The con exhibitor moved two of its most prominent shows, Emerald City Comic Con and Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, to December 2021.
Courtesy of ReedPOP
It may not be the news some fans were hoping for, but there’s finally some clarity for large comic book conventions set to take place amid the COVID-19 pandemic heading in 2021. ReedPOP, a mega producer of pop-culture and comic conventions, has moved two of its biggest annual shows — Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) and Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) — from March 2021 to December of next year.
Next year’s installment of ECCC will run from Dec. 2-5 in Seattle, while C2E2 will be held Dec. 10-12 in Chicago. The schedule change was announced Tuesday, the day after news broke that the COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer has been developing with BioNTech has had encouraging results thus far, and will soon likely be approved and in bulk production, making it a realistic possibility that most Americans who seek a vaccine will be able to get one next year.
ECCC, the largest draw among cons in the Pacific Northwest, was initially slated for March 4-7. It’ll take place at the Washington State Convention Center, which has hosted the show for more than a decade. This year’s Seattle con was postponed and later canceled due to the pandemic, while the 2019 installment had nearly 100,000 attendees, according to ReedPOP.
Unlike ECCC, this year’s C2E2 was held in Chicago with approximately 95,000 attendees back on Feb. 28-March 1. It was held just before state and nationwide lockdown orders went into effect. Even though COVID restrictions have since been eased in many states, no major in-person comic cons have taken place since the most recent C2E2.
C2E2, considered the Midwest's premier comic book convention, is held annually at McCormick Place in Chicago, adjacent to Lake Michigan. The first C2E2 took place in April 2010.
“If we have learned anything from our experiences this year, it’s how resilient our fans, creators, exhibitors and sponsors are,” ReedPOP president Lance Fensterman said in a press release. “We’ve come together to support and uplift one another, adapting to our new normal to create meaningful experiences that capture the community and excitement felt at any one of our shows. Now we’re ready to look forward to 2021, and gearing up to bring you the best slate of comic con events possible, both in the real and virtual world.”
ReedPOP has given no indication as to when its next New York Comic Con will take place. During the pandemic, the exhibitor has been hosting virtual events called Metaverse, with another one planned for next spring.
For more information about next year’s ECCC, click here. For additional details about C2E2, click here.
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