San Diego Comic-Con International will once again be virtual this year, as the organizers have decided to cancel the in-person pop culture gathering with an eye on a potential in-person event in November. In addition to scrapping the July shindig, the virtual event will be scaled back due to a lack of funds from last year’s show being cancelled due to COVID-19. That is, of course, the reason why this year’s con was cancelled. While there is a vaccine, it isn’t available to everyone just yet and the organizers of SDCC have determined that it is unlikely that it will be widely distributed by July.
The virtual event will take place on July 23-25. There will be no charge to enjoy the festivities online, the same as last year.
Comic-Con International issued a statement that read:
“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.
“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. For this reason, we have made the challenging decision to postpone Comic-Con 2021 as an in-person gathering until our 2022 dates, and once again hold this year’s celebration as the free online Comic-Con@Home.
“While we lament the postponement of the in-person Comic-Con, our commitment to this community of fans and our celebration of comics and the related popular arts endures as an important part of who we are.”
This change follows the announcement that WonderCon in Anaheim will also be held virtually in March. That will take place on March 26 and 27 and will also be free to enjoy online.
Ticket holders for SDCC 2020 had their passes rolled over to 2021. Now those passes will be rolled over to 2022. (I mean, this HAS to be over by then, right?!)
There aren’t any dates or details available yet for the November event but check back for updates.
Are you upset that SDCC has once again been cancelled/converted to a virtual event?
Sources: Deadline/The Hollywood Reporter
