After the pandemic ended (?), I started adding a day to my trip to Comic-Con. If you come in on Wednesday, you see a slick production. All the installations are in place outside, and you don’t see the seams. Well, sometimes you see seams because they’re not meant to be permanent. Mini-carnivals pop up all around the San Diego Convention Center for 4 days (most aren’t open Wednesday) and then Monday they’re gone.
If you come in on a Tuesday, you go to your room in a regular elevator. On the way back down, you’re suddenly surrounded by overlays that are only occasionally threatening. The Hilton Bayfront elevators have been taken over by Hulu Ani-Mayhem. Once you get past the SpongeBob SquarePants, the Hard Rock Hotel elevators whisk you away to Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe.
This year, my wife and I stayed at the Hilton Bayfront for two days. Not only did we find ourselves in a room behind a What We Do in the Shadows building-sized overlay, we got a view of many of those mini-carnivals. After dinner in the Gaslamp District (highly recommending the Hasta Mañana Cantina) and wandering to Coin-Op to play some pinball, we decided to check out these installations ahead of time.
Led on by the dulcet tones of Jewel — in concert at the open air Rady Shell at Jacobs Park — we strolled past installations in various states. The most complete by Tuesday night were those in the Gaslamp District itself, That makes sense because the Gaslamp still thrives before Comic-Con, and it will thrive afterward.
But it’s more than just the construction that’s fascinating to watch. It’s important to acknowledge the people working all night to do this for us. Security guards already have their stations at Hall H, already making sure no one tries to pull shenanigans.
Side note: walking by Hall H on a Tuesday night while the crew tests the sound system? Earth-shaking. There’s no one in there to absorb the sound, so passers-by felt it in their cores.
Back to the outdoor experiences. FX has their usual spot by the Hilton Bayfront, with several buildings including The Bear restaurant. Beyond that is an Adult Swim Pirate Parrrty, focusing on Rick and Morty, of course. The largest layout would be for Hulu’s Ani-mayhem, which was a hoot last year.
One had us curious from our hotel window — we could see bright carnival rides that looked more mainstream than the others. It turns out that it was for Abbott Elementary’s A.V.A. Fest. Guards didn’t mind us taking photos, and though still a lot of work had to be done to get it set, it looks like some positive messaging and inspirational activities might be happening there. Tell me they’re going to provide an opportunity to donate to local at-risk schools, and I’ll spend a day there.
So here’s to the people we may never meet or even see, who’ve worked their Abbotts off to provide well over 100,000 visitors with a memorable experience. Thank you.
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