Today, Comic-Con International (“CCI”) posted its guidelines for lining up for Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, which contained basically the same information they provide every year about what you can and can’t bring into line with you, and where you can use the restroom in the middle of the night. Also included in the article was CCI’s policy regarding the Hall H “Toucan Tracker” wristbands. The procedure seems to be mostly the same as in 2019, in that wristbands for each day are distributed the night before.
CCI began implementing a wristband system for lining up for Hall H at SDCC in 2014, and although the rules and details have changed slightly from year to year, ultimately, it is meant as a marker to indicate how likely you are to make it into Hall H for the first panel of each day. (Remember, Hall H does NOT clear the room between panels, so people can and will sit in the room for the entire day.) Typically what happens is that you will be given a color coded wristband with the letter A, B, C, or D, with each letter indicating approximately 1/4 of the room’s capacity. So if you get an A wristband, you know you’ll be in the first 1/4 of people who get into the room, and likely get a close seat, whereas if you get a D wristband, you’ll be among the last 1/4 of attendees let in, and be at the back of the room.
A new element that began in 2018 is that once you receive your wristband, a staff member will scan your badge. Then when you enter Hall H the next day, you’ll need to not only show your wristband, but also scan your badge. So if you passed your wristband off to someone else, or if someone is using a counterfeit wristband, they won’t be able to get in because their badge was not scanned to indicate that they received a wristband.
Backing up to the moment after you receive your wristband and have your badge scanned, you can either 1) stay in line, 2) have someone from your party stay in line and then you can come back and meet up with them later (before 7:30am the next day), or 3) your entire party can leave and will be allowed to return to the end of the wristband line as long as you return before 7:30am. Which means that if you only care about being in the room, rather than having a close spot, you can actually sleep in your nice, comfy hotel bed, rather than on concrete!
There are also designated times and locations for when wristbands will be handed out for the next day. Except for Wednesday night (when wristbands will be given out in the general Hall H line in Plaza Park), wristbands will be handed out at the Next Day Line (“NDL”), which is located behind the convention center, as seen on the map and in the picture below, along the marina. The distribution times and locations are as follows:
Wednesday, July 20 (for Thursday Hall H panels): 8:00pm in the general Hall H line in Plaza Park
Thursday, July 21 (for Friday Hall H panels): 7:15pm at the front of the NDL
Friday, July 22 (for Saturday Hall H panels): 9:15pm at the front of the NDL
Saturday, July 23 (for Sunday Hall H panels): 9:15pm at the front of the NDL
Like past years, you may save space in line for no more than 5 people, whether you’re in line waiting for a wristband, or already have a wristband. Anyone you save a spot for must have the correct color wristband — so someone with a D wristband wouldn’t be able to move up in line to join someone with an A wristband. (However, someone with an A wristband would be able to go further back in line to join someone with a D wristband.)
You can read more information and FAQs on the Toucan Blog.
