Held every year from Thursday to Sunday at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the far west side of Manhattan, all your favorite comic characters come together to experience New York Comic Con.
This year was my first time attending NYCC and I had the best time! It was a great way to get Halloween costume inspiration and meet some famous people for a rather inexpensive cost. At times I did get tired, and hungry, and annoyed when people kept walking too slow (must be the New Yorker in me) but in the end it wasn’t half-bad. And because I survived three days of this event, I feel I have accumulated enough knowledge and experience to tell you how to plan for NYCC and what to expect when you get there.
Your first challenge will be scoring the tickets, and let me tell you; it’s no picnic. Since the event has become more popular in recent years, tickets have become harder to get. First you have to fill out a profile, then wait to be notified of when the tickets are going to go on sale. Once they are on sale you are put into a virtual waiting room, etc. When you get to that waiting room you’ll most likely see tickets fly off the virtual shelves and start to think you have no chance at buying them. Don’t worry, it is not impossible. I managed to snag a few one-day tickets (a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Unfortunately, this did cost me a little more money than just buying the 3 day ticket would have.
Once you have purchase your tickets, you’ll want to make sure you get them sent to your current home–you do not want to be one of those people who has to pick up their ticket on the day of the convention. When your tickets come in the mail make sure to activate them online so you can just walk right in and not wait (I will explain the entrance into the venue shortly).
The least busy days are Thursday, opening day, and Sunday afternoon, when it ends. Friday is pretty busy, since that’s when basically all the panels are and when famous people come and Saturday is the busiest, because that’s when everyone has off from school/work and famous people are there. When you should go really just depends on what you want to see and do there. For example, if you are just interested in buying stuff, then Thursday is the best day to go since it isn’t super busy.
(And this isn’t even one of the busy days)
The most important advice I can give anyone is to be prepared. If you’ve never been to a convention or mosh pit concert before this might take you by surprise. But don’t be too worried, you’ll find that people tend to exaggerate the craziness of the event online.
Here are the essentials you’ll need:
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Lines for food are long and food is expensive, so make sure to bring your own food and water.
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Bring plenty of cash if you are planning on buying stuff or purchasing last minute autographs. Most vendors only accept cash and you probably don’t want to give out your credit card information.
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Make sure to bring your phone and an extra battery pack. Your battery will drain because you’ll be bored waiting in lines and most likely snapchatting everything you see.
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If you have a ticket for autographing or photo-ops make sure you print it out and put it in your bag.
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Wear good sneakers, your feet will hurt from all the standing and walking around.
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Any other purse essentials (tissues, chapstick, advil).
(You will have plenty of photo-ops with your favorite cos-play characters!)
Day of: Make sure you get a good night’s sleep and eat a big breakfast–you’ll need the energy to make through the day. Once you get to the convention, walk to the sign for people who already have badges and walk through the gates. Don’t bother waiting in any lines unless you get there way before it opens or if you want to reserve your seat for a panel happening at the convention. I personally got there at 12:00 pm and just walked right in. There is security, so be prepared for them to check your bag.
(This is a more accurate depiction of the crowds)
Once you get in, walk around a little bit and explore to get your bearings. If you want to go see a panel in the Javits Center, good luck. You’ll have better odds at one of the off site venues. Your best bet is to sit through the previous one or get there an hour early to ensure you’ll have a seat since they do not clear the room between panels. I went to an offsite panel to see Jennifer Morrison and I got a front row seat! It was a great experience, she was really down to earth and just an overall amazing actor.
If you have a Photo-op, your ticket might say only arrive 15 minutes ahead of time, ignore that. Get there at least 30 minutes in advance, and for someone super popular, get there 45 minutes ahead as they sometimes cap the lines. Most of the actors are really nice–I got a photo-op with Evangeline Lily and she was super sweet. Autograph lines are also pretty crazy and since you are not guaranteed to get an autograph, I would also recommend getting there early.
As for shopping, just roam around and see what you like. There is tons of stuff sold by many vendors. Personally I am not particularly into buying the kind of stuff sold at the convention but I did get a nice t-shirt and some decals for my laptop.
(Pictured: Jennifer Morrison and the two writers of her show Once Upon a Time)
Overall, I had a great time. After Friday and Saturday however, I was completely worn out and ended up only doing a quick photo-op in the morning on Sunday and leaving right after. What I will say this is that this is a one and done event, you don’t really need to go more than once unless an actor you really want to meet is going. Still, you should definitely try and go to NYCC at least one time during your time at NYU. Trust me, it’s an experience you won’t want to miss.
(And the cast of PLL was there!)