San Diego Comic Con: What You Need to Know

Hotels and trolleys wrapped with ads promoting television shows. Banners celebrating pop culture hanging off light poles in the Gaslamp.

It’s that time of year again, when pop culture fans take over the streets of downtown San Diego for Comic-Con.

The largest annual gathering in the city kicks off with preview night on Wednesday and is expected to attract an estimated 135,000 people to the San Diego Convention Center through July 28.

Last year’s convention was impacted by the absence of major studios, actors and celebrities

because of labor disputes in Hollywood. This year’s event promises to bring back the glitz and glamour that have made Comic-Con such a wildly popular event.

“Last year was certainly an interesting year,” said David Glanzer, chief communications and

strategy officer for Comic-Con. “I remember being asked if we were going to have to cancel the convention because of it. What people who don’t regularly attend the show don’t realize is there is tons of stuff to see and do that might not even be related to Hollywood.”

Here’s what to look forward to at Comic-Con 2024:

The Big News

Hollywood studios love to use Comic-Con to make major announcements or tease upcoming films – and no one is better at it than Marvel. The studio will take over the cavernous

Hall H on both Thursday and Saturday.

One presentation will be to promote Deadpool & Wolverine, which hits theaters right smack in the middle of Comic-Con. The movie’s stars, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, are scheduled to be there.

Meanwhile, expect some big news to be dropped at the second panel, where we’ll probably hear about the next phase of what’s known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That should mean news about the long-awaited Fantastic Four reboot and the latest Avengers movies, among other announcements.

The Rest of the Con

Although many fans spend their time waiting in line and then sitting in Hall H or Ballroom 20,

there’s a ton of stuff to do inside the convention center.

Fans will have 2,000 hours of programming to choose from, including serious science panels, tutorials on making your own costume and presentations on popular television shows, including “The Simpsons,” “The Walking Dead” franchise spinoffs and “Abbott Elementary.”

Meanwhile, the floor of the convention center is expected to be filled with more than

hawking everything from T-shirts to toys and collectibles.

Outside the Con

Tickets for the Con sell out within hours of being made available to fans. However, San

Diegans by now have come to know that they can immerse themselves in pop culture at several outdoor installations near the convention center.

The displays are usually open to all and will be set up along the Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade along the Gaslamp, at the home plate parking lot at Petco Park and in stores and establishments downtown.

Among the attractions scheduled are The Lodge from Paramount +, which will showcase the

streamer’s properties. They will offer some “Star Trek” swag and a “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Turtles” themed pizza parlor. It will be at 340 Fifth Ave.

Ancient Rome will come alive for fans who will be able to participate in a chariot race at an activation for the upcoming Peacock show, “Those About to Die.” It will be at 170

Sixth Ave.

And fans of the Planet of the Apes movies can enter the Forbidden Zone at the Planet of the

Apes Experience in the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, 200 W. Harbor Drive.

Meanwhile, the city of San Diego Library system will have Comic-Con themed programs

at its branch libraries, including the Central Library near the convention center. It’s

part of the Comic-Con Conference for Educators and Librarians. The programs are free.

And, of course, the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park will welcome Con attendees and the

public. The museum offers three floors of exhibits, including celebrations of Betty Boop, a

collection of props and memorabilia from “Harry Potter” and other films, and a display of comic art from Tijuana artists.