San Diego Comic-Con Canceled for the First Time in 50-Year History
The annual San Diego Comic-Con will not happen this year as the event organizers revealed the convention’s cancellation Friday, April 17. For the first time in the convention’s 50-year history, the show will not go on as Comic-Con was slated to take place in July. Rescheduling for next year, SDCC will next take place from July 22-25, 2021.
This decision comes as a direct response to the ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19, as convention organizers tried to hold off making the decision to cancel until they could wait no more. After continuously monitoring the health advisories and recent statements made by California’s Governor Newsom, they’ve decided it would not be safe to hold the even this year.
This decision to move this year’s festivities to next year are not dissimilar to WonderCon Anaheim, which moved their previously scheduled programming for April 10-12, 2020 to March 26-28, 2021.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision,” David Glanzer, spokesperson for the organization said. “We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy.”
Along with the canceled convention, Comic-Con has been planning major renovations of Balboa Park’s Federal Building which was supposed to be completed for a grand opening of the Comic-Con Museum next summer. This construction effort has been halted by the “stay-at-home” orders, which means Comic-Con will be rephasing the Museum’s initially planned renovations, but won’t scale back on the grand-opening experience. Building plans revealing the Museum’s transformation are expected to be shared in the coming months.
Individuals who purchased badges for 2020 San Diego Comic-Con will have the option to request a refund or transfer their badges to Comic-Con 2021. All 2020 badge holders will receive an email within the next week that includes instructions on how to request a refund. Exhibitors will also have the option of a refund or transfer of payments to 2021.
For those who made hotel reservations via onPeak, Comic-Con’s official affiliate, their rooms will be canceled and refunded with deposits returned. For those who did reserve through onPeak, there’s no need for them to take action as the cancellations will be taken care of automatically. People will be notified once the process is completed.
