Comic-Con Announces In-Person Event for Thanksgiving Weekend, an Early Contender for Worst Idea of 2021

Everyone knows Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest and most cumbersome travel weekends in the United States. But that’s not stopping Comic-Con International from trying to make it infinitely worse.

Since San Diego Comic-Con has already been announced to be a virtual event yet again this summer, the convention creators wanted to plan something for the fall when an in-person event would be much more safe and easier to plan. Unfortunately, they’ve chosen Thanksgiving weekend to host the three-day event at the San Diego Convention Center, and it will be called Comic-Con Special Edition.

It seems all too appropriate that this Thanksgiving event is called Comic-Con Special Edition, since it will ruin the holiday weekend just as the special edition versions of the Star Wars movies have tainted their original theatrical cuts. The event is currently slated to be held from November 26 through November 28, beginning on Black Friday.

“It is our hope that by Fall conditions will permit larger public gatherings. 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.”

While this idea seems unfathomably stupid on the surface, it appears to be an attempt for Comic-Con International to recoup some of the revenue they’ve lost from not having a convention two years in a row. David Glanzer, spokesperson for the 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. Hopefully this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.”

Holding an in-person event in the fall isn’t a bad idea, but having it on Thanksgiving weekend is certainly a choice. First of all, this is the first major non-denominational holiday that will allow many families to safely reunite after being apart for over a year and a half. On top of that, it’s unfair to the exhibitors, retailers, creators, convention employees, and San Diego service industry workers, not to mention people like us who will have to cover the event as press. Furthermore, does Comic-Con really think they’re going to get a lot of A-list talent to attend the event on a huge holiday weekend like that?

It’s fine if Comic-Con wants to recoup some of their financial losses, but this is the worst way to do it. There are no additional details on badge costs or attendance capacity at this time, so hopefully the backlash from the mere mention of these plans will make Comic-Con International rethink their approach. Stay tuned.

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