There are plenty of things you expect to find at New York Comic Con.
Panels. Cosplay. Collectibles. Huge announcements.
Getting soaked in Nickelodeon slime?
Okay, maybe we should have expected that one too.
Nickelodeon is heading to New York Comic Con 2026 with something designed specifically to put the fun back into the convention floor, transforming its booth into the “Fun-ergy Factory,” an interactive celebration where kids, families and fans can step directly into some of the network’s biggest worlds.
And naturally, everyone is going to have to work together if they want the slime.
Running throughout all four days of NYCC, October 8-11 at the Javits Center, the Fun-ergy Factory will take over Nickelodeon’s Booth #1523 with interactive challenges, immersive environments and photo opportunities inspired by “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
The idea is wonderfully Nickelodeon: fans will work together to generate enough “fun-ergy” through a series of challenges to power the factory’s biggest payoff—a nearly 20-foot-tall Slime Surge.
Because if you’re going to get slimed at New York Comic Con, you might as well make it enormous.
Families can also “Enter the Splat” with a tactile, fully immersive environment that lets visitors literally step into Nickelodeon’s iconic world while discovering surprise photo and video moments. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, meanwhile, can head underground without actually having to wander through the New York sewer system thanks to a TMNT sewer lair photo opportunity alongside the Turtles.
And because NYCC lands right in the middle of spooky season, Nickelodeon is bringing a little Nicktober fun along too.
Young convention-goers who arrive in costume on Saturday, October 10 or Sunday, October 11 can pick up an exclusive Nicktober Hallo-Scream trick-or-treat bag while supplies last, giving families another reason to break out those costumes a few weeks before Halloween.
But the fun doesn’t stop at the factory.
This year’s convention arrives at a particularly big moment for the “Avatar” universe, as “Avatar: Seven Havens” will make its global Paramount+ debut on Friday, October 9—the very same day as its major NYCC panel.
Original Korra voice actor Janet Varney will moderate the “Avatar: Seven Havens” celebration on the Main Stage from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Executive producers Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Ethan Spaulding will be joined by co-executive producer Sehaj Sethi and cast members Saheli Khan, Aishu Devan and Major Curda for a look behind the making of the new series and what’s coming across the larger “Avatar Legends” universe.
For young benders and their families, there is even more “Avatar” waiting outside the panel room. The Avatar Legends Booth #1723 will offer photo opportunities and swag, while fans of the franchise’s books can attend “Fire, Earth, Water, Air: Continuing the Avatar Legacy” on Thursday, October 8 for a conversation with writers and creators working across “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Legend of Korra.”
Cosplayers aren’t being left out either. The Four Nations Gathering on Friday afternoon welcomes benders, nonbenders and characters from throughout the “Avatar” universe for a giant cosplay meetup filled with costumes, photos and, presumably, enough elemental power to make the Javits Center slightly nervous.
Then on Sunday, things get deliciously nautical.
Award-winning author and recipe developer Jarrett Melendez will host a live “SpongeBob SquarePants” cooking demonstration using a recipe from “The Official SpongeBob SquarePants Cookbook.” Families can watch the recipe come together while learning cooking techniques and hearing how Melendez transforms favorite fandoms into cookbooks.
Taken together, Nickelodeon’s NYCC plans feel less like simply bringing a collection of properties to a convention and more like finding ways for kids and families to actually play inside them.
You can enter the Splat.
Visit the Turtles.
Meet other benders.
Cook with SpongeBob.
And, most importantly, help power an almost 20-foot tower of slime.
New York Comic Con runs October 8-11, 2026 at the Javits Center in New York City.
Just remember: if the kids ask whether they’re actually going to get slimed at Comic Con, you may want to choose your answer carefully.