist. Tables for the next show in a city open online the Wednesday after the current one ends. Discounted rooms at the Rio are available to vendors.

Only pre-approved vendors can set up inside the hall or directly outside it. Handcarts, wagons, oversized strollers and rolling luggage are not allowed in the vendor hall because they are a trip hazard, and weapons and firearms are prohibited. The event is indoors and smoking and vaping are not allowed.

Family friendly

Kids 10 and under can play the Hobby Hunt, a scavenger hunt through the vendor hall where they collect stickers and trade the completed card for a prize. Prizes vary by location and availability. Pets are not allowed except service animals, and the venue is ADA-compliant, with reserved seating in the lobby.

Getting there

The show is held in the Rio Convention Center at the Rio Hotel & Casino, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Parking at the Rio is free and plentiful.

Who it suits

This show fits collectors who want sports cards, Pokémon, comics and memorabilia under one roof and who value having grading and autograph authentication on the floor. It also suits families with young collectors, evening trading crowds and vendors who want a large, well-attended room, though sold-out tables mean booking early or joining the waitlist.