Comic-Con International recently announced that badges for Comic-Con Special Edition will go on sale at 11:00am PDT on Saturday, September 25, 2021. Comic-Con Special Edition is an in-person event which will take place at the San Diego Convention Center Friday, November 26 through Sunday, November 28, 2021. It is not San Diego Comic-Con (which took place virtually this year), but a separate event on a much smaller scale, organized by the same company. Below is some important information you should know if you would like to attend.
- Confirm your Comic-Con Member ID. You will need a confirmed Comic-Con Member ID in order to participate in the badge sale for Comic-Con Special Edition. If you do not yet have a Comic-Con Member ID, click here to sign up for one (it’s free!) and make sure you confirm your email address.
- Enter the waiting room sometime after 10:00am PDT and before 11:00am PDT. You will receive a link to the waiting room via email at least 48 hours in advance of the badge sale, or you will also be able to find it by logging into your Member ID account. Arriving early to the waiting room does not give you priority over those that arrive later, as it is all randomized when the badge sale begins at 11:00am PDT. Just make sure you log into the waiting room before 11:00am PT, or else you will be placed at the end of the line. Although a personal registration code has been required in the past for SDCC badge sales, no registration code will be required for the CCSE badge sale.
- You can buy badges for yourself and others. You can buy badges for up to three people, which includes yourself and two other people. Make sure you have everyone’s last names and confirmed Member IDs. If it so happens that someone else buys your badge before you get into a registration session, you will still be able to purchase for three other people if you get into a registration session later. In this case, enter the last name and Member ID of one of the other people for which you are buying a badge, because if you enter your own info, the system will identify you as already having a badge, and you will not be able to proceed using that information.
- Review Badge Purchase Instructions. If you have purchased SDCC badges in the past, the purchase page may look a little different this time around. CCI has put together a visual guide for purchasing badges to CCSE, so take a look and become familiar with the process ahead of time.
- Free up funds on your credit card. You can only use one credit card to make the purchase, so make sure you have enough money available to cover the cost of all the badges you’ll be buying. Only Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted as payment. See badge pricing below:
Note that single day badges are not available, and you will only be able to buy 3-Day badges. - Use a desktop or laptop computer. The registration process may not work correctly on a mobile device or tablet.
- Turn off your computer’s power save mode. While in the waiting room, you might be sitting at your computer for a significant amount of time without doing anything. You don’t want your computer to power down during this time!
- Check your browser settings. Make sure JavaScript and cookies are enabled in order to ensure that the waiting room will function properly.
- Don’t use multiple browser tabs. Speaking of browsers, don’t use multiple tabs within the same browser, as it will confuse the system. However, you can open separate browsers, meaning one Chrome browser, one Firefox browser, etc.
- DO NOT REFRESH. DO NOT USE THE “BACK” BUTTON. This could severely interrupt your registration session and cause you to lose out on your badges.
- Badges will not be shipped. Although CCI typically ships SDCC and WonderCon badges to U.S. addresses, no badges will be shipped for CCSE. You will need to pick up your badges on site. CCI recommends that you pick up your badge on Tuesday, November 23 or Wednesday, November 24, if possible, to avoid long lines and wait times.
- Be aware of safety protocols. Everyone attending CCSE will be required to wear an approved face covering regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Click here to review the mask guidelines. Additionally, you will be required to show evidence of full vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of each day that you attend CCSE in order for entry. These rules apply not only to attendees, but also to exhibitors, guests, staff, press, professionals, volunteers, and cosplayers. Click here to review the CCSE COVID-19 policy or you can also click here for the COVID-19 Policy FAQ.
- Bonus! If you purchase an attendee badge for CCSE, you will be eligible for Returning Registration for SDCC 2023! That means you will be able to participate not only in Open Registration, which is open to anyone with a Comic-Con Member ID, but you will first be eligible to participate in Returning Registration, in which you typically have a higher chance of scoring a badge. Usually, you are only eligible for Returning Registration if you purchased an attendee badge for the previous SDCC. However, if you do not already have a badge for SDCC 2022, by purchasing a badge for CCSE, you will be treated as if you did when it comes to Returning Registration eligibility for SDCC 2023.
- Review Comic-Con’s website and their Toucan Blog for more information. Comic-Con’s website has more information about the CCSE Badge Sale, a CCSE Badge FAQ, as well as Terms and Conditions for purchasing and using a CCSE badge. Also be sure to check out CCI’s Toucan Blog for special announcements about CCSE.
