Comic-Con San Diego Cancelled for first Time in Fifty Years due to Coronavirus Pandemic

On Friday, April 17, San Diego Comic-Con organizers announced that the annual event for 2020 will be cancelled for the first time in its fifty year run.

The four-day pop-culture convention traditionally takes place every summer. It is a yearly celebration of all things comic books—from the books themselves to movies, television, novels, and other transmedia adaptations.

While San Diego may not be the largest Comic-Con in America, it is the most prestigious and widely observed of its kind. Roughly 135,000 people attend each year including academics, professionals, and fans, many of whom cosplay as their favorite characters.

SDCC 2020 was meant to take place between July 23rd and July 26th of this year. The organization fought hard to keep the event happening throughout the coronavirus shutdowns. However, its leaders finally pulled the plug, realizing that the packed occasion would severely violate the current social distancing precautions.

The event for this year has not been postponed for any later date, but rather terminated altogether. Nevertheless, those who have already bought tickets will have the options of receiving full refunds or transferring their purchases to vouchers for SDCC 2021.

Economic Fallout hitting Across Multiple Industries

Comic-Con’s cancellation does not bode well for San Diego’s economy. Through tourism and other fiscally stimulating activities, the event reportedly brings in nearly $150,000,000 for the city each year.

Given that COVID-19 has put the entertainment industry on hold for 2020’s foreseeable future, though, perhaps it is fitting that this year’s Comic Con has been cancelled. Comic Con’s paramount draw is the panels of creative professionals who reveal new content and information within their industry. This includes casting decisions, trailers, original ideas, and much, much more.

Because most studios have had their 2020 production and release schedules pulled out form under them in light of the pandemic, it’s unclear how much concrete new information this year’s Comic Con would have to offer. Either way, its cancellation is unprecedented, but if everything is back to normal a year from now, 2021’s convention should have a surplus of exciting news to deliver the culturally famished masses.

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