San Diego Comic-Con 2020 is the latest large scale event to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The huge four-day pop culture event was originally scheduled for July 23-26, but with no clear end date for COVID-19 concerns, SDCC made the decision to cancel the convention.
"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, [officials] had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer," said San Diego Comic-Con said in a statement on its website. "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."
San Diego Comic-Con is scheduled to return in 2021 on July 22, and those with badges to the now-canceled 2020 event will have the option to get a refund or transfer their badges to Comic-Con '21. All hotel reservations booked through onPeak, which is Comic-Con's hotel affiliate, will be canceled and refunded. The news comes a month after Comic-Con postponed WonderCon Anaheim, which was originally set to take place on April 10-12.
"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision,” said Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer. “We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy.”
See what folks on Twitter, including Kevin Smith, had to say about the news below.
