Steve Whitmire is the First Announced Guest for GalaxyCon San Jose 2026

GalaxyCon San Jose has announced their first guest of 2026 and it’s iconic puppeteer Steve Whitmire.

Steve Whitmire is a puppeteer who is known for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street since 1978. He is best known for his roles as Kermit the Frog from 1990 to 2016 and Ernie from 1990 to 2014. He is also known for establishing the characters Rizzo the Rat, Lips, Wembley Fraggle, and Bean Bunny.

More guests will be announced in the future along with details about the weekend, special events, and panels. Tickets for the event are currently on sale.

GalaxyCon is a pop-culture fan convention that has been a staple of the fandom community of the East Coast and the Southern US. The San Jose event is their first one on the West Coast. GalaxyCon San Jose 2026 will take place at the San Jose Convention Center from August 21st to August 23rd.

To have an idea of what to expect, check out our coverage from the 2025 event.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.