Fan Expo Dallas 2026 – It’s A Wrap

My wife Donna and I recently attended Fan Expo Dallas, held at "what's left" of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown. The parking was too far away, the weather was hot, the walk was long, the lines were long, my feet hurt, and my patience was tested. However, as always, we had a great time.

We Had One Major Goal

When I say we, I mean my wife, of course. She has had Mel Gibson on her bucket list for... a while. Who ever dreamed he would come to a Fan Expo convention in Dallas, Texas, much less one so close to us.

The goal was to meet, get an autograph, and take a photo with Mel; goal achieved.

"What's Left" Of The KBH Convention Center?

Honestly, I think about half of it is gone. From what I gathered, this demolition and construction is to make room for new freeway and DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) rails. Since I don't follow everything happening in Big D, I don't know if the convention center downtown will ever be fully or even partially restored, or if it's gone forever. I do know this: they fit around 60,000 sweaty bodies in about half the space. Thank goodness the AC was working... mostly.

Remember when the Omni Hotel had a sky bridge over to the convention center? That part of the KBH no longer exists.

READ MORE: Check Out The Fandoms At Fan Expo Dallas 2026

Meeting Mel Gibson

Getting the chance to meet people you have admired for so many years can be disappointing at times. Catch a movie star on a bad day, and your image of them could be shattered. Luckily, that didn't happen for Mr. Mel Gibson. He was rushed, to be sure, due to so many different events in one day. Fan photos, an autograph session in the booth, an interview panel, more photos, and more autographs. It's a lot for one day. But he was very nice and as accommodating as his handlers and time would allow.

Fan Expo Dallas 2026

Overall, I really don't have much to complain about; we had a great time as always, my wife checked off another item on her bucket list, the fandom photo ops were amazing, and we're planning on going back next year.

Oh, one more thing: according to the wife, Harrison Ford, you're next on "the list".

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Enough With The Stories, On To The Pics: