Want to join in on the Comic-Con International fun, but don’t have a badge?
Don’t fret. There are events a’plenty happening outside the four-day San Diego convention catering to fans of all ages that don’t require a badge.
Party with Hodor, get into a lightsaber duel and hang out with fellow super fans without ever stepping foot in the convention center. Here’s a look at 18 events that’ll fill up your Instagram feed and make you feel like you aren’t missing out on any of the SDCC action:
Heroes under the sea
Did you know that sea creatures have their own superpowers? The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla has launched a new comic book-inspired exhibit that highlights how ocean species use their power of adaptability to survive.
“From super vision and invisibility to protective armor and the ability to create electricity to zap prey, real marine creatures do amazing things every day that stretch even the wildest imagination,” the aquarium’s blog says about the interactive exhibit that launched on June 29.
Visitors will come face-to-face with some of these amazing creatures and learn about how they’ve inspired “everything from cinema and pop culture to medicine and engineering.” Plus, there’ll be creature cosplay!
The “Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collections” is included in aquarium under $20 admission. The aquarium, located at 2300 Expedition Way, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, go to https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/visit.
Take in some art
The official Comic-Con International Art Show will take place again at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Pl.
The art exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will include original pieces ranging from painting to sculptures to jewelry from professional and amateur artists that will also be for sale.
Will Eisner Comic Industry Award nominated comics will also be on display along with a special Will Eisner Hall of Fame members exhibit.
The La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., will also be hosting a free art exhibition inspired by Marvel comic and movie characters from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 21. For more information, go to labodegagallery.com.
Podcast lovers unite!
Who doesn’t love a good podcast these days? During Comic-Con, you can sit in on a live recording of some of your favorite geeky podcasts.
Comedian Doug Benson will bring his “Doug Loves Movies” podcast to the American Comedy Co., 818 6th Ave., at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 18. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at the 21+ venue or online at americancomedyco.com.
Also coming to the American Comedy Co., Kevin Smith will be recording not one but three of his podcasts during the convention. Smith and longtime friend Jason Mewes will hit the stage with “Jay & Silent Bob Get Old” at 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 19. Tickets are $30. An already sold-out taping of “Fatman on Batman” with Marc Bernardin will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 20. And lastly, actor Ralph Garman will join Smith to talk showbiz for “Hollywood Babble-On” at 10 p.m. Friday, July 21.Tickets for the show are also $30.
“The Last Podcast on the Left” will take over the Balboa Theater, 868 Fourth Ave., at 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 20. Hosts Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski will be on-hand along with perhaps a special guest or two to talk about all things horror. Tickets start at $34 and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.com.
Join in on a sing-along
The San Diego Symphony will help kick off the week of geek as they present the movie music of composer John Williams at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 18.
Doors are set to open at 6 p.m. at the Jacobs Music Center in downtown for a “Plan B” gathering featuring special Star Wars-themed cocktails and a costume contest, according to the symphony’s website.
The concert will feature music from the “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jurassic Park” films and more led by conductor Sameer Patel. Tickets begin at $35 and can be purchased at sandiegosymphony.org.
If you haven’t had enough of Star Wars, join the Dark Side and check out Galactic Empire at 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 20, for even more John Williams compositions just this time in the form of heavy metal.
Joined by special guests MadNES, the group which dresses as Star Wars villains will perform at 21-and-over Brick By Brick,1130 Buenos Ave. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Ticketfly.com.
Rather hit up a musical than a concert? Well, you’re in luck. There are two musicals to catch outside of Comic-Con this year.
The Turning Tydes Theatre Company will present “Wicked Wizards,” a Harry Potter/Wicked parody mashup, that will be performed at various times Thursday, July 19, through Sunday, July 22 at the Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza. Tickets are $30 and can be bought at sdrep.org.
“We’re grabbing our chance to fly and defy Voldemort one song at a time!” the theatre’s website proclaims. “Featuring songs such as: ‘No One Names the Wizard,’ ‘Azkaban Life,’and a ‘Wizard Am I.’”
