Before summer ends, the public is welcome to experience the 2026 Fort Bend Fandom, a free Fort Bend County Libraries celebration of gaming and comics.

Fort Bend Fandom connects animé superfans, spirited cosplayers, and comic-book enthusiasts with activities and programs that acknowledge, encourage, and highlight their chosen fandoms.

This year’s Fort Bend Fandom will take place on Saturday, Aug. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Memorial Library, 1001 Golfview Drive in Richmond.

With activities, refreshments, and prizes sponsored by the Friends of the George Memorial Library, the fandom will feature a range of experiences, from busting moves at the K-Pop Random Dance to showing off skills at the Superhero Academy.

The day will offer a schedule of events as well as ongoing activities such as board games, tabletop RPG, trading-card games and video games in the Meeting Room; vendors, raffle and a Manga Reading Café in the Adult Services Department; children’s crafts in the Youth Services Department; karaoke in Room 2C; movies in the Computer Lab; and teen and adult crafts in the Café and Study Rooms area.

§ 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Comic Book Creations Drawing Class in the Training. Step into the world of panels, speech bubbles, and larger-than-life characters. In this hands-on drawing workshop, ARTreach teaching artist Geoff Murphy will guide participants through the fundamentals of comic book style illustration —from creating expressive faces and dynamic figures to crafting action-packed poses straight out of the pages of your favorite comics. Whether your passion is superheroes, manga, graphic novels, or your own original universe, this workshop will give you the tools and techniques to bring your characters to life on the page. All skill levels welcome. Lab. Registration is required. The class repeats 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

§ 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Inside Look at Voice Acting. Are you looking for your big break or to get a foothold in the voice acting world? All ages are welcome to listen to this panel of voice actors — Nickolette Kong, Cyrus Rodas, Alex Bui, and Natalie Rial — who will discuss their careers, how they got into voice acting, and answer questions from the crowd.

§ 10:30-11 a.m.: Interactive Children's Story Time in the Children’s Corner. Repeats 11:30 -12 p.m. Children in grades 1–4 can attend an interactive story time with books and laughter.

§ 11 a.m.–12 p.m.: Superhero Academy in middle grades. Children in grades elementary to middle school can create their own superhero and earn a Superhero Certificate.

§ 11-11:45 a.m.: K-Pop Random Dance Play. Repeats 12 –12:45 p.m. CKMD Dance Studio will host two K-Pop Random Dance sessions in the Bohachevsky Gallery, playing popular songs and choruses. If you know the choreography, jump right in; otherwise, the hosts will be happy to teach you the steps. Or, you can just jam to the music if you prefer.

§ 1-2 p.m.: Slime Factory in middle grades. Children in grades 4-8 can learn to make their ultimate slime masterpiece — starting from scratch. Participants in this program will measure, mix, and

experiment with various materials and add-ins to create their very own take-home slime. Unfortunately, this program cannot accommodate daycares and school groups.

§ 1:30–4 p.m.: Scarlet and Violet Video-Game Tournament. Registration is required. Bring on the gamers. Fort Bend Fandom is hosting a Scarlet and Violet Pokémon Video Game Tournament for ages 10 - 13.  Contestants must register and bring their own Switch 1 or Switch 2 and their own Scarlet or Violet game.  All contestants will be set at level 50 for the competition.

§ 2-4 p.m.: Cosplay Contest. Put your craftsmanship and creativity to the test and transform into your favorite character for a chance to win prizes.

During Fort Bend Fandom, the library will be partially closed; only check-out services will be available. For more information, visit www.fortbendlibraries.gov.