Two weeks after launching ticket sales, Los Angeles Comic Con has been officially cancelled this year.
LACC officials said California Governor Gavin Newsom forced the decision. On October 7, Newsom announced he would not provide reopening guidelines for theme parks. A statement from LACC reads:
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. So with that new direction from the State, we are rescheduling.
Both talent and tickets will roll over to the 2021 convention. Alternatively, tickets can also be refunded. People who bought LACC tickets will receive an email asking them to choose the roll-over or refund option. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even buy tickets for the 2021 event now.
On September 29, Chris DeMoulin, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment – LACC’s parent company – discussed plans to continue this year’s event. The statement came after many publicly questioned the choice to keep the event running in-person during COVID. Similar conventions in San Diego and New York moved to virtual events this year.
Today’s statement from LACC also reads:
We know some of you questioned WHY we were trying to have a show in 2020. It was solely because our fan and exhibitor surveys asked us to try. We made every effort to change our event so it could be both fun and safe, and were awaiting guidelines from the Governor to determine if that was possible. Without the guidelines, no one at LA County Department of Public Health or in the Mayor’s Office could approve, or reject, our event plans – we just didn’t know. Now we know, so we cancelled right away.
The next LA Comic Con arrives September 24 – 26, 2021.
