There had been rumors that Comic-Con would move away from the city since their contract was expiring in 2025. However, it was announced that it will be staying for two additional years in a new agreement signed back in January 2025.

Comic-Con is now going to stay through 2027. As Comic Con has been part of San Diego since 1970, it has gradually become a greater sensation, where people from all across the United States come to enjoy the event and cosplay as their favorite characters.

The plan for Comic-Con was started in 1969, and the first Comic-Con was held in 1970. Founded by a group of friends and lovers for comics and sci-fi, some of the founders were teenagers and locals in San Diego.

Pamela Jackson, Comic Arts curator and Co-Founder for Comic Studies, has been attending the Comic Con convention here in San Diego continuously since 2011. She explains that San Diego and Comic-Con grew up together—back then, San Diego was still a small town. Comic Con and the city have been pivotal to one another’s growth.

“You can see those parallels, I think it’s very meaningful to our identity as San Diego, and then also San Diego being part of the identity of Comic Con,” Jackson said.

One concern was that Comic-Con would move away from San Diego due to not being able to hold the increasing capacity of attendees. Jackson does not believe that the Comic-Con would move location elsewhere because other convention centers are of similar sizes; she believes it would have to do more with the hotel conflicts.

Another reason why Comic-Con was looking to move was because of the high prices that hotels are charging which could possibly deter attendees, as during these events hotels increase their prices or the lack of affordable rooms.

However, there is beauty and history between Comic-Con and the city of San Diego.One reason Comic-Con continues to stay in San Diego is an agreement with local hotels to offer deals and avoid raising prices during the event.

“My understanding of what they’re doing is there’s more and more hotel rooms because we’ve grown, but they’re holding them back because they know that they can sell them for, like, super high prices, because Comic-Con has gotten so popular,” Jackson said. “They’re hurting the convention and they’re hurting the convention goers and potentially making it so that we can’t have this convention there, which is, in turn, gonna hurt the hotels. They’re doing it to themselves if they cut us off from Comic Con by playing these games. It’s just unfortunate that we can’t have nice things because of greed, because that’s what it comes down to.”

One of the main visions of Comic-Con Museum, stated on Comic-Con website, has been “Enhance the economic Strength of the community”

San Diego has a pivotal connection to Comic Con, with the Comic-Con Museum at Balboa Park, comic book stores, the San Diego Convention Center serving as their headquarters and the Gaslamp District downtown that lights up and is busy with people coming for Comic-Con. The joyous atmosphere of Comic Con season here in San Diego is something that can’t be replicated anywhere else.

Noah Arceneaux, a professor in the School of Journalism and Media Studies, said that he hasn’t attended the Comic-Con convention in years as it is overwhelming.

However, he does enjoy going to the downtown Gaslamp Quarter when the convention is happening and enjoys seeing the cosplays and events. He shared that if the convection were to move to a different city he would not go.

“I would feel a bit slighted if it moved away from San Diego because I associated it with San Diego, and it’s been in San Diego for so long,” said Arceneaux.

He further explained that Comic-Con has gotten too large over the years and has moved away from its main focus of comic books. Instead, it promotes Hollywood and Marvel movies rather than comics.

“It’s just a pop culture explosion,” said Arceneaux.

Arceneaux conveyed that transportation can be improved by providing extra trolleys and buses for that week allowing people to stay in hotels further away from downtown.

According to NBC San Diego, the convention generates around $160 million. Comic-Con holds not only a great impact and identity with San Diego but it also impacts the economy of the city.

Comic-Con will be held this upcoming summer on July 24 to 27 with a preview night where people can get together and enjoy the exhibits and culture of comics and more.

This article has also been published in Spanish if interested to read.