A Guide to San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) for Librarians and Educators

For the past two summers, I’ve had a fantastic experience attending San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), the world’s largest comic book and pop culture convention. Around 130,000 people attend annually.

I am actually not in the target audience for SDCC. I’m not a big comic book fan, not into anime or manga, don’t play video games, and don’t even watch much in the way of TV or streaming shows. But I discovered so much at Comic-Con that benefited me as a teacher-librarian. (Read about it in my "Comic Conventions as POWerful PD (Part 1): My Experience" article on the Knowledge Quest blog.)

I was introduced to the idea of attending SDCC as a professional development opportunity when I took part in a National Endowment for the Humanities K-12 teacher institute on Using Comics to Teach Social Justice held at San Diego State University's Center for Comic Studies in 2024. The two-week program featured lectures, comic-making workshops, activities, field trips, and collaborative lesson planning labs. The experience culminated in four days attending SDCC, an immersive experience that brings creatives and fans together through panel discussions, presentations, exhibitions, and more. You can read more about my experience here.

Since 2018, San Diego Central Library has hosted the Comic-Con Convention for Educators and Librarians (CCEL). Within walking distance of the convention center where many SDCC events are held, the library events are free and open to the public. You can attend CCEL events at the library even if you don’t have a Comic-Con badge (learn more about badges below).

Posing in the Exhibit Hall wearing my Rowena Ravenclaw cosplay.

Meeting author Dan Santat.

Panel with NASA scientists who work on the Mars rover project.

Meeting author Raina Telgemeier.

There are comic and pop culture conventions and festivals held all over the country. You don’t have to travel to San Diego; educators and librarians can take part in engaging learning opportunities at local events.

If you want to know specifically how SDCC works and how you can get special perks as an educator or librarian, I have created this guide to help you get started.

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1. Getting badges

SDCC takes place in late July each year. Visit the official Comic-Con website for dates and details. The website is a bit clunky to use, but they do a good job of providing step-by-step instructions.

To attend SDCC events, you will need to purchase a badge (they use a badge system instead of tickets). There is a high demand for badges but a limited supply, so it can be difficult to get one. Badges are sold online twice a year. There is one date for returning attendees (if you had a badge last year) and another date for open registration for the general public. Prior badge sale day, each person a badge needs to create a free member ID on the website. 

The convention runs Thursday - Sunday. You may get a badge to attend a single day or any combination of the days. If you purchase a badge for all four days, you may also have the opportunity to get a badge for preview night on Wednesday, which gets you into the exhibit hall where you can be among the first to pick up free swag from vendors and purchase exclusive items. Having preview night plus Thursday - Sunday is called a “full” badge.

Badge prices and details can be found on the Comic-Con badge webpage.

To give you an idea of how competitive it is to get a badge, the SDCC Unofficial Blog estimates that returning attendees have a 50% chance of getting a badge while those vying for open registration have a 6% chance.

2. Professional status

​Comic-Con offers the option to apply for Professional status if you are a librarian or educator or if you are part of the comic and popular arts industry: actor, writer, artist, animator, filmmaker, producer, costume designer, etc.

When I attended the teacher institute, one major perk was that I was awarded Professional status as an educator. This entitles me to a free Comic-Con badge for three years, which is an amazing gift! Professional status also allows me to purchase up to two “full” guest badges. This is an incredible benefit! Badges are difficult to get because attendance is capped due to space and demand is high, so many people who try to purchase badges are unable to get one. Having a guaranteed opportunity to get “full” badges is a very special benefit.
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To apply for Professional status, visit the Comic-Con Professional page and read and follow the instructions. Applications are due in September. If you are granted Professional status, you will still need to register for your badge in order to attend the convention. All instructions and details are on the website.

3. Sessions and panels and signings, oh my! 

Comic-Con features around 700 separate events held in the downtown Convention Center, nearby hotels, and the surrounding area. 

