The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown live events and conventions into extreme turmoil. Since last year, the San Diego Comic-Con has been fiddling on how to get away from its lackluster virtual conventions back into its glory days of comic-con conventions.

Earlier this year, the committee announced it planned a live convention towards the last quarter of the year, pending the rate of vaccinations and the cooperation of the City of San Diego and the State of California.

Over the weekend, Comic-Con International announced that its San Diego Comic-Con International Special Edition will be held at the San Diego Convention Center on Thanksgiving weekend. Yes, you read that right. Thanksgiving weekend.

Here’s the official statement:

San Diego Comic Convention today announced dates for their November convention. Comic-Con Special Edition will be held as a three-day event over Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 26-28, 2021 at the San Diego Convention Center. 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 we have been able to pivot from in-person gatherings to limited online events, 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,” said David Glanzer, spokesperson for the nonprofit organization. “Hopefully this event will shore up our financial reserves and mark a slow return to larger in-person gatherings in 2022.”

As details are still being finalized, badge cost, attendance capacity, and related information will be forthcoming.

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The reception of the announcement met with immediate backlash. Many fans wondered why to bother with a convention on the first Thanksgiving weekend that may allow families to reunite.

The convention committee did state that a shorter event is an attempt to restart the convention process slowly and logistics of space accommodations, travel restrictions, capacity restrictions, and safety protocol are all up in the air. Its intention is to start the event mostly with fans who can easily travel to San Diego rather than with nationwide and international attendees.

With this process, do not expect a large gathering of outdoor activities, big exhibits, nor studio participation with celebrities in attendance. Whatever the capacity they’ll announce, it will probably still be a sold-out event.

Then again, this event is written in pencil and not in pen. A lot of things can happen from now till November.

Source: San Diego Comic-Con International