Pokémon Mini Con

Pokémon Mini Con is a one-day Pokémon fan and collector event in Raleigh, built for trainers, collectors, cosplayers and families rather than serious dealers. The first Raleigh edition runs Sunday, November 1, 2026, from 10 AM to 5 PM inside Triangle Town Center. Admission and parking are free. It is run by CCS Raleigh (Charlie's Collectible Show), and it is not an official Pokémon Company event. The first edition lands in the franchise's 30th anniversary year.

What you'll find on the floor

The core of the day is a Pokémon marketplace of booths selling collectibles, artwork and Pokémon goods. Guest vendors at CCS Raleigh's trading card shows bring trading card products only, but the vendor call for this event is open to collectibles, art and Pokémon goods generally, so expect more than cards on the tables.

Around the vendor floor sits a lineup of activities, with a few paid add-ons:

• Learn-to-play session for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, hosted by Unplugged Games, 12 PM to 1 PM, with one participation pack per participant.
• Casual Pokémon TCG tournament, 1 PM to 4 PM, using Swiss rounds and best-of-three matches, with a pack awarded for each win.
• Pokémon IQ Live trivia panel at 12 PM.
• Anime Battles Panel, 1 PM to 2 PM.
• Pokémon Cosplay Showcase, 2 PM to 3 PM. Cosplay is welcome, and safe, non-functional props are fine. Real weapons never are.
• All-day paid crafts: customizing a Pokémon playmat is $30, painting a Pokémon figurine is $10 with paint included, and a PokéPaint kit is $8.
• Face painting, hair braiding and glitter tattoos, with designs running $8 to $10.

The organizer keeps its events kid-friendly and family-oriented. The venue is indoor, climate controlled and handicap accessible, and a concession area sells drinks, candy, snacks and a limited selection of hot food.

Dates and format

A second edition, Raleigh Pokémon Mini Con II, is planned for the weekend of February 27 and 28, 2027.

Attendees can RSVP for free, though no ticket is required. By late October, 109 people had marked themselves as going.

Vendor tables and rules

Guest vendor tables for the November 1 show are $75 each. Table assignments are random, and a specific spot can be reserved for $100 per table per event, subject to availability. For Mini Con II, tables are $150 for the two days. Cancellations 14 or more days before an event get a full refund, and cancellations 8 to 13 days before get 50%. Vendor questions go to [email protected].

CCS Raleigh houses vendors rather than buying items itself, and buying or selling with anyone who is not a CCS vendor is not permitted and results in removal from the venue.

History

Raleigh's edition follows earlier Pokémon Mini Con events in Atlanta, which held the first, and Houston. The Raleigh branch is the second official branch of Charlie's Collectible Show, and it schedules a different themed event each weekend, so this show is one entry in a rotating calendar rather than a standalone event.

Getting there

The event is held at CCS Raleigh at Triangle Town Center, 3801 Sumner Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27616, in the mall's former Macy's space. Parking is free. CCS Raleigh's regular open hours are Friday 3 PM to 10 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM, which is the same window the show uses on its Sunday date.

Several game and comic shops sit close by, including Fight or Flight Comics and Gamefrog, both within about a tenth of a mile, and Ultimate Comics a few blocks further. Raleigh TCG Con, also at Triangle Town Center, follows on November 20.

Who it suits

Pokémon Mini Con fits families, newer players who want a guided intro to the card game, and fans who care as much about cosplay, trivia and crafts as about cards. Vendors with Pokémon goods, art or collectibles get a low-cost table at $75 in a free-entry room, though anyone planning to sell primarily cards should confirm what the guest tables allow before booking.