San Diego Comic-Con is one of the largest conventions celebrating pop culture. It brings in hundreds of thousands of fans to the convention every year! Here is our guide to surviving the four-day event.

Pack Some Food

San Diego Comic-Con can be overwhelming for first timers and veterans trying to fill their days with panels, events, exclusives, and cosplay. Packing essentials like snacks and water are often forgotten causing con-goer “hangry” moments. San Diego Comic-Con convention hall is not known for their fine cuisine and often carry a hefty price tag for food that you can purchase for less. The most cost-effective tool when creating your budget for San Diego Comic-Con is to price in your meals for four days.

A rule of thumb that we follow is dining out for one meal a day. Leaving two meals to be crafted from groceries bought for the con to cut cost. Easy portable items that are good for breakfast are hard fruit (ex. apples, oranges and cuties), muffins, breakfast bars, croissants or scones, and for the coffee addicts, cold brews will be a lifesaver (otherwise you could be waiting an hour for a Starbucks coffee). Easy portable lunch ideas are classic PB&J paired with snacks such as; almonds, apple slices, pretzels, trail mix, Kind Bars, snack size chips and beef jerky.

Most importantly not forgettings to drink plenty of water. San Diego is known for its nice weather, however, during summer months the weather can be unpredictable and could bring the heat. There are vendors inside and outside the convention selling water, but carrying your own may save you when cuing for lines or walking around the convention.

Comfort Is Key 

Unless you are in cosplay for the convention, comfort will be your best friend as there is a lot of walking and standing involved. The key to comfort is wearing the comfiest pair of shoes and even adding inserts for additional support. For those that have tricky ankles that give out (like myself) wearing ankle supporting shoes will be your superhero!

Other essentials is wearing sunscreen to avoid the burn and creams to avoid chafing.  While San Diego Comic-Con provides tents for shade there will be areas while cuing or lining up for wristbands that will be uncovered. There is nothing less comfortable than a sunburn on the first day of the convention.

Another killer of conventions is chafing, with the constant walking and sweat, our skin takes a toll when rubbing against cosplay pieces or our own skin. Sure this sounds unglamorous and it is! So if you have experienced chafing before or will be prone to chafing you can pick up chafing cream to avoid discomfort during the convention.

Keeping Entertained 

If you are planning to line up for the elusive Hall H panels or lining up for the exhibit floor. There will be long amounts of downtime, especially for those that are waiting for Hall H wristband distribution. We in the past have brought card games and invite others that we are in line with to join to pass the time. However, con-goers are more likely to reach for their phones to cure boredom. If you plan to be on your phone a lot be sure to pack multiple portable phone chargers. There is nothing worse than being phone less!