Image credit: Em Stonham for Kyusai
I’ve been a Pokémon fanatic for roughly 20 years at this point, so getting the opportunity to head to the London Card Show XL was a delight. The event took place at Excel in London from April 17 to April 19, 2026.
With a barrage of vendors and artists exhibiting, there were plenty of excuses for me to buy Pokémon cards and pretend it was for work. Here’s a round-up of the best bits at London Card Show XL 2026, ranging from the panels to the community vibe.
Community-driven cheer
Something that always stands out to me at TCG events is how community-focused they feel, and the London Card Show XL event was no different.
From the first day onwards, I saw excited fans meeting their favorite creators, collectors picking up rare cards, and cosplay artists showcasing their skills. The atmosphere was lively and jubilant, particularly on the weekend, and it felt like a good reminder of why being a TCG nerd can be so rewarding.
Events like the London Card Show largely focus on buying and selling cards, so as you might expect, a large portion of the venue was dedicated to vendor stalls and pop-up shops.
There were all sorts of trading cards and memorabilia on display; while the standard, big-name options like the Pokémon TCG and football cards were up for grabs, there were more niche examples, like wrestling cards, the Chiikawa packs shown above, and even Labubu Topps cards.
While I did end up spending a chunk of change on cards and packs, I spent most of my time at the event checking out the main stage. Throughout the weekend, there were panels and speakers on the main stage, along with live box breaks.
If you’re unfamiliar with the latter, a box break is a live-stream event where viewers purchase a spot in a box of cards – for example, they may purchase the third pull or pack. The host or creator will then open the cards live, presenting the cards to the viewer after the event comes to a close.
Box breaks are common in both the sports card scene and for games like the Pokémon TCG, and they’re quite popular with fans of platforms like the live-streaming service Whatnot.
Perfect for Pokémon fans
The speakers were a real highlight for me at the London Card Show XL. As mentioned, I’m a huge Pokémon geek – I play the TCG, I’m an aspiring VGC competitor, love the anime and retro games, all that good stuff – so getting to see Pokémon voice actors live was fun.
The line-up for the Pokémon anime voice actors panel included Erica Schroeder, Veronica Taylor, and Jason Paige.
Schroeder is best known for the Eeveelution voices in the Pokémon world, while Taylor voices Ash and his mother, Delia. Paige sings the iconic Pokémon theme song, which he performed live after the panel.
The trio has performed in a myriad of other roles and has put together a number of songs beyond the ones listed above, so hearing them talk about their experiences getting into acting and music was inspiring. They also regularly broke into character voices and songs; hearing the Eevee voice live was joyful.
Other panels included Q&A sessions with popular footballers, a voice actor panel for the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, and a preview of World Cup 2026 products from Panini.
There was also a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh with iconic actor Jim Cummings, which was a highlight of the weekend for me. Cummings has acted in a behemoth number of roles in his career, with two of the most famous being Winnie and Tigger.
Something else that caught my eye during the event was just how strikingly blue the VIP Lounge was. I wasn’t quite sure where to place this in the article, in all honesty, but it was a strangely hilarious sensory experience.
It was oddly quiet in the inflatable room, despite it being busy most of the weekend, and just incredibly, incredibly blue. There were a few racing sim set-ups to play around with; after seeing pro players in action at DreamHack, I’m always happy to see these set-ups appear at events.
Getting to spend an entire weekend looking at beautiful cards and listening to actors or creators talking about their craft was delightful. If you’re a casual collector, heading to an LCS event for a day is worth your time – and if you’re a hardcore fan or vendor, going for several days might be more your style.
FAQs
The London Card Show XL event ran from April 17 to April 19, 2026.
No, according to the official LCS site, there’ll be another London Card Show at the Excel venue in 2027.
Generally, trading card conventions are largely made up of vendors and TCG stores selling their wares, along with panels and guest speakers.
Yes, if you’re a TCG collector or aspiring vendor, they’re worth attending. TCG conventions can be a great way to pick up rare cards or vintage merchandise, and there are sometimes events like swap nights or trade nights to take part in.
About The Author
