Hi there!
Last weekend, from October 9 to 11, 2026, I was at POLARIS in Hamburg. Three days filled with gaming, anime, manga, cosplay, stage performances, and so many interesting people.
For me, it was my first time at an event of this scale. I’d been to the Skærbæk Fan Weekend and a few smaller conventions in the past, but POLARIS was in a whole different league.
How was the convention? Is it worth attending even for people outside the traditional anime scene, and what did the whole thing have to do with LEGO or the Brick-Tracker anyway?
Let’s get started!
What exactly is POLARIS?
POLARIS is a major gaming, anime, manga, cosplay, and pop culture convention in Hamburg and has become one of the largest events of its kind in northern Germany.
In 2026, approximately 55,000 visitors came to the Hamburg exhibition halls over the weekend.
The convention itself covers a wide range of topics. Anime and manga take up a large section, and there are also gaming, indie games, tabletop games, pen-and-paper RPGs, TCGs, cosplay, creators, retro gaming, and a large Artist Alley.
And that’s exactly the mix I really liked.
And what does POLARIS have to do with LEGO?
Unfortunately, I can answer that question pretty quickly this year: Not very much.
LEGO itself was not represented as an exhibitor.
At the retro flea market on the upper floor, there were a few sellers selling LEGO sets and other LEGO items, but there wasn’t a dedicated LEGO booth or any major LEGO promotion.
Still, the trade show could turn out to be quite interesting for LEGO fans in the future—but more on that later.
Who is the POLARIS designed for?
One thing actually surprised me a bit: You don’t necessarily have to be a huge anime fan to have fun there.
Over the weekend, I talked to several people who currently watch very little anime—or in some cases, none at all. They still come to POLARIS because they like the atmosphere, want to meet people with similar interests, and simply want to spend a weekend among other nerds. Of course, the convention is perfect if you like anime, manga, gaming, or Japanese pop culture.
But there was also an incredible amount to see outside of that. The cosplayers, for example, represented just about everything: anime, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, *The Lord of the Rings*, video games, and much more.
I’ll also show you some photos of cosplayers here. I actually took a lot more photos, but of course I’m only using the ones where I know I have permission to publish them.
From Nintendo to Artist Alley
The exhibition space itself was truly diverse.
There was a large gaming and indie area featuring many smaller development studios where you could try out the games right there. There were also bigger names and booths, including Nintendo, Shakes & Fidget, and various other gaming companies.
Nintendo, in particular, had a pretty big presence.
There was also a retro corner where old consoles and computers were set up, and visitors could even try out some games on the original hardware.
In addition, companies and brands such as HOLY, ADN, Paulberger, congstar, and NDR were represented at the trade show. Various creators also had their own booths.
There were even areas where, for example, you could take an eye exam or learn about topics such as blood cancer and preventive care.
And, of course, there was plenty of food and lots of vendor booths.
From anime figures to manga and books, all the way to decorations, replica swords, and merchandise, there were plenty of things to spend money on there.
In Artist Alley, meanwhile, smaller artists and creators offered their own products—including artwork, cosplay accessories, and pen-and-paper and tabletop items.
TCG was also well represented. Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic: The Gathering, in particular, were everywhere.
The prices ranged from pretty fair to so high that I found myself wondering how they’d come up with that amount.
The stage show was one of my highlights
What I really liked was the stage show.
Throughout the three days, anime quizzes, talks, and smaller events took place repeatedly on various stages.
The Content Creation Stage featured workshops and discussions on social media, cosplay, pen-and-paper games, TCGs, and, of course, life as a creator.
Things got even bigger on the Main Stage.
Among other things, there were creator appearances, voice actors, raffles, a cosplay contest, the big POLARIS scavenger hunt, and the “Loot for the World” charity auction.
You could basically sit somewhere and watch something all day long.
The QR Code Hunt Through the Entire Trade Show
One thing I hadn’t experienced at a convention before was the big sticker—or rather, QR code—hunt using the POLARIS app.
Throughout the entire trade show, nearly 150 different codes or stickers were distributed.
You could scan these using the app and earn EP in return. Some were worth only a few points, while others were worth significantly more.
As players advanced through the levels, various rewards were subsequently unlocked.
These included, for example, Magic: The Gathering and Lorcana, snacks, small gifts, and other goodies. Overall, there were plenty of different items that players could earn over the weekend. Major raffles were also part of the app promotion.
That was actually fun because it meant you automatically ended up visiting parts of the trade show that you might otherwise have just walked right past.
One minor criticism I had, however, was the availability.
On Sunday in particular, some rewards were already completely gone, or the allotted quotas had been used up.
Still, I thought the idea itself was really cool.
By the way, I’ll show you everything I bought or got for free over the weekend in a separate POLARIS haul.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 – A Very Special Screening
My first major highlight took place on Friday evening. The first episode of *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2*was shown on the Main Stage evenbefore its official release.
To be more precise, it was the first episode of *Die Welt der Primären*, in German with English subtitles. Doors opened at 7:30 p.m., and the screening itself began at 8:15 p.m.
