For the first time in its 50 year history, Comic-Con International has announced that this year’s San Diego Comic-Con has been cancelled. SDCC, the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the world, will not be held until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“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, [the organizers] had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer,” Comic-Con International said in a statement. “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.”
Previously scheduled for July 23-26, San Diego Comic Con will return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021. The statement also revealed that WonderCon Anaheim 2020, which is also organized by Comic-Con International and had previously been postponed from its original April 10-12 date, has also been cancelled. WonderCon will instead be held on March 26-28, 2021.
SDCC is just the latest convention to see its plans thwarted by COVID-19, joining the likes of Emerald City Comic-Con, South by Southwest, and countless other conventions, concerts, and festivals in postponing or cancelling their event in the interest of public safety.
According to the statement, individuals who purchased badges for Comic-Con 2020 will be able to request a refund or transfer their badges to the 2021 event. Exhibitors for Comic-Con 2020 will also have the option to request a refund or transfer their payments to Comic-Con 2021. Both badge holders and exhibitors will receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to process their requests.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision,” said David Glanzer, a spokesperson for the organization. “We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy.”
