Despite hopes that the fan-favorite annual event would stay on schedule, this year’s San Diego Comic-Convention has been postponed for the first time in 51 years amidst the global coronavirus pandemic, joining numerous events including WonderCon Anaheim to be affected by the worldwide health crisis.
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The 2020 event was originally set to begin on July 23 at the San Diego Convention Center, but the company has announced with “deep regret” that the next event will take place from July 22-25, 2021. In the official statement, the company notes that they “had hoped to delay this decision” as they anticipated the health concerns may lessen by its scheduled summer start date, but due to “continuous monitoring of health advisors” in California, it “would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”
“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.”
In addition to the delay of San Diego Comic-Con, the organization revealed that WonderCon, which was set to be held in Anaheim on April 10-12, will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on March 26-28, 2021, with plans also set to conclude a major renovation of Balboa Park’s Federal Building for the grand opening of the Comic-Con Museum in the summer of 2021. Though recent events have affected some of the planned renovations, the organization doesn’t plan to “scale back the experience to be offered to visitors up on the Museum’s grand opening.”
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For those who purchased badges for the 2020 convention, the organization is offering an option to request a refund or full transfer of their badges to next year’s event and should expect to receive an email within the next week with instruction on how to request a refund or transfer their payments.
