Last updated: April 11th 2026. All information sourced from on-the-ground attendees, official ApollyCon social channels, and author announcements. Bookmark this page — we’re updating it throughout the day.
📌 Bookmark this page. I’ll be updating it throughout ApollyCon 2026 as announcements come in. For the full event guide, read our ApollyCon 2026 everything you need to know post. My disability means I’m very selective about the events I go to, and this was not on my list, but I still neeeed all the goss.
If you’re still catching up on what ApollyCon actually is, the official ApollyCon FAQ has the basics on dates, location (the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland), and ticket tiers.
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The ApollyCon 2026 Survival Kit (Remote & On-Site)
- The Gaylord Maryland Ballroom Hike: If you’re staying at the resort, it’s a 10-minute walk from the rooms to the ballroom. Wear supportive shoes.
- The Power Factor: Wall outlets at the Gaylord are scarce. If you’re attending, bring a portable power bank. If you’re following remotely, keep your notifications on for JLA’s Facebook group—that’s where the line moves are announced first.
- Hydration is Strategy: National Harbor is breezy, but the ballrooms get hot. Bring a collapsible water bottle.
- Digital Prep: Download the ApollyCon App and screenshot your QR codes now. The resort Wi-Fi is notorious for dropping when 3,000 people try to check in at once.
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What You Need to Know
- Event Status: Day 2 (Thursday) registration and programming go live. Get a full event overview in our ApollyCon 2026 everything you need to know guide.
- Primal Swag: Unboxings confirm a signed event edition and exclusive tote, plus the usual mix of Blood and Ash goodies. You can check the core series details on JLA’s own Blood and Ash series page if you’re new here.
- Coronation Event: Happening day 2; includes the War of Two Queens event edition — more on that book on JLA’s official page for The War of Two Queens.
- 2027 Announcement: Historically revealed Sunday; check back April 26 or watch the official @apollycon Instagram for the save-the-date. Add my new insta too while you’re at it!
Searching on April 22nd?
If you are searching for ApollyCon updates on Wednesday, April 22nd, you are likely looking for early registration times or the Primal/Ascended mixer details. Thursday is the official Day 2, where the major programming kicks off. Use the sections below to prepare for tomorrow’s reveals — and if you’re just here because you saw ApollyCon all over your feed and want book recs, start with my romantasy hub so you know where to head on the signing floor: Romantasy Book Recommendations | Spice, Tropes & Recs.
ApollyCon Day 2
ApollyCon 2026 will soon be in full swing at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, and Thursday is the day the real event kicks into gear. Wednesday night’s Welcome to the Capital opening gave Primal ticket holders their first taste, but Day 2 is when the programming, the panels, the Coronation event, and — most importantly for a large chunk of BookTok — the swag bags actually happen. Full baseline info (dates, venue, and tickets) lives on the official ApollyCon site.
I’m collecting the biggest reveals, announcements, and moments as they happen. Here’s everything so far.
What’s in the ApollyCon 2026 Primal Swag Bag?
This is the question clogging every ApollyCon hashtag before the event even properly opens, and honestly, fair enough. The Primal swag bag is one of the more discussed perks of the top ticket tier. It includes a signed ApollyCon edition book and a special event tote, and the full contents are kept deliberately under wraps until Primal holders collect them at registration.
🔄 This section will be updated as attendees start posting unboxings on Thursday morning. Check back — or follow #ApollyCon2026 and #ApollyCon2026SwagBag on TikTok and Instagram for real-time unboxings.
What we know is confirmed in the bag:
- A signed ApollyCon exclusive edition book (the event edition of War of Two Queens has been confirmed as a Thursday Coronation event item.
- Special event tote bag
- Merch and author extras. Based on the 2025 Primal bag, which included special edition books, themed goodies, a yearbook and more, we expect the 2026 bag to feature the War of Two Queens event edition. We will verify the exact merch items when they drop.
If you’re one of the people who discovered romantasy through From Blood and Ash and are now in your morally-grey era, a right of passage for us all, I’ve rounded up more books with that same feel here: Dark Romantasy Books With Morally Grey Heroes.
Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Big Announcement at the Coronation Event
The Coronation event is Thursday evening — included with Primal tickets and available as a paid add-on for Ascended and Deity holders — and it’s built around JLA’s From Blood and Ash / Blood and Ash world.
