Steel City Con returns to the Monroeville Convention Center December 4–6, 2026. Hours are Friday 10 AM to 8 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM, with 3-Day and VIP ticketholders admitted at 9:30 AM daily. It is one of the largest comic cons in the country — more than 100,000 square feet of floor, roughly 750 vendor tables, an artist alley and a long celebrity guest list. Children 10 and under get in free with a paid adult (two children per adult). The discount ticket sale ends November 15. Details and tickets at steelcitycon.com.
It is a double-header weekend. Sunday, December 6 is also Steelers vs. Texans on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium. If you are coming in for the con, the city will be busy on Sunday for reasons that have nothing to do with you — book early, and consider staying Sunday night rather than driving home into game traffic.
Why a home beats a hotel for a three-day con
A con weekend is a long one. You are on your feet from open to close, you come back with boxes and bags you did not leave with, and if you are in costume there is hair, makeup and a garment bag involved. A house gives you a real kitchen for breakfast before the doors open and dinner after they close, a washer for the costume, a table to lay out the haul and sort it, free room for the group instead of two hotel rooms, and parking you are not paying by the night for. If four or five friends are splitting the trip, one home is simpler and cheaper than a block of rooms.
Make a weekend of it
Early December is one of the better times to be in Pittsburgh. The downtown holiday stretch is up — the market, the lights and the rink are all within a few blocks of each other, and the PPG Place rink is a good evening after a day on the convention floor. Our Things to Do in Pittsburgh guide and Pittsburgh food guide have the rest.
Where to stay. Rivers & Steel City Homes offers full homes across the Pittsburgh metropolitan area — parking, a kitchen, and room for everyone who came in. 2,700+ guests since 2018; book direct and save 5–15% over Airbnb and VRBO. Find your dates at riversandsteel.com/search.
More to plan your trip: Things to Do in Pittsburgh · Conventions on the Pittsburgh events calendar. Ready to visit? Find your stay »
