Od September 26 to 28 2025., from Rijeka Exportwood turns into the center of geek culture where it is expected over 5,000 visitors na Rikon, the largest Croatian fantasy convention. In three days, on three stages, the organizers from the 3rd Dragon Association prepared for the visitors more than 80 program points: Cosplay competition and K-pop dance spectacle, gaming tournaments, creative workshops, comics programs, popular science lectures and much more. This year, Rikon brings i record number of stands and exhibitors, over them 60, and Rijeka will host attractive international guests for three days and become an ideal weekend destination for fans of fantasy, science, popular culture, gaming and Asian culture.
This edition of Rikon is really special: Association 3. zmaj is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and the event is taking place 28th time in a row, continuously in Rijeka. Thanks to the long-term commitment of the association and the support of the community, Rikon has grown into cult event and became one of the most important and most visited events on the topic of fantasy, popular culture and science in the region.
A rich program of all topics
The international guest of honor at this year's Rikon is Shauna Harrison, a film makeup legend known for his work on franchises Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel and many cult and horror films including The Fifth Element, Sleepy Hollow, Hellraiser and many others. At Rikon, he will present his work, teach young people how to enter the world of films and demonstrate to the audience an attractive film makeup workshop, which is scheduled for Sunday.
The scientific guest of honor of the program is Ante Radonić, the most famous Croatian popularizer of astronomy, whose rich program popular and scientific topics local scientists also join: Diana Dominis Prester, Rajka Jurdana Šepić, Marina Manganaro, Sarah Czerny te Petar Jelača. The audience can expect interesting topics such as astronomy and astrophysics, mythology, artificial intelligence, magic and science, physics in the myths of the ancient Slavs and much more.
All comic book fans will find their own way at the joint panel Damir Stojnić, Damir Steinfl i Damir Bralic, where comic artists will share experiences and challenges of creating comics in Croatia. In the program, the authors are also guests individually, with presentations of their recent releases.
Movie lovers will be able to watch recent screenings in the cinema room award-winning short films which brings Grossmann Film and Wine Festival from Slovenia. In addition to domestic films, the repertoire also includes titles from various countries around the world, including films from Belgium, France, Taiwan, Spain, the USA, Russia, China, Argentina, and Mexico.
Literary award Artefakt
Traditionally, a literary prize will be awarded at Rikon An artifact for the best literary works from the genres of fantasy, science fiction and horror, which has been awarded since 2010. This year, the following were awarded: Danijel Bogdanović for a short story Shishkanomicon (a fantastic story about meeting the ghost of Davor Šišović at the Pazin cemetery), Tanja Radman za Bonds of fate (a touching fantasy story about fate and prophecies), Dario Šarec for the novel Separation (a dark story about the secrets and personal struggle of the main character) and Morea Banićević for a children's novel The lost Mr. Kovač (fantastic adventure about childhood through generations).
Program on topics of Korean and Japanese popular culture
This year, Rikon is bringing an extremely attractive program dedicated to popular Asian culture, which has become an unavoidable part of the program. In addition to international K-pop Dance Competition, the audience can expect dance points and creative workshops such as making a Korean traditional hat, inspired by the most popular movie on Netflix KPop Demon Hunters. A photo corner with a tiger from the movie is also waiting for all fans on the floor of Exportdrv!
Cosplay - najpopularnija točka programa
Saturday afternoon is reserved for the spectacular Cosplay competition with competitors in Apprentice (beginner) i Master (advanced) category. Every cosplayer on stage has the opportunity to show their performance and costume, while the best ones are decided by an expert jury consisting of three international cosplay artists: Sabak (Austria), Walkiah (Germany) and Obelyn (Croatia). The audience also plays an important role because they choose their favorites by voting.
In addition to the competition itself, there is also a rich program for all those interested cosplay workshop i panel discussion with international guests Sabaku, Walkiah, Ryu-no-artist and Obelyn, which is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about costume making, stage performance and cosplay skills.
Gaming and tournaments: on the board, with cards and on powerful computers and consoles
Throughout the Ricon weekend, visitors will be able to have fun in the Board Game zone with RiRoll association which brings a rich selection of board games for all those who want to try their hand at classic board games. In the TCG zone (trading card games) River City Games organizes tournaments in card games Yu-Gi-Oh i One Piece, while in the gaming zone visitors can play popular titles on computers and consoles or participate in game tournaments League of Legends, Rocket League, Tekken 8 and try out and compete in the premiere FC26!
Discounted tickets and free entry for children up to 12 years old
Tickets for Rikon are available on the website www.RikonRijeka.com or through the system Entrio where exclusive discounts on packages for two, three or more festival tickets are available. Tickets will be available for purchase at the event upon entry.
Rikon is an event for all ages, s free entry for children up to 12 years old, and the kids and parents are waiting for the Kids zone with workshops, gifts and a corner for relaxation.
The entire program of the event is published on the official social networks and website www.RikonRijeka.com. Rikon takes place under the auspices of the City of Rijeka, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.
