SDCC announces 2027 dates, plans to increase programming at Comic-Con Museum

As San Diego Comic-Con ended Sunday, officials announced plans to do more programming at the Comic-Con Museum to entertain fans year-round.

The museum will launch Con-style panel programming that will take submissions from fans, said Senior Director of Programming Eddie Ibrahim. The goal is to have multiple panels in one day.

“Our hope is to get it started this year,” he said. No details on the submission process have been announced.

The museum, located in Balboa Park, introduced a new exhibit on Sunday — “Center Stage: The Art of Mel Marcelo,” showcasing the late San Diego artist’s work.

Marcelo, who passed away in 2022, specialized in original work created for historic concerts, sporting events, and cultural moments hosted at Pechanga Arena throughout the venue’s 60-year history.

The exhibition is up now and is running through March 2027. The arena is sponsoring the exhibition, which showcases about 20 of his pieces. Some of the pieces have been in storage and out of public view.

“This is crazy, that this has never been on display,” said Taylor Henderson, Pechanga’s director of marketing and public relations.

Sunday marked the end of the annual pop culture convention, capping a star-studded week.

Marvel Studios brought the big star power on Saturday night with a presentation featuring actors from the upcoming blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday.” The event generated massive lines to get into Hall H for the presentation. Some fans complained that they were unable to get into the hall.

Fans crowded around downtown noticed that the giant Gaslamp sign on Fifth Avenue was covered over with a sign promoting the film, which comes out on Dec. 18.

Meanwhile, studios and companies tried to outdo each other with elaborate offsite displays, referred to as activations.

Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” programming block set up a carnival with a spinning bucket ride, a mechanical bull-type ride and a small miniature golf course to promote its shows.

At the New Children’s Museum, Nickelodeon set up a slime station to douse fans with the ugly green slime the network is known for dumping on celebrities and guests on its shows.

As usual, there were surprises, including a pop-up concert at Gallagher Square at Petco Park by Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day.

As for next year, the dates have already been announced for Comic-Con. It will be held July 22-25, 2027, with a preview night on July 21. Registration for returning fans is scheduled for Oct. 17 and open registration is Nov. 14.