To the surprise of no one, this year’s San Diego Comic-Con will not be held in-person this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will instead go virtual once again from July 23-25th. SDCC organizers said in a statement,
“It is the policy of the organization to continue to closely monitor information from local and national healthcare officials as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic,”
“Never could we have imagined what the world experienced in 2020 and continues to experience today. While we are buoyed by the rollout of the vaccine and the growing number of individuals being inoculated, it appears that July will still be too early to safely hold an in-person event of the magnitude of Comic-Con.” Unfortunately, the postponement of these large events have left Comic-Con International with “limited financial resources”
“The past several months have taken a great toll on both families and friends, and we hope this effort is a small move toward a return to gathering as a community to not only celebrate popular art, but also friendship, education, and the enduring spirit of the fandom that is so much a part of Comic-Con. We thank you all for your continued and unwavering support during these most challenging times.”
Despite the switch to virtual, Comic-Con International has also announced their intention to present a three-day in-person convention in San Diego this November, but that they’re still working on attendance capacity, cost, and so on.
