Come pack and prep with me for San Diego Comic-Con! Here’s how I’m planning my cosplays, organizing our days, packing my bag, and getting excited for one of my favorite weeks in San Diego.
If you’ve been around here for a while, you already know I’m a full-blown vacation prepper.
I love researching. I love making lists. I love checking the weather way too many times, planning outfits, organizing my travel bags, and figuring out every little detail before a trip.
Apparently… that doesn’t stop with vacations.
San Diego Comic-Con has officially become another event that I’m overplanning in the best way possible.
I realized while getting ready this year that I spend almost as much time preparing for Comic-Con as I do for some of my trips. And I love every second of it!
So I thought it would be fun to start sharing more of that process with you.
This isn’t a complete Comic-Con guide. There are plenty of those already. This is more like a “come get ready with me” post. I’m taking you through everything I’m planning, packing, stressing over (just a little), and getting excited about before Comic-Con week officially begins.
If you’re also the type of person who starts planning weeks in advance… welcome.
This blog post may contain affiliate links. Please note these do not impact my review, and no extra costs have been added to the items mentioned.
Pack & Prep Snapshot
- Event: San Diego Comic-Con
- Location: Downtown San Diego
- Trip Style: Local day trips
- Days Attending: Thursday & Sunday (hopefully Saturday too!)
- Current Prep Stage: Cosplays, packing, and schedule planning
- Most Excited For: Off-site activations, cosplay, and wandering the Gaslamp
- Biggest Decision Left: Train or drive?
Table of Contents
- Why I Love Comic-Con Week
- Our Comic-Con Plans This Year
- Planning My Cosplays for SDCC
- Figuring Out Transportation for SDCC
- Planning Our Comic-Con Schedule
- What’s Going in My Comic-Con Bag
- Things I’m Most Excited About
- Things I’m Still Deciding
- Final Thoughts
Why I Love Comic-Con Week
Comic-Con week is one of my favorite weeks of the year in San Diego.
Even if you don’t have a Comic-Con badge, downtown completely transforms into one giant nerd fest, and I absolutely love it.
The Gaslamp Quarter is full of people dressed as their favorite characters, brands take over entire buildings with interactive experiences, restaurants get into the spirit, and there’s just this energy that takes over downtown.
One of my favorite things to do is simply walk around.
We’ve done entire Comic-Con weekends without convention tickets where we dressed up, grabbed drinks, explored the off-site events, visited the giant brand activations, and just soaked everything in.
It’s such a fun atmosphere, and I think everyone should experience Comic-Con week at least once.
Our Comic-Con Plans This Year
This year we’re currently planning on going Thursday and Sunday, and hopefully Saturday too if everything works out.
The nice part about being local is that we don’t need a hotel, which saves us a ton of money.
We’re still deciding if we’re driving or taking the train downtown. Both have their pros and cons, so we’re working through the logistics now.
We also want to spend some evenings exploring the off-site events because they’re one of my favorite parts of Comic-Con.
I feel like every year there’s something new to discover.
Planning My Cosplays for SDCC
This has probably been the most exciting part of getting ready.
I haven’t really cosplayed in years.
My cosplay back in April was my first one in a very long time, so I’m slowly easing myself back into it.
I forgot how much I love creating costumes.
I just need to find my rhythm again.
Cosplay 1 – Artemis Darth Vader Bound
For one day, I’m doing more of a Disney-bound style outfit, except… not Disney.
I’m creating a casual bound inspired by Artemis Darth Vader from The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune.
I absolutely fell in love with her character while reading the book, and I thought it would be fun to create something inspired by her using regular clothes instead of a full costume.
I’m basically going for “cool 90s alien kid.”
If that makes sense.
Hahaha.
Cosplay 2 – Tinker Bell Sabrina Carpenter
Okay…
This one is a little ridiculous.
But I love it.
I was inspired by Sabrina Carpenter wearing the Bob Mackie dress that was originally designed for Cher.
BUT…
I wanted to recreate that look in green.
So…
I’m basically making Sabrina Carpenter dressed as Tinker Bell.
If that makes sense.
Anyway…
I’ve been DIYing everything myself, and while it’s been so much fun, I’m not going to lie…
I’m also completely terrified to wear it.
If I chicken out at the last minute, you can’t judge me.
Figuring Out Transportation for SDCC
One thing we’re still working on is transportation.
Since we’re local, we have options.
We can drive.
We can take the train.
We’re still trying to figure out what makes the most sense based on our schedule, parking, and how late we plan on staying downtown.
Planning Our Comic-Con Schedule
This is probably the section I’m most excited about because I’m such a planner.
I love details!
As soon as the Comic-Con schedule comes out, we’ll all sit down together and do a giant deep dive into the panels, booths, exclusives, and events we want to see.
We’ll probably stay together for most of the day, but I’m sure we’ll split up here and there depending on everyone’s interests.
That’s one thing I love about going with a group.
You can divide and conquer.
Then meet back up later and tell everyone what they found.
What’s Going in My Comic-Con Bag
I already know I’m going to want to pack absolutely everything.
The problem?
My bag has to match my outfit.
Priorities.
Hahaha.
So I’m pretty sure my husband is going to end up carrying the backpack while I carry the cute bag that matches my cosplay.
Teamwork.
Right now, here’s what’s definitely making its way into my Comic-Con bag:
- Reusable water bottle
- Portable phone charger
- Mini tripod
- Band-Aids
- Pain reliever
- Stomach medicine
- Snacks
- Reusable shopping bag for purchases
I already know this list is going to grow.
I’ll definitely be writing a full “What’s in My Comic-Con Bag” post after the event because i’m obsessed with sharing all the details.
Besides actually being at Comic-Con…
I’m excited to see everyone’s creativity.
Comic-Con is one of the few places where everyone fully commits.
The cosplay.
The excitement.
The fandoms.
The giant off-site experiences.
The exclusive merchandise.
It’s just such a fun community to be part of.
And I can’t wait to walk around downtown San Diego and feel like the entire city has turned into one giant celebration of books, movies, TV shows, comics, gaming, and creativity.
Things I’m Still Deciding
As prepared as I like to be…
There are still plenty of things I’m figuring out.
- Are we taking the train or driving?
- Are we adding Saturday?
- Will I actually wear my Tinker Bell cosplay?
- Which bag am I bringing?
- How many snacks is too many snacks?
(Trick question.)
There is no such thing.
Final Thoughts
Right now we’re still in the planning stage, but that’s where I thrive!
I love slowly watching everything come together.
The outfits. The schedule. The packing lists.
The excitement leading up to the event.
It’s all part of the experience for me.
I’ll be sharing plenty more Comic-Con content after the event, including what I packed, what actually ended up in my Comic-Con bag, our favorite moments, what worked, what I’d change next year, and hopefully lots of cosplay photos.
For now, I’m off to keep tweaking my packing list… and probably checking the Comic-Con schedule one more time.
Okay… maybe five more times.
XOXO,
Julia
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About the Author: Hey there! I’m Julia, a passionate theme park and travel writer. My love for theme parks has fueled my obsession with sharing tips and adventures for years. Join me as I uncover the magic of San Diego and beyond!
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