San Diego Comic Convention (Comic-Con International) 2026

Since 2010, Comic-Con has filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with over 130,000 attendees. In 2019, Comic-Con was attended by 135,000 people from 80 countries, and media personnel from 30 countries covered the event. The convention has a significant economic footprint on the region. It has an estimated annual regional economic impact of more than $140 million.

Comic-Con does not sell traditional tickets; entry requires a badge tied to a personal account. San Diego Comic-Con offers multi-day and single-day badge options.

Steps to register:

1. Sign up for a Comic-Con Member ID — anyone who wishes to purchase or register for a badge must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID.
2. Participate in one of the two fall badge sales. The first is Returning Registration for the prior year's attendees, followed by Open Registration for the general public.

Badge prices for Comic-Con 2026 (plus a $15 handling fee per member; children 12 and under are free with a paying adult; reduced rates apply for juniors, U.S. military, and seniors):

• Wednesday Preview Night: $64 adult / $32 reduced
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday: $85 adult / $43 reduced each
• Sunday: $64 adult / $32 reduced

Note: Preview Night may only be purchased with a Thursday–Sunday badge. All attendee badges for Comic-Con 2026 have been sold; badge sales for Comic-Con 2027 will take place in the fall of 2026. The Comic-Con 2026 badge refund deadline was May 7, 2026. Badges are non-transferable and require a matching photo ID; Comic-Con is the only official seller of its badges.

Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fantasy media, Comic-Con has grown to include a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements across virtually all genres. The first three-day convention was held August 1–3, 1970, at the U.S. Grant Hotel, drawing roughly 300 attendees.

After a name change to San Diego's West Coast Comic Convention in 1972, the show officially became the San Diego Comic-Con in 1973, and in 1995 the nonprofit event changed its name to Comic-Con International: San Diego. The show's main home in the 1970s was the El Cortez Hotel in downtown San Diego; in 1979 it moved to the Convention and Performing Arts Center, where it stayed until 1991, when the new San Diego Convention Center opened. Comic-Con is home to the Eisner Awards, which recognize creative achievement in American comic books and are often referred to as the comic industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards.