I've got my Comic-Con badge! Hundreds of people took advantage of pre-event pickup availability November 23 from 5-7 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center.
The 2021 Comic-Con Special Edition takes place November 26 to 28. Walk-up tickets are still available. Indeed, that's a far cry from the pre-COVID practice of badges selling out months before the wildly popular sci-fi celebration.
The San Diego Sun is badged and ready for the Comic-Con Special Edition.
For information on purchasing tickets, go to the Comic-Con website.
Badge pick-up hours at the convention center's Hall H for the rest of the week are:
Wednesday (11/24): Noon - 7 p.m.
The convention center is dark on Thursday (11/25) for Thanksgiving.
Friday (11/26): 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday (11/27): 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday (11/28): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To pick up your badge, be prepared to show ID, proof of purchase and verification of full COVID-19 vaccination status (or proof of a negative COVID test taken after November 23).
Masks are also mandatory for all attendees. Yes, most cosplay costume masks will suffice.
The actual show times are:
Friday from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The crowds will be smaller than usual at Comic-Con's Special Edition.
This is the first in-person show for Comic-Con in San Diego since 2019.
It’s expected that less than half of the 130,000 sci-fi and action-adventure fans who usually attend will make it this year. Organizers are estimating 30,000 to 50,000 over the three days.
Am online version of the show, Comic-Con@Home, was held July 21-25.
Unlike past years, the in-person show won't include mega-breakout panels held in huge Hall H. There will be little if any participation from Hollywood superhero movies or the celebrities who star in the films.
Organizers will strictly enforce COVID protocols, especially attendance in breakout rooms.
Comic-Con Special Edition will include an exhibit floor—albeit with fewer booths.
“I think what people will experience this year will be something veterans of the shows will enjoy—it’ll be a lot more intimate,” says David Glanzer, chief communications & strategy officer for Comic-Con. “We’re expecting a lot of participants from California and Arizona. But who knows? Some travel restrictions have lifted and we may see people from all over the country and maybe all over the world.”
The San Diego Sun will offer wall-to-wall coverage of The Con, so check back for photos and updates.
BONUS OPENING: The Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park will be open for special viewing hours during the convention, from Friday (11/26) to Tuesday (11/30). Tickets ($11.95 to $19.95) are required. During the show, a free shuttle will operate between the convention center's Hall H and the museum. The shuttles will leave every half hour. Museum attendees will be required to wear a mask.
Among the opening exhibits at the museum are original artwork pieces spanning eight decades of Archie Comics, a tribute to Gene Roddenberry and a variety of Cardboard Superheroes by the Lee brothers.
A Grand Opening for the museum will be held next summer, in conjunction with Comic-Con 2022.
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