San Francisco Comic Con was held last weekend at the Oakland Convention Center. Before I continue let’s address the elephant in the room, yes, this year’s San Francisco Comic Con was held in Oakland. I’m not sure exactly why, I heard various reports on why the change of location. In the past the Convention was held at The Moscone Center in San Francisco but for whatever reason that partnership ended and so San Francisco Comic Con moved to the Oakland Convention Center. For me personally I loved the new location. Since I live in Alameda, the new location is much closer to me and I love seeing more of these kind of events in the East Bay. With that being said, who knows if the San Francisco Comic Con will stay in Oakland for the foreseeable future, if it does, maybe they should change the name to Oakland Comic Con or Bay Area Comic Con.
After I finally found parking over in Chinatown, I made my way over to the Oakland Convention Center. Right away I saw many cosplayers either walking to and from the parking garage I was in and saw many of them walking up and down Broadway in downtown Oakland. As you enter the Oakland Convention Center which is connected to the Marriott Hotel, I saw even more cosplayers filling up the lobby. The layout for the event was simple, off to the far right were the lines for autographs and photos with the celebrity guests. To the left and around the corner was the hallway that led to the exhibit hall which was the main room of the convention that hosts all the various booths. As I entered the exhibit hall I saw my friends from Cape and Cowl Comics in Oakland with a prime spot in the front. As you can see in my Facebook Live video below, I made a few laps around the large room and I saw various booths set up. The vendors included many comic stores selling old/rare and new comic books, along with many toy vendors selling a variety of toys and action figures. Also, in the artist row section, many comic book artists were selling their work for fans. My brother loved the vintage arcade section where he was able to play his favorite old school video games.
We made our way to the second floor which hosted the panels. Throughout each day of the convention, different rooms hosted various theme panels. In one of the rooms I saw a very funny improv comedy group called Penguin Knife Fight. I made my way down the hall and saw an escape room from Limitless Escape Games based here in the Bay Area. If I had more time I would have loved to check out more of the panels that were happening later on in the evening. I would love to this convention incorporate more wrestling theme panels.
Overall, San Francisco Comic Con was a very fun experience. I loved seeing so many people come together to celebrate their love and passion for various forms of pop culture, from comic books, superheroes, TV, Film, Anime, etc. There were so many great cosplayers dressed up in so many amazing costumes. I would like to see San Francisco Comic Con incorporate more interactive games in the main exhibit hall. Everyone in attendance was in a great mood. I can’t wait for next year’s San Francisco Comic Con.
Here are some photos Baby Huey took at San Francisco Comic Con:
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