The first PopCon Middle East will take place from November 10 to 13, and Thor himself will be in attendance, it has been announced.
Chris Hemsworth, who plays the hammer-wielding Marvel superhero, has joined PopCon’s line-up of stars, and fans will have the chance to meet him during the four-day event.
VVIP ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet Hemsworth for a photo and autograph opportunity, included with their pass, while VIP and standard ticket holders will be able to buy tickets to meet him separately.
Day tickets cost Dh139 or Dh249 for the full four days, while VIP packages cost Dh500 and this includes a four-day pass, fast track to meet heroes, one photograph or autograph voucher, and silver circle access to the main stage.
VVIP packages cost Dh3,500 and includes fast track to meeting heroes, seven autograph or photograph opportunities and five private meet-and-greet sessions with celebrities, as well as golden circle access to the main stage.
Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will also be making an appearance at PopConME, and fans will have the chance to meet and take photographs with him in the same format as Hemsworth.
It has not been confirmed whether either of the stars will take part in any of the main stage panel discussions.
Also making an appearance at PopConME will be another Westeros character, Milly Alcock, who recently starred as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first season of House of the Dragon.
Other stars attending include Canadian actor Stephen Amell, known for his role as Oliver Queen in the series Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl; Ross Marquand from The Walking Dead; Bernard Hill who plays King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings films; and Giancarlo Esposito who played Gus Fring in Breaking Bad.
Here's everything you need to know about PopConME.
When will it be held?
PopCon will be running as part of Dubai Esports Festival, the latter running from November 9 to 29. It will span one weekend, from November 10 to 13.
Where will it take place?
The event will take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai, in partnership with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, Speedy Comics and Alanza Trading.
What will happen?
As part of the event, there will be exclusive workshops, movie screenings and cosplay competitions, to name a few. Limited-edition merchandise will also be on sale in a section called Artist Alley.
Fans will come face to face with some of their favourite celebrities and get the opportunity to meet like-minded pop culture fans.
Competitions will include People's Choice Cosplay, a Dungeons & Dragons game and Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh! Card tournament.
What are the different zones?
There will be the Playground, a gaming area designed for people to play their favourite consoles, PC games and more. Group challenges will also take place here.
Parents can leave their little ones at the Children's Island, where there's a play area and activities.
The Dojo is where workshops focusing on film production, voice and theatre acting will take place.
There will also be a cinema, gallery area and marketplace.
The Tavern is the place to grab a bite to eat or drink.
More information and tickets are available at www.popconme.com
Scroll through the gallery below to see images from this year's Middle East Film and Comic Con
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Company%20Profile
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Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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SPEC%20SHEET
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
The%20specs
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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