San Diego Comic Con vs. New York Comic Con - What's The Difference?

If someone asked you to name a comic-con, it's likely that some of the first conventions that came to mind were San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and New York Comic Con (NYCC).

These comic-cons have taken over the United States, dominating the comic-con scene and becoming the two largest conventions to date. In 2018, the two conventions brought in over 300,000 people combined, with SDCC bringing in over 130,000 guests for the four-day convention period and NYCC bringing in over 250,000 guests for the four-day convention period.

Calling SDCC and NYCC "big comic-cons" is an understatement, to say the least. They're something phenomenal to experience in person due to their size and sheer amount of dedicated fans.

But what's the difference between the two?

Aside from their locations, SDCC being in San Diego, California and NYCC being in New York City, New York, there are some drastic differences that separate these comic-cons from one another. NYCC isn't just a "copy-paste" of SDCC, nor is SDCC that of NYCC. The two are unique and in order to figure out which one to go to, you need to know the differences.

For starters, SDCC is a non-profit comic-con that has been established since 1970. In fact, SDCC was the first ever comic-con to be established in the United States. Meanwhile, NYCC was established in 2006 and is currently owned by ReedPOP. If you're going for history and the feeling of being a part of comic-con's ultimate beginning, SDCC is the way to go.

Honing in on what's actually different with the experiences of both comic-cons is derived from three major aspects of the events: the panels, the celebrity guests, and the amount of exhibits.

While both SDCC and NYCC have panels, the size and importance of the panels differ between the comic-cons. NYCC has panels for television shows, literature, and sometimes films but they're considered small when compared to the panels of SDCC.

SDCC is practically known for the panels, held at Hall H. These panels are hosted by popular films companies, such as Marvel, DC, Warner Bro's, and many more. Directors of films come out to announce their new projects while also inviting the actors with them. The panels typically last about an hour and are usually the first place where new films are announced from these companies.

To put the scale of the panels at SDCC into perspective, let's look at the Marvel Studios panel at SDCC 2019. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, announced every single project of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's phase 4 plan. For all of the film and television show announcements, the main actors of that project, and even the directors for some, came on stage and discussed the film. Something that grand has never been done at NYCC in the 14 years it has been around.

SDCC is a hub for Hollywood. Perhaps it's the close proximity that allows SDCC to have taken charge of the film announcement scene. It's easy for the stars and directors to access. For that reason, if you're looking for panels and film announcements, SDCC is the comic-con to go to.

But if taking pictures with the stars of those fantastic panels is what you're looking for, don't hold your breath. As of 2019, SDCC has not offered any photo opportunities with the celebrities that attend their panels. So, sure, Chris Hemsworth may be discussing the details for the next Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, but that doesn't mean you'll have the chance to meet him.

NYCC, however, offers guests the opportunities to purchase photo op and autograph tickets for celebrity guests. While not every panel guest ends up doing these meet-and-greet sessions (and not every celebrity that is meeting-and-greeting will do panels), you have the chance to snag an autograph from some select celebrity guests while chatting with them at the same time.

Recently, NYCC has had some pretty strong celebrity guests at their convention for meet-and-greets. In 2019, Tom Hiddleston and Paul Rudd were headlining guests that did both photo ops and autograph sessions. Some other famous faces that met up with fans through photo ops and autograph signings included Benedict Wong, Christopher Eccleston, and Sean Astin.

Lastly, one of the biggest differences between NYCC and SDCC is the events. SDCC is a much larger and much more established comic-con, meaning that there are bound to be more events that take place. SDCC isn't contained to a single building. In fact, most of San Diego shuts down in celebration of comic-con.

There are simply so many exhibits, panels, and vendors that SDCC has to expand outside of the main building for a decent amount of their offered events. There are a handful of off-sight events that take place for SDCC, so be sure to keep in mind that your favorite panel might not be taking place in the main event center.

While NYCC stretches out to some other buildings in the area, most of the activity is contained within the Javits Center. You can tackle all of your main shopping, big panels, and celebrity meet-and-greets here. Some more smaller panels, such as gaming demonstrations and Twitch streaming sessions, will take place at venues outside of the event center.

For both NYCC and SDCC, stay updated with where your desired event is taking place so you have time to make arrangements for travel and avoid scheduling conflicts.

While both of these comic-cons are massive, there are a few distinct differences between them. Of course, different artists and vendors will show up at these shows, but the major separations between them revolve around the panels, the meet-and-greets, and the number of offsite events. So next time you're ready to pack a bag and hop on a plane, be sure to keep in mind the differences between the west coast spectacular of SDCC and the east coast extravaganza of NYCC.