New York Comic Con 2019 - Saturday
photo by Amanda Hatfield

Reduced capacity New York Comic Con planned for 2021

While large-scale outdoor festivals seem poised to make a comeback this summer and fall after over a year of COVID shutdown, large indoor events remain more uncertain. Reed Pop, the company behind New York Comic Con and other conventions, including Miami Beach’s Florida Supercon, Chicago’s C2E2, and Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con, announced that they’ll be moving ahead with this year’s conventions, with restrictions in place. NYCC is scheduled for October 7-10 at Javits Center, where COVID vaccines are currently being given.

A letter from the Event Director reads, “Right now, we see a path forward for safe, amazing events that are going to look a bit different than usual, so that’s where we’re heading. Keep in mind what we communicate is subject to change as state and local guidelines are adjusted.”

They go on to elaborate on some of the planned changes:

We will be running all our shows with reduced capacity. With our new safety precautions in place, attendance and badges will be very limited so that we can ensure physical distancing. We’re working closely with each convention center to determine how many people are permitted in the building every day and at a given time.

We are requiring approved face coverings for all individuals attending our events, including our exhibitors and staff. They must be worn at all times within our venues. For more information, you can visit the FAQ pages on each of our show websites.

Temperature screening upon entry will be required to enter our events. Anyone with an elevated temperature will not be permitted to enter the event.

We will have increased sanitization and cleaning with enforced physical distancing throughout the event.

We have also adopted a firm no handshakes, no high-fives, no hugs policy. We’re all going to have to get very smooth and cool-looking at either the elbow bump or air high-fives. Please start practicing now.

In addition to the physical events, they’ll also be bringing back their virtual convention, Metaverse, from June 7-13.

More information, including badge onsale dates, is still to come. Stay tuned for that, and check out more pictures from Comic Con 2019 below.