Reflecting on the Fun
Another San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and more than a month later we’re still reflecting on all the excitement! The crazed wave of eager fans and geeks has washed through Downtown San Diego leaving naught but convention food napkins and scraps of cosplay outfits in its wake.
So where does that leave you? Perhaps you’ve seen some juicy news popping up on your social media feed. People practically losing their minds over a new Marvel trailer or some celebrity who was hiding in plain sight under a mask. Now you want to see what all the fuss is about. Maybe you were that poor soul who waited oh-so patiently by his computer at 15 minutes until registration opened and still couldn’t even get a Sunday badge!
How to Get Your Comic Con Tickets
There was a time when you could walk up to the San Diego Convention Center and purchase a badge on-site but those days are well behind us. Tickets are a hot item now with four- day badges gone in less than an hour while people wrestle to obtain the remaining badges. The Comic-Con International team has made it very difficult for scalpers and resellers by requiring that each purchased badge to be connected to a person with an approved Member ID created on their website in advance.
There are a few ways that you can improve your chances of success. If you haven’t made your Member ID on the Comic-Con International website, do so right away. Make sure that you’re up-to-date on the latest announcements regarding when next year’s badges will be on sale. My experience has been that the badge sale day varies from year to year so be sure to check your email for those announcements!
Another way that you can greatly increase your chances of getting that juicy 4 day badge is to get nice and chummy with a friend or family member who has registered as a Professional. Professionals get in free and have a chance to select one complimentary guest badges and one paid 4 Day badge. There are limited quantities of these and they go pretty quickly. The paid 4 Day badge is usually the most common option left.
The last option is one that I suggest with reluctance because it’s the riskiest. You can always take your chances with borrowing a friend’s badge and cross your fingers that security (who are crawling all over the convention center) do not stop you for a random ID check to determine that you match the name on the badge. Personally, I have never been checked nor have I witnessed someone who was.
If all else fails, there is still a great number of events and shows happening outside of the San Diego Convention Center. The Con has grown to such a size that it has spilled out into the Gaslamp District in Downtown San Diego. It’s a damn good time with countless restaurants, bars, clubs, and hotels all catering to the Comic Con goers. There’s nothing like kicking back at a bar overlooking Fifth Avenue and watching the sea of people and performers moving through the street.