From the Comic-Con website:
“Over the years, Comic-Con has become the focal point for the world of comics conventions. The event continues to offer the complete convention experience: a giant Exhibit Hall (topping over 460,000 square feet); a massive programming schedule (close to 700 separate events), featuring comics and all aspects of the popular arts, including hands-on workshops and educational and academic programming such as the Comic Arts Conference; anime and film screenings; games; the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the “Oscars" of the comics industry; a Masquerade costume competition with prizes and trophies; an Autograph Area; an Art Show; and Portfolio Reviews, bringing together aspiring artists with major companies.”
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I learned there is a wide variety of programming on topics other than fantasy, science fiction, comics, anime, manga, and video games. In my two years of attending, here are some of the events attended by me, my family, and friends:

• Author panels & autograph sessions (Raina Telgemeier, Dan Santat, Gene Luen Yang, Tiffany Jackson, Marie Lu, Nicola Yoon, Christopher Paolini, and many others)
• Panels featuring TV/streaming actors, writers, directors, and producers (full voice cast of Spongebob Squarepants, cast of Abbott Elementary, cast of Phineas and Ferb)
• Panels featuring cast members and/or the creative team for upcoming movies (Last year, there was a pre-release screening of Deadpool vs. Wolverine featuring many celebrities in the cast)
• Session with NASA scientists who work on Mars rover projects.
• Session with costume designers for the movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is part of the Hunger Games franchise. 
• Live, one-shot Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.
• How-to sessions where seasoned voice actors select audience members to read a script aloud and coach them on how to improve. 
• Panel with the actors who voice Yoda, Minnie Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and more.
  
  

Free sessions for educators and librarians at Central Library include authors, artists, K-12 teachers, college professors, and publishers speaking on topics such as:

• Comic-making activities
• Using comics to teach SEL
• Teaching literary analysis through comics
• And more!​

I loved collecting autographs from authors and illustrators.

During my second trip to Comic-Con in 2025, I attended a panel featuring George Lucas. He was promoting the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will open in L.A. in 2026.

4. Other considerations

• Badge sales happen in the fall, but sometimes it’s hard to know your summer plans that far in advance. If you purchase badges and then change your mind, you have the option to return them for a refund (minus a 10% fee) prior to a specific return date, usually in early May. Badges cannot be transferred or sold.
• The Comic-Con schedule is not released until two weeks before the event. Sometimes certain guests or panels are announced early, but in general, you won’t know a lot of details about guests and sessions until two weeks prior to the event.
  
  

5. General tips

• Comic-Con is not like an academic conference. You will not be able to attend a full day of back-to-back sessions. Make a plan, but have contingency plans ready if you’re not able to get into the session you want. It is important to be flexible and ready to pivot. Some of the most fun experiences are unplanned things you stumble upon, so be open to going with the flow when needed.
• Be prepared to be in large crowds of people and do lots of waiting in line. Average attendance is over 130,000 people. You will be on your feet a lot, so it’s important to wear comfortable shoes.
• You may bring a backpack, drinks, and snacks into the convention center. Food and drink are available to purchase on-site, but it is pricey and it’s difficult to find a place to sit and eat. There are lots of restaurants in the adjacent Gaslamp District, and you can come and go from the Convention Center as much as you want.

Summing up my best advice:

1. Plan ahead.
   
2. Visit the Comic-Con website for information and instructions.
   
3. Visit the Unofficial SDCC Blog for helpful details. For example, I was interested in children’s and YA lit author signings, and the blog had a page that gathered all the signing information in one place.
   
4. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water and snacks. One thing I will purchase if I go to SDCC again is a collapsible, portable stool. I saw people in line with those and it looked much more comfortable than sitting on the ground or standing for hours.
   
5. Attending SDCC is amazing, exhilarating, exhausting, and overwhelming. Be prepared to be flexible and take breaks when needed. Great places to take breaks: Central Library and the Marriott pool. Both have nice, clean bathrooms and lots of chairs available to sit and relax away from the crowds. 
   

If you go, you will have a unique and unforgettable experience. Learning opportunities abound, and it's definitely a chance to step outside your comfort zone. Plan ahead, be flexible, and have fun!