For the first time in 50 years, San Diego Comic Con has cancelled the upcoming convention due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic…
San Diego Comic Con will not move ahead as scheduled in July due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Comic-Con International, the organizers behind the annual event, made the announcement on Friday following rumors for the past few weeks that the massive pop culture celebration would not happen due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead of postponing to a later date, San Diego Comic Con will return in July 2021.
“For the first time in its 50-year history San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC), the organizers behind the annual pop culture celebration, announced today with deep regret that there will be no Comic-Con in 2020. The event will instead return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021,” Comic Con said in a statement released on Friday.
“Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, they had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”
One piece of good news for those who already purchased badges for San Diego Comic Con 2020, the organizers are allowing attendees to choose to transfer their badge to 2021 or request a refund for the cost of attendance.
“SDCC also announced that individuals who purchased badges for Comic-Con 2020 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 with instructions on how to request a refund. Exhibitors for Comic-Con 2020 will also have the option to request a refund or transfer their payments to Comic-Con 2021 and will also receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to process their request.”
Wondercon, which was also postponed, has now been rescheduled from March 26 – 28 in 2021 as well.
“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 in a statement. “We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy.”
San Diego Comic Con is the biggest yearly convention for film, television and pop culture with more than 100,000 attending the event each year held at the San Diego Convention Center. With film studios largely shut down and most releases pushed back or delayed, it was nearly impossible to predict what could have appeared at the show this year not to mention the dangers of a huge, mass gathering like that with the coronavirus pandemic still sweeping the globe.
Now with 2020 cancelled, San Diego Comic Con will look to return in July 2021.