🔄 This section will be updated live once the Coronation event has taken place Thursday evening. JLA has historically used ApollyCon as a home for series announcements, cover reveals, and release date news, so this space is worth watching.
What we’re watching for:
- Any news on the Blood and Ash series continuation or companion novels
- Potential cover or title reveals for upcoming releases
- The confirmed event edition of War of Two Queens being handed out to Coronation attendees
JLA announced the 2026 event dates at ApollyCon 2025 and has used the Coronation event format specifically to reward her most dedicated readers i.e. the ones in the Primal tier who’ve been in her world since the beginning. Whatever she announces Thursday night will be on BookTok within the hour.
ApollyCon 2027: Dates and Location Teasers
🔄 Not yet confirmed. Dates and location for ApollyCon 2027 have not been announced as of this writing. JLA typically announces the following year’s save-the-date during the Sunday brunch or closing event. This will be updated.
For reference, ApollyCon has been held at the Gaylord National for multiple consecutive years, and the venue has historically been reconfirmed rather than changed. Whether 2027 stays in National Harbor or moves is an open question, but the announcement almost always comes at the tail end of the current year’s event. The official ApollyCon FAQs are updated when dates and ticket info are locked.
We’ll update this section the moment anything is confirmed.
ApollyCon 2027: What We Already Know
We’re ahead of the curve, as Jennifer L. Armentrout’s team has already opened the 2027 Author Interest Forms.
- Projected Dates: August 19 – 21, 2027.
- A date change?: Notice the dates—ApollyCon 2027 is looking like a late summer event rather than a spring one! Interesting for sure.
- Action to take: Bookmark this page; we will confirm the 2027 venue (likely a return to the Gaylord) when it’s announced.
Everything Else Happening Thursday at ApollyCon 2026
While the Coronation event is the Thursday headline, the rest of the day is genuinely packed. Below is the logistical breakdown of the Day 2 schedule:
| Event | Time | Location |
| Registration & Swag Pick-up | 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Maryland Ballroom |
| Industry & Genre Panels | 8:00 AM – 10:55 AM | Chesapeake Rooms |
| Vendor Hall Access | 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM | Event Hall |
| Sword Fighting Demos | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Lower Level |
| The Coronation Event | 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Maryland Ballroom |
- Books and Treats with Berkley Publishing — a publisher-hosted event with attending Berkley authors (invite basis)
- On-site tattoo artists — by appointment, Thursday and Friday only
- Sword fighting demonstrations — the programme lists this as a standalone experience, and it has been generating pre-event curiosity, particularly among the romantasy crowd who have had a lot of very specific feelings about broadswords since Fourth Wing came out (if that’s you, my Books Like Fourth Wing guide will keep you occupied in the registration queue).
- Signing floor prep — the signing floor opens properly on Saturday, but Thursday is when authors start setting up their tables and many are posting sneak peeks of their setups
How to Follow Along If You’re Not There
The most reliable real-time coverage is coming from the official ApollyCon accounts and this year’s ApollyCon Influencer cohort, who were selected earlier in 2026 and are posting across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The hashtags to track:
- #ApollyCon2026
- #ApollyCon2026SwagBag
- #CoronationEvent
- #ApollyCon
📌 Bookmark this page. We’ll be updating it throughout ApollyCon 2026 as announcements come in. For the full event guide, read our ApollyCon 2026: Everything You Need to Know post.
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FAQ: ApollyCon 2026 Day 2
The Coronation event is a Thursday evening ticketed experience centred around Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash world. It’s included with Primal tier tickets and available as a paid add-on for Ascended and Deity holders. Attendees receive the event edition of War of Two Queens as part of the experience — the book itself is book four in the Blood and Ash series.
Primal swag bags are distributed at registration, which opens Thursday morning of the event. The bags include a signed ApollyCon exclusive edition and a special tote. Full contents are not confirmed in advance, they’re usually first revealed in unboxings on TikTok and Instagram under #ApollyCon2026SwagBag.
Nothing has been confirmed ahead of the event, but JLA has historically used ApollyCon — particularly the Coronation event and the Sunday brunch — to share series news, cover reveals, and upcoming release announcements.
ApollyCon 2027 has not been announced yet. JLA typically reveals the following year’s save-the-date during the closing events of the current year’s convention. Dates and ticket info are usually added to the ApollyCon FAQs and shared via @apollycon on Instagram.