Okay, But Why Is San Diego Comic Con 2021 Taking Place Over Thanksgiving Weekend!?!

It’s impossible to list all the things we’ve missed during the pandemic: eating in restaurants, traveling with friends, hugging our grandparents. But for us nerds, the cancelation of in-person comic and fan conventions has been a real blow. For many of us, it’s a chance to meet up with friends, show off our finest cosplay, and indulge in some extreme nerdery. But for artists and small businesses, cons are not just fun, but offer critical networking and financial opportunities. Luckily, with the vaccine becoming readily available, brighter days are on the horizon. And the granddaddy of conventions, San Diego Comic Con, has announced that they will return live and in-person in 2021!

There’s just one catch: SDCC 2021 will take place over Thanksgiving weekend.

(image: Lionsgate)

The SDCC announcement read, “Comic-Con Special Edition will be the first in-person convention produced by the organization since Comic-Con 2019, and the first since the onset of the global pandemic COVID-19. The Fall event will allow the organization to highlight all the great elements that make Comic-Con such a popular event each year, as well as generate much needed revenue not only for the organization but also for local businesses and the community.”

Comic-Con International previously announced their virtual event for this summer, Comic-Con@Home, which will take place on July 23-25. David Glanzer, spokesperson for the nonprofit organization, said “the loss of revenue has had an acute impact on the organization as it has with many small businesses, necessitating reduced work schedules and reduction in pay for employees, among other issues.” He added, “Hopefully this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.”

Look, we get it. 2020 messed up everyone’s finances. But choosing Thanksgiving weekend for your event is truly absurd. It’s already the most jampacked time to travel in the best of years, with flights, hotel fees, and other costs jacked up because of the holiday. It makes an already expensive trip all the more expensive and difficult to attend.

But FAR more important is the fact that SDCC expects us to ditch our family and friends for the important holiday weekend. So many people spent Thanksgiving 2020 without their loved ones due to COVID-19. We’re not about to do that 2 years in a row. It’s an especially cruel choice for all the artists, staffers, creators, journalists, and actors who are contractually required to attend these events to promote their upcoming projects. Not to mention fans who work in retail and won’t be able to take off work on the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

Many took to Twitter to call out SDCC’s bizarre choice:

Others are thrilled by the return of in-person cons in any form, and regard the Thanksgiving weekend event as a bonus con instead of SDCC proper:

It will be interesting to see both the size and scope of this con, as well as what (if any) a-listers and headliners show up for the event. Will ticket sales go fast, or will everyone be waiting for 2022?

What do you think? Would you attend SDCC in-person over Thanksgiving if you could?

(via The Hollywood Reporter, featured image: Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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