Fans of the annual San Diego Comic-Con found out the sad news Friday that this year’s event is officially cancelled due to the coronavirus.
This summer’s event was previously scheduled to take place July 23 to 26 at the San Diego Convention Center, but now that annual gathering won’t take place until next year, per the New York Post. (RELATED: Watch The Latest Electric Trailer For ‘Captain Marvel’)
BREAKING: #SDCC 2020 is officially cancelled. The next planned event will be in 2021. But there’s good news for badge holders and more info: https://t.co/Gd5ufLtFkg
— SDCC Unofficial Blog (@SD_Comic_Con) April 17, 2020
The huge convention typically draws up to 130,000 visitors from all over the world every year to the southern California city where fans of Marvel, DC and other sci-fi/fantasy films meet to hear about upcoming projects and even get to meet those performers who play their favorite characters on the big and small screen. (RELATED: Pearl Jam Postpones North American Tour Over Growing Coronavirus Concerns)
“Comic-Con International is officially cancelling the 2020 San Diego Comic-Con, marking the first time in 50 years that the show will not go on,” the official statement read. “It is the right thing to do. Comic-Con wants to do all we can to fight the spread of this virus and support workers who are on the front line, fighting this battle.”
“There will be better days ahead, and we believe the Comic-Con Museum will play an important role in San Diego’s recovery after COVID-19,” the statement added. “We are a destination city and tourism is vital to our economy. The development and opening of the Comic-Con Museum will act as a catalyst to reopen one of the world’s best urban parks and a destination city known world-wide.”
According to the website:
SDCC also announced that individuals who purchased badges for Comic-Con 2020 will have the option to request a refund or transfer their badges to Comic-Con 2021. All 2020 badge holders will receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to request a refund.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and while we are saddened to take this action, we know it is the right decision,” David Glanzer, spokesperson for the organization shared. “We eagerly look forward to the time when we can all meet again and share in the community we all love and enjoy.”