The 2020 edition of Los Angeles Comic Con has been canceled, the latest in a wave of entertainment events to either postpone or call off plans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comikaze Entertainment, the organizers of the event, had originally postponed L.A. Comic Con from September to Dec. 11–13, and were moving forward with selling tickets for the in-person event held at the L.A. convention center. But after governor Gavin Newsom declined last week to announce reopening guidelines for theme parks, the L.A. Comic Con organizers say they had to reschedule.
“Without guidelines, there is no way for LA County, the City, or event organizers like us to know if the plans and changes we made to be safe will be right, or enough,” the organizers said in their announcement. “So with that new direction from the State, we are rescheduling.”
Organizers also announced that the 2021 LA Comic Con has been set for Sept. 24–26 next year. All tickets purchased for 2020 will roll over to 2021 unless ticket-buyers request a refund. Similarly, talent booked for the 2020 convention have been pushed to 2021, including appearances by “Shazam!” star Zachary Levi and “Smallville” star Tom Welling.
Comikaze’s earlier decision to move forward with plans to hold L.A. Comic Con in person drew skepticism, since several other major fan conventions — including San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con — canceled their 2020 events and moved to an all-virtual format. In their cancelation announcement, Comikaze said they tried to maintain a physical event “because our fan and exhibitor surveys asked us to try.” Until Gov. Newsom made clear he was in no rush to allow theme parks and other live events to reopen, organizers said they were simply awaiting guidelines from the state about how to proceed safely.
There was no indication that L.A. Comic Con will hold any virtual events for 2020.
