San Diego Comic-Con holding in-person event over Thanksgiving weekend

After it was decided that San Diego Comic-Con will be postponed again, with a virtual event taking its place (just like last year) on July 23-25, the folks in charge revealed that they were hoping to have a smaller in-person event to be held over Thanksgiving weekend in November, depending on the COVID-19 situation.

It looks like the event is officially happening now from November 26-28, and is being called Comic-Con Special Edition. For the people who weren’t fortunate enough to snag tickets for San Diego Comic-Con 2020 (and now have to wait until 2023 due to previously purchased tickets being transferred over), this is quite exciting news.

Details about the event are still few and far in between, but what we do know is that it will be significantly reduced in attendance. Given that the main event brings together over 100,000 people from around the world, I’m not entirely sure what that special attendance number will be, especially in times like this.

This event marks the first in-person San Diego Comic-Con event since 2019. It’s yet to be seen if any major studios will be stopping by, but if I had to guess, I think we won’t be seeing the SDCC hoopla we’re used to. The COVID pandemic set back a lot of productions, and ever since filming resumed, most films and television shows have been playing catch up. I wouldn’t think they would exert a lot of effort for this smaller event.

San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition

But then again, it’s been quite a year, and all fandoms could benefit from some normalcy, provided that COVID-19 safety protocols are in place. We shall see over the upcoming days, weeks, and months how exactly they intend to have this event, but one thing is for sure: the city of San Diego, exhibitioners, and the like have definitely taken a hit now that the show has been cancelled two years in a row. The con usually rakes in upwards of $150 million for the city of San Diego, of which $88 million is coming directly from those attending the convention. My heart goes out to the folks who rely on these conventions for their income. I certainly hope that this new event helps!

“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 with many small businesses, necessitating reduced work schedules and reduction in pay for employees, among other issues,” spokesperson David Glanzer told San Diego’s ABC affiliate. “Hopefully, this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.”

Fingers crossed this smaller in-person event will open the doors for our regularly scheduled San Diego Comic-Con in 2022 (as long as we have herd immunity on our side). We’ve all dearly missed attending the conventions, and I look forward to the day that we can safely resume our nerdy activities.

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h/t SYFY Wire