San Diegans no longer have to wait to celebrate their favorite fandoms!
Now that the Comic-Con Museum is open, fans will no longer have to squeeze all their excitement and celebration into a four-day convention. The museum’s recent opening in the historic Federal Building in the Palisades area of Balboa Park is sure to become a new San Diego gem!
Museum-goers, expect to be spoiled with all that’s in store for you! Like 25,000 square feet dedicated to rotating exhibits, a 6,000-square-foot education center, a 4K video theater, learning labs, as well as amazing classes and seminars! Oh, and of course, prepare to visit its heavenly gift shop packed with all the comics, graphic novels, souvenirs from your favorite characters you could ever need!
One of the first exhibits they’ll launch is “Eight Decades of Archie.” Visitors will step into the world of Riverdale and learn about the original comic books series and get up close to original art, props, and other exclusive memorabilia.
Comic-Con has a long and epic history. The iconic convention has been wowing our inner nerds worldwide since 1970, bringing people together to celebrate comics and all aspects of the popular arts. In recent years Comic-Con has attracted more than 130,000 people who marvel at the opportunity to interact with fellow fans and the creatives and technical geniuses behind their favorite fandoms!
Comic-Con is the place to be for the four incredible summer days when it’s in town! There are many events and activities, including games, awards ceremonies, costume competitions, and an insane programming schedule with some of the biggest celebrities in the world! And now thanks to their museum we can enjoy and learn more about our favorite characters, shows, and films whenever we like!
Officials outlined their vision in a news release. “The museum … is designed to activate the participatory spirit of the Comic-Con experience all year round,” Comic-Con officials said in a news release. The museum also seeks to “thrive as a world-class attraction and gateway to popular art, culture, and life-long learning” as well as “serve as a pop culture focal point, enhancing the ways San Diego celebrates its unique place in the popular culture landscape.” It also offers community service opportunities and expects to significantly impact the local economy, projecting a minimum of 100k visitors each year.
Like many of our favorite comic book characters, there are two sides to Comic-Con’s vision for the space. During the day, the museum offers visitors and tourists one-of-a-kind immersive educational experiences with rotating exhibits, activities, and workshops. At night, it turns into an extraordinary pop culture community space for special events, interactive movie nights, music, classes, gaming- The perfect spot for a nerdy night out!
The building itself underwent a substantial renovation to accommodate this extraordinary vision. The museum is currently focusing on two main sections. Its 6,000 square foot Education Center on the Mezzanine level encourages a love of learning by exploring elements of pop culture, including comics, science fiction, television, art, movies, mass media, fashion, and technology. And the Atrium, which has four flexible galleries with exhibits, panels, art shows, multimedia installations, experiential cinema, and more.
As if that weren’t already enough to geek out over, the museum also has several renovation plans. Its lobby and entry plaza are expected to be finished by 2024. Two new art galleries and an additional open-concept level space overlooking the Atrium will also be added.
The museum has special opening weekend hours. Tickets start at $19.95, and memberships are available starting at $50.
All guests attending the museum are required to wear a face mask throughout their whole visit.
Needless to say, the Comic-Con Museum lives up to its name, and we are bubbling over with excitement to have a bit of Comic-Con magic year-round!
[Featured image: Comic-Con Museum]