Anime royalty, wrestling champions, SpongeBob voices, and a certain firebending prince are all heading to Long Island this summer.
The Long Island Tropic Con has continued rolling out guest announcements for its August 15 and 16, 2026 pop culture convention at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge, and the lineup is starting to look like someone mashed Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, WWE, anime fandom, and Comic-Con into one giant crossover episode.
Among the biggest names announced so far is voice actor Roger Bumpass, who has spent more than 25 years voicing Squidward Tentacles on SpongeBob SquarePants. For generations of fans, Squidward’s sarcastic complaints and clarinet meltdowns have become part of pop culture history. Beyond SpongeBob, Bumpass is also known to animation fans as Professor Membrane from Invader Zim and for appearances across animated franchises including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Meanwhile, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender are getting a major reunion vibe with Dante Basco and Josh Keaton both appearing at the event.
Basco remains beloved for voicing Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender, whose redemption arc helped make him one of animation’s most memorable characters of the 2000s. He is also known for American Dragon: Jake Long and for playing Rufio in Steven Spielberg’s Hook.
Keaton, another major voice acting favorite, is best known as Peter Parker in The Spectacular Spider-Man, a performance many fans still rank among the best versions of Spider-Man ever put to screen. His credits also include Shiro from Voltron: Legendary Defender, Captain America in X-Men ‘97’, and Revolver Ocelot in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remake.
Speaking of Voltron, Kimberly Brooks, the voice of Princess Allura, is also scheduled to appear. Brooks has voiced characters across animation and gaming for years, including Jasper in Steven Universe, Batgirl in multiple DC animated projects, and Bumblebee in DC Super Hero Girls.
And then there’s the wrestling side of the convention, which is shaping up to be just as stacked.
Shotzi Blackheart brings her trademark punk-rock style and chaotic energy to the event after becoming a standout star in WWE’s NXT brand and on the indie wrestling scene. The wrestling lineup also includes former AEW TBS Champion Willow Nightingale, the Long Island native whose mix of charisma and powerhouse wrestling style has made her one of wrestling’s fastest-rising stars.
Priscilla Kelly, known to many WWE fans as GiGi Dolin, is also scheduled to appear. Kelly became a two-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion and built a strong following through appearances in AEW, GCW, TNA, SHINE, and wrestling promotions in Japan.
The convention’s early lineup already mixes nostalgia, anime fandom, gaming culture, animation, cosplay, and pro wrestling into one package and organizers say more announcements are still on the way.
Tropic Con takes place August 15 and 16, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge. Tickets and hotel information are available through the convention’s website.
Photos: Tropic Con promos on Facebook.