You could get the required wristband through the app rally. Of course, you also had to be of legal age and have an 18+ wristband.
I was lucky enough to be there.
While I was there, I met up with Desukiri (@desukiri), a creator in the anime and manga field. He was also officially listed as a creator at POLARIS.
Of course, I won’t spoil anything about the episode here.
And there were no photos or videos of the actual screening either—understandably, that was strictly prohibited.
Afterward, there was a discussion with those involved about the production and the German dubbing.
It was supposed to be over by around 9:00 p.m., but due to a few minor delays, we ended up staying there until about 9:30 p.m.
It was definitely a really cool experience for me.
DEV to CREATOR – and suddenly the Brick-Tracker was right in the thick of it
Then, on Saturday, I had what was probably one of the most interesting experiences of the entire weekend.
The DEV to CREATOR Meetup took place in the Indie Area in Hall B7 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p. m.
It was a private networking event for developers, publishers, and creators. The area was cordoned off after the trade show closed, and invited or registered guests were able to mingle and exchange ideas over food and drinks.
And sure enough, thanks to my work at Brick-Tracker, I managed to be there.
I was one of the few people there without a traditional creator pass, but that wasn’t a problem at all.
I tried out various indie games and chatted with developers, publishers, creators, and voice actors.
Among other things, I also got to talk with Sven Plate, the German voice of Bugs Bunny.
I also had interesting conversations with various publishers from Germany and abroad about how their games and projects came to be in the first place.
And, of course, at some point the conversation turned to LEGO.
Some were already familiar with it and found our work on Brick-Tracker interesting, while others had hardly any experience with LEGO but still wanted to know exactly what we do.
It’s precisely because of conversations like these that I find events like this incredibly exciting.
Goodie bags and a relaxing evening
The DEV to CREATOR Meetup itself was actually pretty laid-back.
There was no set agenda, no presentation, and no pressure to have any specific conversations. You could just grab something to eat and drink and chat with people.
Participants also received a goodie bag that included, among other things, a notebook, an exclusive event T-shirt, and a few other small items.
To top it off, I also received a larger goodie box filled with various snacks and products, which I’d estimate to be worth somewhere between 30 and 40 euros.
I’ll show you that in more detail later in the haul, too.
I really hope that, as Brick-Trackers, we’ll have more opportunities in the future to attend these kinds of creator and networking events.
Not just because of the freebies—but mainly because you can network there and get a behind-the-scenes look.
Could LEGO make an appearance on POLARIS in the future?
And that brings us back to LEGO once again.
Because even though LEGO was practically absent from the trade show in 2026, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that changes in the coming years.
POLARIS continues to grow; in 2026, it drew around 55,000 visitors, and the gaming section in particular now takes up quite a bit of space.
Nintendo had a major presence, and at the same time, LEGO itself is increasingly expanding into areas that are a perfect fit for POLARIS. We have LEGO video games, collaborations with Pokémon, and now Dragon Ball and other brands from Japanese pop culture.
For example, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all if the LEGO Batman game had been shown there, or if LEGO had made an appearance together with Nintendo or Pokémon.
So perhaps we’ll see a lot more LEGO at events like these in the coming years.
And that’s exactly why POLARIS could become even more interesting for us here at Brick-Tracker in the future.
How much does the weekend cost?
Of course, the admission fee isn’t entirely unimportant either.
The regular 3-day ticket cost 82 euros. Individual day tickets were 39 euros for Friday, 45 euros for Saturday, and 42 euros for Sunday. The HVV ticket was already included in each price.
I also had a 10-percent creator code, which brought the total cost for the entire weekend to just under 74 euros.
And after these three days, I can say: It was definitely worth it to me.
My Thoughts on POLARIS 2026
For me, POLARIS was truly a complete success.
It was pretty much exactly as I’d imagined it: varied, colorful, sometimes completely crazy, and above all, full of people who are passionate about all kinds of nerdy topics.
I’ve also heard a lot of positive feedback from various creators and visitors I’ve spoken with.
One comment that came up frequently was that, compared to some other large conventions, POLARIS is certainly crowded, but not so extremely packed that you have to push your way through crowds.
I can definitely agree with that, at least for this weekend.
It was already pretty crowded on Saturday.
On the other hand, I found Friday and Sunday to be much more relaxed. So if you just want to try it out for a day, I’d personally recommend one of those two days.
In any case, one thing is certain for me: I want to be there again in 2027.
And with a little luck—and, of course, thanks to your support—we might be able to offer an even deeper look from the creator’s or press’s perspective, so we can show you even more behind the scenes.
A separate haul featuring my purchases and all the goodies will also be coming soon.
More videos from POLARIS will also be posted gradually on Instagram and TikTok. Unfortunately, I came down with a mild case of the flu over the weekend, and my voice isn’t exactly up to an Oscar-worthy narration right now. That’s why some videos will be posted a few days later than originally planned.
Now it’s your turn: Did you attend POLARIS 2026?
Have you been there in previous years, or are you thinking about going in 2027?
And what do you think of these kinds of gaming, anime, and pop culture conventions in general?
Feel free to write anything in the comments!
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Author: Dante