With both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA on strike, San Diego Comic-Con will obviously look pretty different this year. But one thing remains ever present: fan activations. Worry not, because those are as plentiful as ever.
With each activation, fans will be able to effectively enter the fictional worlds they’ve come to love on TV, from animated shows, to period pieces, to thrillers. It can be hard to keep track of them all though, so we went ahead and rounded them up for you.
Check out the free activations available below.
The Lodge: Paramount+ Experience
Wednesday-Sunday at Happy Does Bar (340 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter)
The Lodge returns to SDCC this year, taking fans into the worlds of eight Paramount+ shows.
According to the streamer, The Lodge will drop fans into “an ultimate ‘mountain lodge’ experience,” that spans “through a variety of photo moments and themed decor inspired by some of the summer’s biggest titles, including ‘Good Burger,’ ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ ‘Yellowjackets,’ ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ and more.”
Themed refreshments will be served, allowing you to munch on sliders from the “Good Burger” counter and sip cocktails crafted at the “1923” speakeasy.
FX World’s Between Day and Night Fan Experience
Thursday-Sunday on The Hilton Bayfront Park lawn
Fans of various FX series will be able to explore a “playground filled with intrigue, mystery and drama” at the Hilton Bayfront Park this year. Per the official logline, “Guests will travel throughout ‘Shōgun’s’ historic Edo period Japan and encounter a dark murder mystery in ‘A Murder at the End of the World,’ check into an ‘AHS’-inspired wellness clinic, and transform every day into SUN-day funday with ‘What We Do in the Shadows.’”
NBC ‘Quantum Leap’ Activation
Thursday-Sunday (170 Sixth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter)
Don’t let the name fool you, this activation isn’t just for “Quantum Leap.” According to NBC, this fan activation will take attendees on “time leaps” into some NBC favorites, including “The Voice,” the “Law & Order” franchise, and “Chucky.”
Hulu Animayhem: Enter the 2nd Dimension
Thursday-Saturday at the Hilton Bayfront parking lot
Hulu is traveling interdimensionally for their SDCC activation this year. At their “animayhem” stop, fans will be able to step into locations from “Solar Opposites,” “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Futurama,” “American Dad,” “The Great North” and “Archer.”
According to Hulu, the network is “setting themselves apart from the SDCC crowd by using 2D drawing styles and optical illusions to create a 3D activation that feels comically flat and delightfully out-of-whack – just like the Hulu Animayhem shows fans know and love.”
Adult Swim
Thursday-Saturday outside the convention center (5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way)
Adult Swim’s Festival on the Green is one of the most packed fan experiences, featuring a DJ, comedy sets, and more. Of course, it will also spotlight some of Adult Swim’s hit shows, including “Smiling Friends.”
Fans can check it out just outside the convention center.
Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe Experience
Thursday-Saturday at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel terrace (401 K Street)
AMC is taking fans into Anne Rice’s world with their activation, offering a tour of “The Street of Immortality,” a New Orleans-inspired immersive experience with several photo and video opportunities along the route.
According to the official description, “Attendees will recognize some iconic locations from ‘Interview With the Vampire’ (like Hotel Iberville and Nawlins Records), and immerse themselves in Anne Rice’s universe, inspired by ‘Interview With the Vampire’ and ‘Mayfair Witches.’”
Along the way, they encounter Storyville residents, and collect exclusive souvenirs and limited-edition premiums, including a mocktail called “The Elixir of Immortality” and “some surprise-and-delight moments inspired by the universe.”