Comic-Con 2016: Experiences, Events and Activations for Everyone (Updating)

Photos S. Valle

Comic-Con 2016 in San Diego will feature experiences, events, activations, and more for everyone!

Besides panels and the expo floor at the convention center, Comic-Con attendees will have a surplus of offsite events to choose from over the 4-day event.

From “Game of Thrones,” Neil deGrasse, and Nickelodeon’s Double Dare, to Nintendo, Sonic, Wonder Woman, and “Snowden,” here’s  my shortlist for this year’s Con:

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” The Hall of Faces. Fans are invited to enter the House of Black and White and enter The Hall of Faces by ‘becoming No One.” Upon entering, your portrait will be taken and displayed onto one of the towers using digital and experiential effects. Printed portraits will be done on-site, and shared to social media. Fans can also peek into Melisandre’s Flames, sit on the Iron Throne, pose with Arya’s Needle. The first 500 guest will get an exclusive  Funko Pop! figure and poster.  Badge required. Thursday, July 21-Saturday, July 23, 11AM-5PM. Sunday, July 24, 10:30AM-2PM. 628 L Street (across the Omni Hotel).

DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Celebrate 75 years of Wonder Woman. See the real costume worn by original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, and be among the first to see the new costumes worn by Gal Gadot (“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”) in “wonder Woman” Film Costume Exhibition at booth #1915. Then, “see” Wonder Woman’s iconic Invisible Jet for the fist time in an outdoor attraction. The larger-than-life prop will be illuminated nightly at the corner of Island and 6th Ave. in the Gaslamp district. I’ll be in the cockpit for a photo on Preview Night, but fans can take photos sitting in the pilot’s seat during the Con. The installation will also include art pieces created on-site by female artists.

Nintendo Invites Everyone to their Summer Paradise. The Play Nintendo Family Lounge will be open to the public July 21-23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and July 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 12 & Under Tournament (July 23): Nintendo fans that are 12 years old or younger and have parental consent can participate in a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament at 2 p.m. on July 23 and will be live-streamed on the Nintendo Twitch channel
• The Play Nintendo Challenge (July 21-22, July 24): Play through three elimination rounds composed of three different Wii U games ( Splatoon , Mario Kart 8 and Pokkén Tournament ) in a group to see if you can emerge victorious! The Play Nintendo Challenge runs all day and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.
• YO-KAI WATCH Voice Actor Event (July 22): Actors Alicyn Packard, Joey D’Auria and Melissa Hutchison, who provide the voices for Jibanyan, Whisper and Komasan, respectively, in the YO-KAI WATCH video game and animated TV series, will be conducting a Q&A session, doing live voice demos and a table read of a scene from Season 2 of the animated TV series from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. PT.
• Pokémon Fan Gathering Area (July 21-24): Meet up with fellow Pokémon fans to trade Pokémon, pick up some cool swag (while supplies last) and relax in a Pokémon gaming zone.
• Photo Opportunities (July 21-24): At various times during all four days, popular characters like Mario, Luigi, Pikachu, Kirby and Jibanyan from the YO-KAI WATCH series will make surprise appearances to take photos with fans.

FOX Activation of Son of Zorn and Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Hilton Bayfront lawn will be taken over by one of the biggest activations of this year’s Con. Don’t miss the FOX experience—fans will get to enter the world of Son of Zorn, climb a giant rock wall, dive into a huge stunt bag and then see Rocky Horror Picture Show through an immersive virtual reality experience. Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM

M-A-C Cosmetics. Experience the M·A·C Star Trek™ collection as M·A·C and Star Trek join forces to deliver exclusive early access to our cosmic collaboration. Jump aboard the transporter to explore strange new worlds in a futuristic photo op and unique immersive experience. Comic-Con International fans are invited to shop the M·A·C Star Trek color collection six weeks early! Arrives in M·A·C Stores and online September 1. Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM. Children’s Park across from the Convention Center at the corner of Island Ave. and Front St.

NBC. NBC’s bigger than ever at Comic-Con with three new series! Experience the thrill of time travel with Timeless and take a ride on the time-bending adventure. Discover Emerald City as a new OZ arises and takes over the Tin Fish Restaurant. Don’t forget to get a taste of The Good Place with free frozen yogurt! Rides, photo opportunities, dessert, giveaways, exclusive content and more. Thursday, July 21 & Friday, July 22: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM, Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM. Gaslamp Square, Fifth and Harbor Drive.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents Space Odyssey. deGrasse headlines a unique exhibition area spotlighting immersive entertainment we like to call “VR Con at Comic-Con.” See “The John Wick VR Experience,” “NASA’s Journey to Mars” with additional stellar innovators, and much more! I’ll be enjoying cocktails with deGrasse during a presentation of his book “StarTalk.” Open Preview: 6:00–9:00 PM, Thursday, July 21 & Friday, July 22: 9:00 AM–8:00 PM, Saturday, July 23: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM, Sunday, July 24: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. (The Spa Hilton Gaslamp, across from the Convention Center)

Nickelodeon. The Splat is Nick’s programming block of shows broadcast in the 90’s and 2000’s. The network will be rebooting “Double Dare,” with host Marc Summers, for the first time after 16 years for a special live run at Comic-Con on Friday, July 22. I’ll be in the audience during the live-stream of this iconic show!

MARVEL Captain America. In honor of Captain America’s 75th anniversary, Marvel will unveil a bronze, 13-foot-tall statue of the superhero at Comic-Con before it leaves for it’s permanent home in Brooklyn. Keep up with information about the statue’s debut by following Marvel’s social media channels.

Suicide Squad VR by Samsung. At San Diego Comic-Con from July 21 through 24, Samsung will help bring the film to life by transforming the Samsung Experience into a real-life Suicide Squad experience. The Belle Reve penitentiary, the high security prison in which the Suicide Squad themselves are held, will be recreated in the space and fans will have the chance to take part in immersive film-themed experiences, such as getting a custom tattoo in Harley Quinn’s tattoo parlor.

Using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus, the VR content will debut at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21.  It will transport fans into the world of Suicide Squad, experiencing what it’s like being a member of the Squad and watching their favorite characters, like Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Katana, in a scene from the film.  It will be available on August 5 on Samsung VR, the brand’s premium virtual reality content service.

Attendees will have the option to ‘Join the Squad’, an interactive feature which enables them to create their own Suicide Squad character and generate a short video of themselves to share on their social channels. Fans can then create their own personalized skulls using the icon generator to live print them on their own exclusive t-shirt. In addition to the exclusive VR content debuting at Comic-Con, cast members will make an appearance in the space.

For a complete schedule of offsite events, visit Comic-Con.org