Comic-Con high alert: Badges go on sale for November in-person gathering
The normally sold-out confab, which typically attracts 135,000 over four days in July, will require attendees to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test for COVID-19
Fans of Comic-Con who’ve been longing for a return of the hugely popular gathering will get a chance next week to buy much coveted badges for a special Thanksgiving weekend, in-person convention at the San Diego Convention Center.
Organizers of the “special edition” Comic-Con International emphasize that those interested in purchasing a badge for the three-day event will need to have a valid member ID account. Badges will go on sale online, shortly after 11 a.m. next Saturday.
Individuals will be able to buy admission for up to three people, including the purchaser, as long as they are lucky enough to be randomly selected for a registration session and they have a Comic-Con member ID for each person. The link to the online badge purchasing site will be sent via email at least 48 hours in advance of the sale.
The admission cost over three days is $150. Children 12 years and younger and active duty military and seniors (60 and over) will be charged $75.
Because of the pandemic, Comic-Con was forced to cancel for the first time ever its normal July gathering last year and this year, instead staging a virtual conference with all online programming. One of the biggest attractions, the exhibit floor where throngs of attendees crowd the jampacked, interactive space, was missing from the virtual convention.
Comic-Con International, though, decided it would still attempt a smaller-scale in-person event this year, scheduling it for Nov. 26-28. The normal, pre-pandemic conventions typically attract 135,000 attendees over four days. Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer, during a July news conference, said it’s difficult to predict attendance for the November event, but gave a rough estimate of 60,000.
“We’re very relaxed about it,” he said at the time, “and hope it’s a good start to the big convention we will have in July (of 2022).”
In keeping with state health guidelines that go into effect Monday for “mega” indoor events of 1,000 or more, Comic-Con will be requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours of each day of attending the convention.
It is also requiring facial coverings regardless of vaccination status, a condition that’s likely easier to fulfill for cosplaying enthusiasts dressed up as superheroes.
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