Sneaker Con vs Got Sole: What's Different

Sneaker Con is a sneaker marketplace: a convention-center floor of 200+ vendors, a Trading Pit and free authentication, run since 2009 and touring about a dozen US cities a year. Got Sole is a "culture festival": a Saturday event, noon to 6 PM, that puts sneakers beside trading cards, collectibles, streetwear, vintage and luxury, with giveaways, contests and guests. Both are places where you can buy, sell and trade sneakers in person, and the right choice depends on whether you want a deep sneaker floor or a broader day out. Neither is better in every case, and nothing stops you from going to both.

The short comparison

These figures come from each organizer's own pages and ticketing listings as of October 7, 2026. Vendor counts are the organizers' advertised numbers and not independent counts.

What each event is built around

Sneaker Con's own descriptions put the sneaker at the center. Its 2026 event pages describe "100,000+ sneakers and collectibles from 200+ vendors," with another 50,000+ collectibles, vintage items and streetwear. The structure repeats from city to city: a vendor floor, a Trading Pit where attendees buy, sell and swap pairs they bring in, free authentication from Sneaker Con Authenticated, stage games, giveaways and the Cash Out Crew, a group of on-site buyers that makes cash offers on pairs and vintage clothing. Newer stops add Streetwear Alley and Trading Card Alley, so the show is not only shoes, but shoes are what the floor plan is organized around.

Got Sole describes itself differently. Its pages promote five sections, each presented by different brands and personalities, and the event is pitched as a festival for sneakers, cards and collectibles, vintage, streetwear and luxury together. The headline items are giveaways, contests, exclusive drops and special guests. A Got Sole day is closer to a culture event where sneakers are the largest category than to a pure sneaker show.

That difference is the most useful one to understand. Someone who comes to find a specific retro Jordan or to trade a stack of pairs gets a lot out of Sneaker Con's marketplace structure. Someone who wants a mix, a friend who collects cards, a family member who likes streetwear and a day with more going on, may find Got Sole a better fit.

Size and vendors

Both organizers advertise large floors, and both use their own numbers. Sneaker Con's pages list 200+ vendors for most 2026 stops and more than 250 for Philadelphia. Got Sole's published numbers have been higher: its Navy Pier venue listing for Chicago says over 400 vendors, its Miami ticket page says 400+ vendors with 5,000+ people expected, and ShopBidz, which had a booth there, reports 600+ vendors at Got Sole Los Angeles on September 19.

Those numbers are not directly comparable. Sneaker Con's figure is for a sneaker-focused marketplace. Got Sole's figure covers vendors across five categories, so a larger share of the floor may be cards, apparel and luxury. If you care about sneaker count specifically, the figure that matters is how many tables sell sneakers, and neither organizer publishes that split.

Format, dates and hours

Got Sole events listed for 2026 are single Saturdays, running 12 PM to 6 PM. Sneaker Con varies. Many stops are one day, but several in 2026 ran two days: Dallas on July 11 and 12, Puerto Rico on August 1 and 2, Washington DC on August 8 and 9. The remaining Los Angeles stop in Anaheim runs October 17 and 18 and the Bay Area stop in Santa Clara runs November 7 and 8. Eventbrite listed the Sneaker Con Ft. Lauderdale event on January 10 from 12 PM to 7 PM, but hours are not stated on most of Sneaker Con's own pages, so check the event page for entry times.

A two-day show gives you a second chance. If a pair you wanted sold on Saturday, you can come back Sunday and see who restocked, and sellers get a second day to move inventory. A single-day festival is more compressed, and the first hour is where the crowd is thickest.

Where each one goes

Sneaker Con's 2026 US stops were Ft. Lauderdale, San Antonio, Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston, Denver, Dallas, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Washington DC and Chicago (held in Schaumburg), followed by Los Angeles in Anaheim and the Bay Area in Santa Clara this fall. It also lists Macau and Osaka.

