San Diego Comic-Con organizers have addressed backlash that erupted following news that the in-person event will be held over Thanksgiving weekend. On Saturday, organizers announced that a "Comic-Con Special Edition" will be held as a three-day event from November 26 - 28, 2021, at the San Diego Convention Center.
The announcement was met with criticism. Many took issue with the fact that the event would be held over Thanksgiving, which was hampered for many families last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Hold it virtually again this year and schedule the Convention Center in July 2022. Holding it on Thanksgiving weekend when people are trying to reconnect with their families after a year apart is just mean and tone deaf. Feels like a cash grab. Thought you were better than that," one fan wrote on Twitter.
"Well now that’s inconsiderate, especially after a pandemic. If I was the trade show staff behind this, I’d plan a new weekend real quick. Some people haven’t seen family in a year and then would be forced to work this, with multiple days of setup and load-out," another noted.
"As much as I miss @Comic_Con, this is the worst possible weekend to hold it. Families are only finally getting to see each other in person, why disrupt an important holiday we all missed out on last year? Why force people to choose work over family after such a difficult year?" a third added.
Responding to the outrage, event organizers explained their decision to hold Comic-Con over Thanksgiving weekend.
"Our primary hope was to be able to gather in-person as a community, something we have not been able to do since early last year. Another was to try to determine how best to effectively and safely produce events in light of current health concerns with the least negative impact on attendees," a statement to the official Comic-Con website read.
Organizers further explained that the Convention Center's calendar was "very packed" as events canceled over the past year slowly started back up. The dates that would present themselves with the "fewest restrictions" were Friday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.
"As longtime fans ourselves, we have attended many conventions over that holiday weekend, opting to spend Thanksgiving Day with family and the rest of the weekend with friends and our families of choice,” the statement read. “While this is not unusual in the convention trade, we understand this choice is not optimal for everyone."
Organizers added that although the dates have been booked, there was a possibility that the event may not proceed given the uncertainty of the pandemic.
"However, it was our desire to have something in place for our fans who have longed for an in-person event," the statement continued. "We truly hope that you will join us for this entry back into the world of in-person celebrations of the community we so love."
This will be the first in-person Comic-Con convention to be held since 2019. Last year the event was canceled due to coronavirus-related restrictions around large gatherings. It was initially scheduled to take place in July 2021 but the date had to be pushed back.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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