San Diego Comic-Con announces in-person event for Thanksgiving weekend

After going virtual in 2020, San Diego Comic-Con appears to be getting somewhat back on track. Although news of a virtual event happening in July recently surfaced, on Saturday, SDCC officials announced a return to the in-person format that occurred prior to 2020’s COVID pandemic, dubbing it a “special edition” of the typical show.

The event itself will take place over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26-28, at the San Diego Convention Center. Details about badge costs, scheduled events and attendance capacity are still being ironed out.

David Glanzer, spokesperson for San Diego Comic-Con stated:

"“While we have been able to pivot from in-person gatherings to limited online events, the loss of revenue has had an acute impact on the organization as it has w2ith many small businesses, necessitating reduced work schedules and reduction in pay for employees, among other issues. Hopefully this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.”"

Could San Diego Comic-Con’s announcement mark a return to in-person events?

Like many pop culture conventions last year, SDCC optioned for a Comic-Con@Home approach that incorporated pre-taped Zoom panels as well as other pre-packaged content. While there was no cost for people to tune, it also lacked the authentic camaraderie generally held between fans and creatives at traditional conventions. San Diego Comic-Con typically draws a crowd of approximate 135,000 fans to San Diego every year, so even one year away was bound to take a toll on the local economy. Reports indicated that just the cancellation of last year’s event cost the region more than $166 million in revenue.

This marks the first major pop culture convention to announce a return to in-person events. Other conventions that happen later in the year, such as Atlanta’s DragonCon and Las Vegas’ ClexaCon, will likely follow suit, as travel restrictions ease up thanks to the massive COVID vaccination rollouts. President Biden has stated that a vaccine will be available to anyone who wants it by May 1, leaving plenty of time for people to get protected.

While we’re cautiously optimistic about returning to an in-person format for these type of convention, it’s almost a bit like putting the cart before the horse. Additionally, fans might be wary of attending a pop culture convention over the first holiday weekend when families would most likely be safe to gather again.

Are you glad to see San Diego Comic-Con return to its roots? Let us know in the comments section below.