Even if you don't have a badge to Comic-Con this year, there are plenty of fun events and activities to participate in outside the San Diego Convention Center. See our list below of awesome 2025 Comic-Con activities where no badge is required. Fans in costume are always walking around downtown San Diego and are often happy to stop for a photo opp which makes fun, family memories!
Maybe/Maybe Not? We're on the fence about whether or not all of these events are family friendly, so we leave that to parental discretion. (We do our best to keep the list accurate, but sometimes events change without us knowing. Please understand if something listed is not 100 percent correct.)
Confirmed Activities for 2026
PAWmicon 2026
Location: Balboa Park, Presidents Way Lawn
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 21, 4:30–7 p.m.
Cost: Free to attend; registration is required only for the PAWSplay Costume Contest.
PAWmicon is Helen Woodward Animal Center’s pet cosplay celebration for families and fans. Enjoy a fun outdoor event featuring pets in costume, themed activities and the PAWSplay Costume Contest. Learn more at animalcenter.org/pawmicon.
Nintendo Switch 2 Gaming Experiences
Locations: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Demo: The Pointe at Hilton San Diego Bayfront, 1 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101
Brisk x Splatoon Raiders Island Hideout: Outside IGN’s Summer of Gaming Pavilion, corner of Sixth Ave. and Island Ave., downtown San Diego
Days and Hours: July 23–26;
Cost: Free. No Comic-Con badge required.
Nintendo is bringing new games and interactive fun to downtown San Diego during Comic-Con. Guests will be among the first in the U.S. to try the newly announced Nintendo Switch Sports Resort for the Nintendo Switch 2 system at The Pointe inside the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. The hands-on experience will feature four of the game’s 12 sports, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fans can also head to the Brisk x Splatoon Raiders Island Hideout, an interactive experience inspired by Splatoon Raiders and brought to life by BRISK™ Iced Tea. Guests can take on a Splatoon-inspired Ink ’n’ Aim Challenge, cool down at the BRISK™ bar, try a hands-on demo of Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2 and collect exclusive co-branded merchandise while supplies last.
Keep an eye out around downtown for a trolley wrapped in Splatoon Raiders graphics during Comic-Con week and have a chance to compete against The Rizzler in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, July 23: Between 1:30-3:30 p.m. PT in The Promenade at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.
Petco Park Interactive Zone
Location: Lexus Premier Lot, 58 11th Ave., San Diego, CA 92113
Dates & Times: July 22–26; opens daily at 10 a.m.
Cost: Free entry
The Petco Park Interactive Zone is a free, no-badge Comic-Con destination just across the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge from the Convention Center.
Step into MaruMart, an instant ramen activation designed to feel like a Japanese convenience store. Collectors can also visit the Labu’Tique Farmers Market to browse popular toys and plush collectibles. The Hello Kitty Café Truck returns with sweet treats and a fresh lineup of Hello Kitty favorites, including totes, hats, mugs, blankets, apparel and more. Stop by for a little shopping, a snack and a few delightful photos before heading back into the Comic-Con excitement.
Peanuts Pop-Up Featuring Super7
Location: 200 W. Harbor Drive, Suite 105, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23, noon–6 p.m.; July 24–25, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; July 26, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
super7.com/pages/peanuts-pop-up
Stop by this Peanuts-themed pop-up featuring Super7 for a playful plush puppy adoption-inspired experience. Fans can enjoy a dose of Snoopy fun, browse the themed installation and snap a few photos with beloved Peanuts characters during Comic-Con weekend.
Candy Land Café
Location: Bayside Kitchen + Bar, 2137 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: Through Oct. 4; Wednesdays–Sundays, with time slots from 3–10:15 p.m.
Cost: $30, plus fees
Skip reality for a sugar-coated world inspired by the classic board game. Your ticket includes a 90-minute seating, $10 in food credit and $5 in merchandise credit, plus a chance to wander through larger-than-life scenes inspired by Mr. Mint’s Peppermint Forest, King Kandy’s Castle and Jolly’s Gumdrop Mountains.
Hilton San Diego Bayfront – SDCC
Location: 1 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–26
Cost: Food and beverages available for purchase
Hilton San Diego Bayfront is getting into the Comic-Con spirit with themed drinks, family-friendly refreshers and a lobby photo opportunity for fans.
Super Fan Photobooth in the Lobby
Gather your superteam and strike a pose at the hotel’s lobby photo stop, a fun way to capture a Comic-Con memory.
Comic-Con Starbucks Exclusives
The hotel’s on-property Starbucks will offer limited-edition beverages inspired by Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, including the Wonka Bar Iced Caramel Latte, Turning Violet Mango Dragon Refresher and Golden Ticket Blended Tropical Guava Refresher.
Comic-Con Cocktails at Odysea Lounge
Odysea Lounge will serve comic-inspired cocktails all weekend, along with mocktails and child-friendly options for the whole family.
San Diego Public Library Comic-Con Activities
Location: San Diego Public Library locations, including Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–26; Cosplay Repair Station hours are July 23–24, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and July 25, 1–5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Celebrate Comic-Con with San Diego Public Library’s limited-edition Comic-Con Commemorative Library Card, available beginning July 23 at all 37 SDPL locations. The officially licensed card was illustrated by Keithan Jones of KID Comics. New library cards are free for California residents, and replacement card fees are waived for July 2026.