Before it’s fourth and finale season on The CW, fans can catch a live version of the television series “My Crazy-Ex Girlfriend.” Rachel Bloom and the rest of the cast will take the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 21 at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave. Ticket prices start at $41 and are available through Ticketmaster.
Party like a nerd
Declare your love for the Winchester Brothers and join fellow “Supernatural” fans for drink or two at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 19, for Carry On My Wayward Cocktails and a Apocalypse World Banquet hosted by the Supernatural Wiki, at Analog Bar, 801 Fifth Ave.
Tickets for the fan event begin at $50 and include “a selection of hot food for all the hungry hunters, angels and demons and of course – pie!” according to the Eventbrite page. “There will be Supernatural-themed cocktails and mocktails such as the Single Man Tear, Angel Grace and the WaywardAF, as well as exclusive Hunter’s swag and nougat for everyone!”
For superfans of The CW TV show under 21, don’t worry, you can join in on the fun until 9:30 p.m.
Also Thursday night, craft beer lovers can unite at Hop-Con 6.0 to sample w00tstout and more from 7 to 11 p.m. at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, 2816 Historic Decatur Road.
Organizers promise “extra surprises” this year and a $75 general admission ticket will get attendees 15 tasters, specialty casks of w00tstout, commemorative glassware, unlimited food tastings, churros and access to lawn games and a photo booth. There are also $35 designated driver tickets available with all the same perks, minus the beer and glassware.
Or pretend that winter is coming at 9 p.m. Thursday and join gentle giant Kristian Nairn of “Game of Thrones” fame for his portrayal of Hodar as he brings his DJ act Rave of Thrones to the Omnia Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., for the third year in a row. Presale tickets start at $20 and can be purchased through venuedriver on the Omnia’s website.
Something different
The fourth annual Chicano-Con will run Friday, July 20, through Sunday, July 22, at Border X Brewing, 2181 Logan Ave.
“At Chicano-Con you’ll find comic books, art, costumes and – because this is a gathering made by and for Latinos – tacos, live music, superhero piñata breaking, and of course, Latino artists,” according to the Facebook event page. The event is free and open to the public.
“Comics and the popular arts are important to the Latino community and can play a role in children’s lives, just like they changed mine,” event co-creator David Favela said on the event page. Favela learned to speak English by reading comic books, according to the Facebook page. “While Comic-Con is an incredible event, there really isn’t one place for all the Latino/Chicano artists to connect and inspire each other. We try to do that, and we try to support these artists in their journey into the popular arts.”
Take your cosplay to a whole new level by pretending to be a zombie and shamble through the Gaslamp District during the Walking Through an Undead Wonderland Saturday, July 21.
“On Saturday, July 21st at 7:00 p.m. sharp, we will be meeting at a designated location and then infiltrating San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter,” the event page says. “There will be singing. There will be merriment. There will be Santa (or something resembling Santa … Maybe even Krampus). There will be candy. …Brains? Sure, those, too.”
The 11th annual ZombieWalk is free, but is ticketed to help with organization, according to the Eventbrite page. Find out more about the event, including guidelines, at sdzombiewalk.com.
No con is complete without a lightsaber joust. Whether you fight for the Rebellion, the Empire or just want a chance to use The Force, join the United League of Fighters community for an epic night of “Star Wars” dueling at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 21.
The self-proclaimed “biggest lightsaber battle in the country” of the Underground Lightsaber Fighters is free and open to the public at Balboa Park, 1549 El Prado. Find out more on about this year’s battle “The ULF Strikes Back” on their Facebook event page.
Want even more events to choose from? Visit the Nerdist House for more badge free fun, plus it’s free! Check out the all new The Experience outside of Petco Park for activations, food trucks and more. You can also participate in the first-ever “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” scavenger hunt whether you have a badge or not. And if that’s not enough actor Ezra Miller’s band, Sons of an Illustrious Father, will also be playing a show Sunday, July 22.
Check out outsidecomiccon.com for more geeky selections.
