ComplexCon 2026 takes place October 3 and 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, split across the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, marking the festival’s 10-year anniversary. Playboi Carti closes the weekend as Sunday headliner and serves as artistic director alongside Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara of Fragment Design, with Ken Carson headlining Saturday. Organizers have billed the edition as an 00pium takeover of the city.
Key facts
- What: ComplexCon 2026, the festival’s 10-year anniversary edition
- When: Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Where: Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
- Headliners: Ken Carson (Saturday), Playboi Carti (Sunday)
- Artistic directors: Playboi Carti and Hiroshi Fujiwara (Fragment Design)
- Tickets: on sale via ComplexCon.com
When and where is ComplexCon 2026?
ComplexCon 2026 runs Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Los Angeles. The festival splits across two venues: the trade-show floor, brand activations and panel programming sit inside the Los Angeles Convention Center, while the main music stage moves next door to Crypto.com Arena.
The move returns the event to Southern California after two consecutive editions in Las Vegas. ComplexCon 2025 drew a record 70,000 attendees to the Las Vegas Convention Center on October 25 and 26, 2025, the largest turnout in the festival’s history.
Who is performing at ComplexCon 2026?
Ken Carson anchors Saturday, October 3, with additional sets from ApolloRed1 and HXG. Playboi Carti closes the festival on Sunday, October 4, joined by producer F1lthy and Destroy Lonely. Every announced headline slot so far comes from the 00pium orbit, the defining feature of this year’s music programming.
| Day | Date | Headliner | Also performing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | October 3, 2026 | Ken Carson | ApolloRed1, HXG |
| Sunday | October 4, 2026 | Playboi Carti | F1lthy, Destroy Lonely |
Organizers have said further programming, brand activations and panel announcements will follow in the weeks before the event, so the bill above is not final. Ken Carson arrives off xperiment, his fifth studio album, released July 3, 2026 through Opium and Interscope with features from Carti, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Destroy Lonely and 2hollis.
Why Playboi Carti’s artistic director role matters
Announced June 15, 2026, the artistic director appointment gives Carti and Fujiwara control over the festival’s visual identity, on-site installations, exclusive merchandise and general layout. It is a design job, not a booking one, and it sits above the music lineup in influence over what the weekend actually looks like.
Fujiwara is the founder of Fragment Design and one of the architects of modern streetwear, with a collaboration history stretching from Nike to Louis Vuitton. Pairing him with Carti places a rap artist whose aesthetic drives rage music next to the designer most responsible for the collaborative product model ComplexCon is built on.
ComplexCon artistic directors, 2016 to 2026
The artistic director post is the festival’s signature credit, and the list of holders doubles as a map of the last decade in street culture.
| Year | Artistic director | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | Takashi Murakami | Defined the first two Long Beach editions; Pharrell Williams served as cultural director |
| 2021 | J Balvin and Kristen Noel Crawley | Hosts in place of an artistic director after the 2020 virtual edition |
| 2022 | Verdy | Japanese graphic artist |
| 2024 | Travis Scott (Cactus Jack) | Edition nicknamed “CactusCon” |
| 2025 | Daniel Arsham | Global artistic director; Las Vegas Sphere takeover |
| 2026 | Playboi Carti and Hiroshi Fujiwara | 10-year anniversary, Los Angeles |
What actually happens at ComplexCon?
ComplexCon is a convention first and a music festival second. Each edition gathers more than 300 brands across streetwear, fashion and design, alongside curated food vendors, artist activations and limited product drops sold only on the floor. The concert programming runs as a separate ticketed component.
The talk programming runs under the ComplexCon(versations) banner, a live panel series featuring musicians, designers, athletes and executives. The 2025 edition also relaunched Verzuz with a Cash Money Records versus No Limit Records battle, an example of the one-off moments the event builds each year.
How ComplexCon got here: 2016 to 2026
ComplexCon launched in 2016 as a partnership between Complex Networks and ReedPOP, the producer behind New York Comic Con and the Agenda trade show. The first edition, held in Long Beach, California, drew more than 35,000 attendees, 200 exhibitors, 34 performances and 75 speakers. Travis Scott headlined that first year and returned as artistic director in 2024.
| Edition | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 (inaugural) | Long Beach, California | 35,000+ |
| 2019 | Chicago, Illinois | — |
| 2024 | Las Vegas, Nevada (Nov. 16–17) | 60,000+ |
| 2025 | Las Vegas, Nevada (Oct. 25–26) | 70,000 (record) |
| 2026 (Hong Kong) | AsiaWorld-Expo (March 21–22) | 36,000+ |
| 2026 (Los Angeles) | LA Convention Center + Crypto.com Arena (Oct. 3–4) | — |
ComplexCon Hong Kong 2026 and the international question
ComplexCon Hong Kong 2026 ran March 21 and 22 at AsiaWorld-Expo and set a record for the Asian edition with more than 36,000 attendees, including a single-day peak above 21,000 on the Sunday. Organizers reported that close to half of attendees travelled internationally, from mainland China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Southeast Asia.
JENNIE and Yeat headlined the Complex Live! stage, with Jay Park, SKAI ISYOURGOD and LNGSHOT also performing. For European readers the gap is the obvious one: ten years in, ComplexCon has never staged a European edition, and Hong Kong remains the only international outpost. UK and European artists reach the festival through the lineup rather than the map, as Central Cee did in Las Vegas in 2025.
How to get ComplexCon 2026 tickets
Tickets for ComplexCon 2026 are on sale through the official site at ComplexCon.com, which lists pass tiers and the current lineup. Concert access and floor access are handled as separate components, so check which tier covers the Crypto.com Arena performances before buying.
More on the artists involved: our Travis Scott artist hub covers the 2024 CactusCon edition, and full 2026 live listings are collected under Tours. Chart and industry context for the announced performers is tracked at Billboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is ComplexCon 2026?
ComplexCon 2026 takes place on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Los Angeles. It is the festival’s 10-year anniversary edition and is staged across the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena.
Who is headlining ComplexCon 2026?
Ken Carson headlines Saturday, October 3, with sets from ApolloRed1 and HXG. Playboi Carti closes the festival on Sunday, October 4, performing alongside F1lthy and Destroy Lonely. Organizers say more programming will be announced before the event.
Who is the ComplexCon 2026 artistic director?
Playboi Carti and Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara of Fragment Design share the artistic director role for ComplexCon 2026. The appointment was announced on June 15, 2026, and covers the festival’s layout, installations, programming and exclusive merchandise.
Where can I buy ComplexCon 2026 tickets?
Tickets are sold through the official ComplexCon website at complexcon.com. Floor access and concert access are separate components, so check which pass tier includes the performances at Crypto.com Arena.
Has ComplexCon ever been held in Europe?
No. Since launching in Long Beach, California in 2016, ComplexCon has been held in Long Beach, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the only international edition, and no European date has been announced.
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