After Marvel’s Iron Fist panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 ended at 7pm, I headed over to get in line for the Fandom party, which was taking place at Float, the rooftop bar at the Hard Rock Hotel. When tickets became available online a few weeks prior, I had been quick enough to grab one for myself, but they were gone by the time I tried to get one for Josh. Only 300 tickets were made available to the general public, and they didn’t come with a plus one. So I had to go solo for this party, while Josh stayed behind and relaxed in our hotel room – which I think he actually might have preferred to do!
Upon exiting the convention center and making my way across the train tracks to the Gaslamp, I noticed a line wrapped around the back of the Hard Rock. As you do at Comic-Con, I walked up to the back of the line and asked what it was for. It was for Fandom. I had come to the right place.
The line moved slowly, but surely. We were told to have our invitation and a photo ID ready. Before we reached the stairs, a bouncer checked your ID to ensure you were 21+. Then at the top of the stairs was a table with several Fandom staff members checking your ID to make sure your name was on the list, and then giving you a wristband. I was in my Doctor Who cosplay wearing a blond wig, so the lady who checked me in joked, “Nope, can’t let you in, it’s a different hair color!” when she looked at my ID.
Up another flight of stairs was where the party was located. At the top was a Fandom banner, which a photographer was stationed in front of who would take your picture. To the left was the open bar and the free food area. The free food mainly consisted of sliders, wings, and a veggie tray. This was also where the stage was located, along with a couple of cornhole games set up to the side.
To the right was the VIP food area that was roped off. This area also contained the pool and hot tub, which were covered, as well as a shuffleboard and foosball.
If you ventured further back, there was a DJ, another open bar, and couch seating area. There were a few more food options over here as well, mostly salad-type options. In this area, you could look down from the roof at the convention center and down onto the Gaslamp area. They also had a neon face painting area set up.
I felt very out of place because I didn’t know anyone there. Even when I do know people, I’m very awkward at parties. I went and got some food and a drink. While in line for my drink, someone who was also cosplaying came up to me and seemed excited that they had found someone else at this party who was cosplaying, because he thought he was the only one.
Food and drink acquired, I looked for somewhere that I could set my stuff down so that I could eat and drink comfortably. All of the stand up tables were crowded in the area right by the food. I went to the other side and found a table that had a bit of empty space. There were a few people standing there talking, so I asked if it was okay if I squeezed in. Two of the guys didn’t acknowledge my existence. The other guy was wearing the Wonder Woman shirt from Hero Within, so I talked to him about that, since Josh has all the Hero Within DC shirts. But then he left after a couple minutes. A few girls came and filled the empty space, but a couple minutes later another girl came and told them that Chloe Bennet was at the party, so they all excitedly left to go find her.
After I finished eating, I just wandered around, taking in everything. Throughout my wandering, I got a few compliments on my cosplay. I made my way over to the stage, and someone approached me to compliment me on my cosplay, then proceeded to show me a photo on his phone – of him and Jodie Whittaker! The 13th Doctor herself! He was staying at the Hard Rock and happened to run into her in the elevator. He then pointed out that the guy standing a few feet away, that he had just been talking to, was Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords. So that was cool. Later I heard there were other celebrities at that party, but he was the only one I actually saw.
It was about 8:45pm by this point, and I had wanted to go to bed around 9:00pm, as we had planned to get in line for the Jack Ryan Experience at 5:00am the next morning. But just then, there was an announcement that Mark Ronson would be taking the stage in just a few minutes. I hoped that “a few minutes” meant like 5 minutes, rather than 30 minutes. Because I wanted to stay for at least one song. Thankfully, the set did in fact start about 5 minutes later. Luckily, it was a song I knew, and the song that he is best known for: Uptown Funk! I livestreamed a little bit of it with my phone, but I guess the connection wasn’t that great because it came out pixelated. Ah well.
Mark Ronson at @GetFandom party #SDCC https://t.co/lf3RkBkSiY
— GB Reviews missing SDCC (@gb_reviews) July 20, 2018
After the song ended, I walked back to our hotel and went to sleep not long after 9:00pm. Yeah, I know, I’m such a party animal! The Fandom party was pretty cool, but I probably would have had more fun if I hadn’t been alone, or if I were more of an extrovert. In any case, I’m glad I at least got to check out this party which so many people hail as one of the best parties at SDCC!
But I’m also glad I left early, because we had a loooong Friday ahead of us. Click here to continue to our article about the Jack Ryan Experience!
