Armageddon Expo 2026 reveals Supernatural stars and High School Musical reunion
Jared Padalecki heads a major Supernatural gathering, while High School Musical stars Lucas Grabeel and Bart Johnson reunite as Armageddon Expo returns to Auckland this Labour Weekend.
Armageddon Expo is bringing three major fan reunions to Auckland this Labour Weekend, with stars of Supernatural, Aliens and High School Musical joining a blockbuster international guest line-up at Auckland Showgrounds from October 23–26.
Leading the Supernatural contingent is Jared Padalecki, who starred as Sam Winchester throughout all 15 seasons of the hit series. He will be joined by Felicia Day, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Osric Chau, Matt Cohen, Samantha Smith and Alaina Huffman.
For another generation of fans, Lucas Grabeel and Bart Johnson bring High School Musical to Auckland. Grabeel starred as Ryan Evans across the hugely successful Disney franchise, while Johnson played East High basketball coach Jack Bolton.
The Auckland line-up also includes Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian), Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Christopher Lambert (Highlander), Christopher Judge(Stargate SG-1, God of War), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), Charlie Bushnell (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) and New Zealand-born Lord of the Rings actor and stunt performer Sala Baker.
Armageddon Expo founder Bill Geradts says the strength of the guest list makes this Labour Weekend event something special.
“This is a pretty amazing line-up,” Geradts says. “Having Jared here with so many of the Supernatural cast is huge. Those fans are incredibly loyal and they’ve been asking us for something like this for years.
There is another major reunion in store for fans of James Cameron’s Aliens, with Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Cynthia Scott, Daniel Kash, William Hope and Carl Toop appearing together. The group includes the actors behind Colonial Marines Vasquez, Drake, Frost, Dietrich and Spunkmeyer, Lt Gorman and one of the performers inside the Xenomorph suit.
Gaming and voice performance continue to play an increasingly important role at Armageddon, with Auckland featuring its biggest gaming voice line-up to date.
Alongside Christopher Judge are David Bateson (Hitman), Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei), Jason Spisak(Arcane), Andrew Wincott (Baldur’s Gate III), Lucie Pohl and Carolina Ravassa (Overwatch), Kenny James (Mario), Martin Copping (Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege) and Spartacus star Liam McIntyre, who plays Logan in Marvel’s Wolverine, releasing on PlayStation 5 on September 15.
“Gaming has become massive for us,” Geradts says. “It’s not a niche thing anymore. We’ve got parents who started gaming when they were young coming along with their own kids, mums and daughters, and plenty of grandparents as well.
“The characters matter, the stories matter and now the actors behind them are becoming stars themselves. Fans want to meet the stars of these games just as much as they want to meet somebody from a favourite TV show or movie.”
Beyond the guest line-up, the Labour Weekend event will include gaming, cosplay, trading cards, Artist Alley, K-pop, amusement rides and celebrity Dungeons & Dragons. YouTube creator Hilly Hindi from The Hillywood Show and Marvel Zombies artist Arthur Suydam will also appear.
Geradts says meeting the people behind favourite characters remains a big part of Armageddon’s appeal.
“At the end of the day, Armageddon is about being a fan,” Geradts says. “You come along, meet people you never thought you’d get to meet, dress up if you want to, play games, buy stuff and spend a weekend surrounded by thousands of people who are into the same things you are.”
Armageddon Expo Auckland runs over Labour Weekend, Friday 23 to Monday 26 October 2026 at Auckland Showgrounds.
Tickets are on sale now, with further attractions and events to be announced.
No comments:
Post a Comment