We knew it was coming, but it is still a bummer to have the official announcement that SDCC 2020 is canceled. For the first time in its 50-year history, San Diego Comic Con is canceled. Here are the highlights from the announcement that you’ll need to know.
Badge and Hotel Refunds
Thankfully, CCI heard the concerns of many people who had already won the lottery and purchased badges. SDCC 2020 badge holders will have the option to refund their badge purchase or transfer their badge to SDCC 2021. Exhibitors for 2020 have the same options available to them as well. There was no mention of how this cancellation will affect Press and Pro badge holders.
However, this announcement should go a long way in soothing some of the sting of not having a convention in 2020. More information on how to refund badges will be forthcoming in the next week.
Likewise, attendees who had already booked an early bird hotel through onPeak will be getting a refund. There is no need for any attendee who booked through onPeak to take any action, hotel reservations are being canceled and deposits are being refunded automatically. onPeak will notify an attendee when their refund has been completed, but there is no need to cancel reservations manually or contact the company at this time.
WonderCon
Previously, WonderCon was postponed until later in 2020, but it has been announced that, like San Diego Comic Con, WonderCon will only be returning in 2021. There are no official announcements on how badges and hotels will work for that convention, but it is assumed that they will be handled similarly to how SDCC is being taken care of – refunds or rolling over of badges with automatic hotel refunds.
New Dates
While all of this is unfortunate for 2020, Comic Con International did make available the convention dates for 2021 to assist in making decisions about refunding or rolling over badges. SDCC 2021 will be held July 22 – 25, 2021 and WonderCon will be held March 26 – 28, 2021. Hopefully, this is enough notice for attendees to start blocking off their calendars now and saving for 2021.
Now What?
It’s no surprise that the handling of SDCC 2021 will look the same and different from what attendees have come to expect. With the option to transfer badges to 2021, it will be more competitive than ever to try to buy badges for the next San Diego Comic Con. If there are enough refunded badges for sale, will it be a totally Open Registration since no one could attend in 2020 or will there still be some kind of Returning Registration badge sale? Will there be enough badges for both?
In the meantime, it’s smart to start saving up for SDCC 2021. Block off those dates, make the cosplay you’ve always dreamed of wearing to a convention, support your local indie creator. We’ve been saddened, but not surprised by the news and are looking forward to seeing everyone at SDCC 2021!
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