Pixar animators, a Dh25,000 cosplay prize, and three live orchestras headline SACC 2026 Sharjah. Monsters, Inc. at 25 is part of the lineup. The UAE did not know it needed this event until now.
The UAE is doing a lot this October. Global Village opens next week. Winter City announced its Disney collaboration yesterday. Legoland has been running Halloween trails since the 7th. UNTOLD Dubai moved to March. The entertainment calendar has genuinely not had a quiet moment since September ended.
And yet, Sharjah walked in with the most interesting four days of all of them.
SACC 2026 Sharjah
The Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference, known as SACC, is running from today. It runs from October 22nd through Sunday the 25th at Aljada in Sharjah. This year it brought Pixar animators. A full live orchestra played Attack on Titan. It also featured activities. Moreover, SACC 2026 Sharjah has quietly become a top creative event in the region. It also hosted a Dh25,000 cosplay competition. There was a 25th anniversary screening of Monsters Inc. Additionally, it drew attendees from across the Gulf. Organizers emphasized innovation and collaboration.
Saturday and Sunday passes have already sold out. That detail alone tells you what you need to know about the demand.
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Today is already stacked.
The opening day alone has enough happening that poor planning will genuinely cost you something worth seeing.
The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated feature film, screens at 4pm on the Main Stage. Director Usman Riaz will be present to introduce it. Attendees can meet him after the screening. The session will offer deeper insights into the hand-drawn process.
At 6:30pm, Toy Story follows. It is introduced by Andrew Gordon and Doug Sweetland, two Pixar animators who worked on the film. Earlier in the day, Sweetland appears with Jehan Al Nasser for a session called How Buzz Spoke Arabic. That niche conversation excites animation fans. This event is part of SACC 2026 Sharjah.
The evening closes with An Odyssey Through Iconic Film Scores, a live orchestral concert. The program covers Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter in SACC 2026 Sharjah. It also features Jurassic Park, E.T., Pirates of the Caribbean, Mission: Impossible, The Greatest Showman, and La La Land.
The Weekend Is Even More Intense
Friday brings Disney veteran Robb Pratt teaching traditional 2D animation, special effects artist Theodore Salisbury leading a Making Monsters session and Polygon Pictures CEO Shuzo Shiota reflecting on over 40 years of Japanese animation history. Adventure Time: Side Quests in its Arabic version screens at 2pm. Super Smash Bros Ultimate starts at 3:30pm.
Saturday carries the Dh25,000 cosplay competition. Registration closed but every pass holder can watch, which means the show floor on Saturday afternoon will be worth arriving early for. The prizes include Dh4,500 for the solo winner and Dh6,500 for the winning duo. Stunt performer Lauren Mary Kim and PeiPei Yuan run a lightsaber dueling session that requires no further description to justify attending. The evening concert, Echoes of Fantasy, features a full orchestra performing music from Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Lupin III, Yamato, My Neighbour Totoro and Ponyo.
Sunday brings the MENA premiere of Walking with Animators for SACC 2026 Sharjah, a documentary featuring over 70 animators. Additionally, at 4:30pm, Walking with Animators premieres, with Monsters Inc’s 25th at 6pm introduced by Gordon and Sweetland.
The closing concert, Once Upon a Disney Night, covers Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Mulan, and The Lion King. Additionally, it also features Tangled, Up, Aladdin, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas.
What Else Is There Beyond the Main Stage
SACC 2026 Sharjah highlights include Artist Alley where regional artists sell original work directly. New this year, a Trading Card Game zone features seven vendors. There is also a Dubbing Corner, an Arcade Arena, and board game sessions. Daily activities continue with Just Dance, F1 Time Trial, and Pac-Man challenges. All events run throughout the day with prizes attached.
For anyone who has not secured a pass yet, Thursday and Friday passes remain available. Additionally, Regular Pass is Dh135 covering everything, talks, panels, screenings, concerts, cosplay and the show floor. Student Pass is Dh85 with a valid student ID. Additionally, for SACC 2026 Sharjah, the Business Pass at Dh280 adds networking. Premium at Dh3,000 adds VIP access, three workshop seats and reserved concert spots.
Concert entry is first come, first served. Leaving the hall means you lose your spot. The hall clears between concerts. Bring your QR code and photo ID.
The Bigger Picture
SACC 2026 Sharjah sits within an October in the UAE that has been remarkably full. Moreover, events have been stacking up across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and now Sharjah. This momentum seems less like coincidence and more like a shared understanding that the cooler months wake the region.
What makes SACC 2026 Sharjah interesting is this: it serves a community in animation, comics, gaming, and creative arts. Moreover, Pixar animators introduce films they worked on. Additionally, Japanese studio CEOs reflect on four decades. Furthermore, a Pakistani independent film director screens the country’s first hand-drawn feature. There is a Dh25,000 cosplay prize pool. Indeed, these are not casual offerings.
If you are in Sharjah this weekend and you have not been paying attention, start now. The tickets that are left will not be around for long.