Cosplayers can stop by the free Cosplay Repair Station at the Central Library IDEA Lab for quick costume fixes and last-minute repairs.
FREE, printable Comic-Con Bingo Card
Keep track of your Comic-Con adventures with San Diego Family's FREE, printable Comic-Con Bingo Card!
Print it out and mark off 5 activities in a row or go for "Blackout Bingo" by marking off every square.
Nickelodeon’s Fun Flows Here
Location: The New Children’s Museum Park, 200 W. Island Ave., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–26; Family Movie Night is July 25, 7–9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Nickelodeon brings “Fun Flows Here” to downtown San Diego with a larger-than-life outdoor activation filled with nonstop play, photo ops and kid-at-heart nostalgia. Families can enjoy interactive stage shows hosted by Kids Imagine Nation, games and entertainment inspired by fan favorites like PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Thundermans and Star Trek: Scouts.
The free activation also includes character-inspired photo installations, hands-on activities, make-your-own slime, bubble play, live character-drawing demos, DJ sets, prize raffles and giveaways. Select fans may even get the chance to be slimed in Nickelodeon’s signature green goo. On Friday night, families can enjoy a special screening of The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
LAIKA’s Wildwood: The Forest is Calling Portal Experience
Location: Outside Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, 207 Fifth Ave., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–25, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; July 26, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Step into the world of LAIKA’s Wildwood at “The Forest is Calling Portal Experience,” an immersive walkthrough debuting at San Diego Comic-Con before heading on a nationwide tour. Guests will enter through the Wildwood Sigil and explore a handcrafted forest setting inspired by the film’s mysterious Impassable Wilderness.
Fans can look for story-inspired details, take part in an interactive journey to discover their Wildwood faction, and leave with a personalized digital photo and collectible keepsake.
Lumpia Con
Location: Gaslamp Lumpia Factory, 423 F St., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–25, 7 p.m.–midnight
Cost: Free to attend
Lumpia Con Headquarters returns to Gaslamp Lumpia Factory for three nights where fandom gets wrapped up with flavor. Expect pop-ups, artist events and community mixers celebrating Filipino American creativity, plus Thursday’s Sketch & Scratch with live drawing and music. On Friday, fans can meet Bobby Rubio and Doug Marcaida at a free meet-and-greet.
The Westgate Hotel Superhero Tea
Location: 1055 Second Ave., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 22–26; multiple daily seatings; reservations required
www.westgatehotel.com/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=superhero+tea
Cost: $95
Cape off your afternoon with a superhero tea at The Westgate Hotel, where high tea gets a heroic twist. Enjoy gourmet tea sandwiches, house-made pastries, signature desserts and premium tea, plus a supercharged photo opportunity.
PopUp Bagels at Pendry San Diego
Location: Pendry San Diego, 570 J St., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–26, 7 a.m. until sellout
Catch PopUp Bagels’ iconic Volkswagen bus outside Pendry San Diego and grab a taste of the bagel buzz everyone is talking about. Fresh-baked bagels, generous shmear and enough fuel to power you through a day of cosplay and Comic-Con adventures.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Nason’s Beer Hall
Location: Nason’s Beer Hall at Pendry San Diego, 570 J St., San Diego, CA 92101
Date & Time: July 24-25
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is swinging into town for an action-packed photo opportunity celebrating Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In partnership with Tom Holland’s premium non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO, guests can enjoy BERO in limited-edition Spider-Man: Brand New Day cans, snap immersive photos and keep an eye out for a special appearance by Spider-Man himself on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Donut Bar at Provisional Kitchen Patio
Location: Provisional Kitchen patio at Pendry San Diego, 570 J St., San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 23–26, beginning at 7 a.m.
Donut Bar is bringing the edible eye candy with character-themed donuts that deserve their own red-carpet reveal, along with crave-worthy pastries and savory bites.
Chuck Jones Gallery Comic-Con Pop-Up Gallery & Meet-and-Greets
Location: 809 W. Harbor Drive, E4-B, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates: July 23–25
Times: Vary; check with the gallery for appearance times
Cost: Free to visit
Hop over to the Chuck Jones Gallery in Seaport Village for a Comic-Con week lineup of original animation art, new releases and special artist appearances. Scheduled guests include Disney artist Steve Barton on Thursday, The Simpsons animator Stephen Reis on Friday, and animation director and fine artist Ben Olson on Saturday.
Kitties & Coffee at The Cat Café
Location: 302 Island Ave., #101, San Diego, CA 92101
Dates & Times: July 22–27, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; reservations recommended
www.catcafesd.com/events
Cost: $29.68
Need a break from the Comic-Con chaos? Make a reservation at The Cat Café, which includes 50 minutes with adoptable cats, a menu item, a little quiet time and plenty of purr-sonality from feline friends looking for their own happily ever after.
Find tips for attending Comic-Con with kids here: https://www.sandiegofamily.com/things-to-do/seasonal-happenings/how-to-attend-comic-con-kids.
Created by Marketing Director Michele Hancock, a lifelong fan of San Diego Comic-Con.
You never know who (or what) you'll run into during Comic-Con week!