Got Sole's 2026 US stops were Secaucus, New Jersey (billed as New York, January 10), Atlanta (February 7), New York (June 20, at Pier 36), Chicago (July 25, at Navy Pier) and Los Angeles (September 19). Miami (October 24) and Boston (December 19) are next. It also ran a Tokyo event on August 29.

The two organizers do sometimes land on the same day: Got Sole's January New York event and Sneaker Con Ft. Lauderdale were both on January 10, and Got Sole Atlanta and Sneaker Con San Antonio were both on February 7. Got Sole Tokyo and Sneaker Con Chicago were both on August 29. Outside those days, the calendars leave room to attend many of both.

Tickets and policies

Neither organizer's main pages state a single flat price, because pricing changes by city and by sales window. Sneaker Con Las Vegas listed an Early Bird Fast Pass at $20, General Admission at $25 and a Fast Pass at $35, and Sneaker Con Washington DC tickets were listed from $29.01 to $56.96. Sneaker Con also sells priority tickets at several stops with skip-the-line entry, a scratch-off prize ticket and a chance at a half court shot for $1,000. Got Sole ticket prices were not stated on the pages checked, so confirm on gotsole.com.

On policy, Sneaker Con says children ages 4 and older need a ticket, strollers are welcome, tickets can be bought online or at the door (cash only at the door) and tickets are non-refundable but transferable. Got Sole says its events are open to all ages, and that you can bring as many items as you can carry with any ticket. Its Miami listing states there are no refunds. Both organizers say guest appearances are not guaranteed.

Buying, selling and trading

Both events let regular attendees bring sneakers to sell or trade, which is a large part of why they are popular. Sneaker Con builds that into its structure with the Trading Pit and the Cash Out Crew, and states there are no buyer or seller fees on transactions at the show. Got Sole's FAQ says that with any ticket you can bring as many items as you can carry around the venue.

Vendors rent tables. Sneaker Con's FAQ describes the standard vendor setup as a 6-foot by 30-inch table, two chairs and two vendor passes, with load-in from 7 AM to 11 AM, and says Wi-Fi and electricity are not included. It also says vendors cannot sell food or beverages. Got Sole accepts vendor applications through a form on each event page. Booth fees were not listed on the pages checked, so ask each organizer directly.

For authentication, Sneaker Con advertises free authentication at its shows. Got Sole's pages did not mention an authentication service in the text checked. If you plan to buy expensive pairs from a stranger at either event, ask for a return or verification policy in writing, and inspect the pair before you pay.

Which should you pick

Pick Sneaker Con if you want the deepest sneaker-specific floor, a structured Trading Pit, free authentication and a two-day option at some stops. It is the more focused experience, and its schedule covers more US cities.

Pick Got Sole if you want sneakers alongside cards, streetwear, vintage and luxury, a single compressed day, and an event that welcomes all ages and leans into guests, giveaways and contests. It visits fewer cities, so your choice may come down to which one is nearby.

Pick both if you travel for sneakers. They cover different cities on different dates,.

Watching from home

If neither is within reach, ShopBidz, a US live-shopping and live-auction app, is the official live-selling platform of Got Sole. It plans to be live all day from Got Sole Miami on October 24, so you can watch and bid on items without a ticket. Sellers like Fly Elites, who sell on ShopBidz, also went live on Got Sole Day. This is not a replacement for walking the floor, but it is a way to see what the community is selling when you cannot attend. At Got Sole Los Angeles, ShopBidz's posts featured sneaker collector The Perfect Pair, creator Genavieve Paige, and 5ive Mics going live with Fly Elites.

Bottom line

Sneaker Con and Got Sole are two different kinds of day. Sneaker Con is a sneaker-first marketplace with 200+ vendors at most stops, a Trading Pit, free authentication and some two-day shows. Got Sole is a one-Saturday culture festival with 400+ vendors at Chicago and Miami and a five-category mix of sneakers, cards, streetwear, vintage and luxury. For the rest of 2026, Sneaker Con is in Anaheim on October 17 and 18 and Santa Clara on November 7 and 8, and Got Sole is in Miami on October 24 and Boston on December 19. Check each organizer's official site for current ticket prices and hours.