Comic Con Weekend in San Diego

Comic Con is anticipated all year by most San Diegans, whether they’re attending the event or they’re just planning on hanging out downtown during the weekend. From July 20-23, the streets of downtown will flood with costumes, geekery, and some of the best people watching opportunities of the year. What started out as a small convention for comics, movie, and science fiction fans in 1970 has morphed into one of the year’s biggest events in the entertainment industry and for San Diego; it’s also the focal point for the world of comics conventions. In recent years, attendance has reached upwards of 130,000.

Top SDCC Panels

One of the things that people look forward to the most at Comic Con are the first glimpses and previews of some of the most anticipated upcoming films. Here’s a few that the weekend has in store:

Steven Spielberg will be previewing Ready Player One.

The Matthew Vaughn spy sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle hits theaters in September, so it’s a no-brainer for Fox to show off the continued adventures of Taron Egerton’s Eggsy.

The cast of Stranger Things, last year’s wildly popular and well-received Netflix series, will be a part of a panel that will include never-before-seen footage of what’s to come in Season 2 this October.

For the first time, due to Game of Thrones debuting mid-summer, the show’s SDCC appearance will coincide with current episodes, and some fans are hoping for a sneak peek of what’s right around the corner.

SDCC Special Guests

Special Guests are always a large part of SDCC. Here’s a few big names for attendees to look forward to:

Arthur Adams is an award-winning artist who became an immediate fan-favorite as the penciler on the critically acclaimed 1985 Longshot mini-series. He has worked on such titles as Batman, Superman, Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, New Mutants, Gen 13, Godzilla, The Authority, Danger Girl, Excalibur, Ultimate X, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Hulk. He’s the creator, writer and artist on Monkeyman and O’Brien.

One of MAD magazine’s longest-running cartoonists and the creator of dim-witted barbarian Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés is one of comics’ most popular creators.

Marguerite Bennett is a New York Times bestselling comic book writer based in Los Angeles. Her superheroic credits include DC Comics’ Batwoman and DC Bombshells, as well as stints on Batgirl and Lois Lane, and Marvel’s A-Force, Years of Future Past, and Angela: Queen of Hel. At Archie, she writes Josie and the Pussycats and Betty & Veronica, and her creator-owned titles, Animosity and Insexts, can be found through Aftershock Comics.

Andrew Aydin is creator and co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic memoir series, MARCH, which chronicles the life of Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. Co-authored with Rep. Lewis and illustrated by Nate Powell, MARCH is the first comics work to ever win the National Book Award, and is a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Printz Award, the Sibert Medal, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Will Eisner Comics Industry Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition, and the Walter Dean Myers Award, among others.

What to do if you don’t have a ticket to Comic-Con

No tickets to SDCC? No problem! There’s a lot to do around downtown San Diego during the weekend even if you don’t have access to the panels or special guests. Here’s some events that are happening downtown in honor of SDCC weekend:

The Blade Runner 2049 Experience will be open to the public in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, replicating the setting of the film’s dystopian future with an art gallery, an Oculus VR experience, and a neon-lit Los Angeles street scene.

FANDOM Fest at Petco Interactive Zone: Every day they’ll have a special fantasy food truck dishing out pop culture-inspired foods with Pepsi drink pairings, a lounge area for fans to congregate, and a stage that will feature special live versions of FANDOM programs, trivia games, cosplay shows, and talent interviews and panels. FANDOM Fest is free to Comic-Con attendees and the general public. Open from 10am-6pm. Thursday-Saturday, and 10am-3pm Sunday.

Syfy/The Nerd Machine Fan Parties: Syfy and The Nerd Machine are throwing Nerd-HQ-style parties at San Diego Comic-Con this year. You can stop by Thursday or Saturday nights at 9pm at The New Children’s Museum for themed dance parties that feature photo booths, hourly surprises, live performances and more.

Syfy Presents Live From Comic-Con at the Marriott Marquis and Marina: Syfy Presents Live From Comic-Con, the live telecast that offers celebrity interviews, insider party coverage, exclusive content, and sneak peeks from upcoming films and TV shows. This year’s installment will both tape and air during the con from Thursday, July 20 to Saturday, July 22, at 8pm. Zachary Levi will be this year’s host.

Whether you’ll be attending the event or scurrying downtown for other activities, we hope you enjoy this year’s SDCC!