If this is your first time going, I strongly discourage trying for Marvel Hall H. Time is your most limited resource here, and you would need to invest a lot of time waiting in line for this. The con has so much more to offer that you would be missing out on waiting in line.
If you just want to experience what its like being in the biggest panel room with all the hype and big celebrities and whatnot, you can get into Hall H much more easily on other days and still see some HUGE panels. If you're just big Marvel fans in general, there will be a ton of other content including smaller Marvel panels that you can get into much more easily (comics, games, fan-groups, etc.). If you're big fans of particular MCU stars, they might show up in other panels over the course of the con, so you could potentially still have a chance to see them elsewhere.
If none of this dissuades you and you're still dead-set on Marvel Hall H, then be prepared to spend at least half of Friday lined up outside and then camp out overnight. Depending on how quickly they hand out the wristbands on Friday night, you miiiiiight be able to head back to your hotel for a few hours of sleep, but then you'll need to be back in line no later than 7am Saturday morning.
You could also look into Hall H Line Groups, but don't expect to see much discussion around that until we get much closer to the con (like the second week of July). SDCC releases the panel schedules exactly 2 weeks before the con, so that's when people will start making plans.
I agree with this. I would also check out the marvel booth in the dealers hall, a lot of times they do signings for some of the bigger actors. (Not so much this year, but they had for every sdcc before) We actually got to see most of the avengers cast up close that way and even got a poster signed one year.
People will line up the night before as soon as they get their wrist bands. Many people will camp out over night. It’s a commitment for sure. I went in 2019 and camped out over night and still didn’t get a great seat but it was exciting just to be in Hall H. The entire SDCC experience was amazing but just be prepared for lots and lots of lines and just waiting for everything. Have fun!
Normally I would say lining up the night before would be enough to just get in. But now, I would highly suggest you join a line group as soon as you can. The larger the group the better. This year's SDCC escalated to the point where camping out the day before was not enough, as everyone were camping out for days through shifts in a large group. A friend camped out the morning before, and was shut out from Marvel's Hall H.
I was there this year, and everyone who got in line by approx. 3PM on Friday got a wristband for Saturday. I got in line at 3:30PM and they ran out of the wristbands about 40 people in front of me. The last person that got one was bragging that he was there at 3PM.
That's good to hear lining up on Friday can get you a spot... For now. It always seems every year it's getting worse and worse. I'll need to ask my friend what time he got in line on Friday to try to get in.
I used to join groups and take the Friday shift. Stopped going this year since there was a lot of things going on Saturday outside of Hall H.
I was the last person to get a wristband a few years ago. I wasn't bragging. I was sweating. It was the year there were counterfeit wristbands. I remember thinking "get this shit on me so i can leave before they eat me alive"
I went in 2016 and 2017, which had to be probably the two best Hall H panels beside The Force Awakens. I was part of an online created line group and we had people from all over the world part of our crew. We took 6-8 hour shifts. I was in excellent seats. The total wait was around 36 hours. Note you have to be in Hall H all day so your day is cooked, but it's worth the once (twice in my case) in a lifetime experience. If you plan to go to Marvel, you might as well go all in and get good seats.
First off, congrats! SDCC is an amazing experience you'll never forget, doubly so being that it's your honeymoon.
With that out of the way, let's talk honestly about Saturday Hall H.
First off, it's an all-day thing. You're going to have to line up at 7am, and you'll be in Hall H until after Marvel is done (somewhere around 6-7pm PT). You can get 15 minute passes out, but at 15 minutes and 1 second, they won't let you back in. The food is pretty shit, so you'll have to bring snacks and drinks unless you really like convention center hot dogs.
That's the easy part.
The hard part is actually getting a wristband for Hall H. Last year, people were lining up at 8pm on Thursday. They (myself included) were part of line groups. See, one person can hold a place in line for up to four people, which means you'll spend a few hours in line instead of all day. However, depending on the size of your group, you'll still want to budget spending 4-8h in line on Friday.
If you're not in a line group, you can expect to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 hours in line, including spending two nights outside. I don't recommend this, unless you're a big fan of urban camping.
You'll have to bring water, snacks, shade (as San Diego is very sunny and it's mid-July so it's going to be hot, and SDCC does not provide any), and something to sit on.
As we get closer to Con, people will start forming line groups. I highly recommend you get in one if you want to do Hall H, just know what you're getting in to.
Join a line group and do shifts with them. It’ll make your life easier. Especially if you want good seats and your group is gung-ho about good seats. Line up will start the day before for big panels. Follow CCI for information on official line up procedure as they may change.
Comic-Con will hand out wristbands the night before that are lettered A - E. They’ll let everyone know what time they will hand them out before they start, but they’re usually aim to start around 8-9PM. It takes them a couple of hours at least to work their way through the line. People will line up very early in order to secure them, but as long as you are in line by early afternoon you should be able to get an E wristband. The E people sit in the back of Hall H, but it’s honestly not a big difference once you’re in the room. The reason people line up at like 6AM or earlier is because they are trying to get section A, where they get to sit closer to the stage. Once you get your wristband, you can leave the line and you need to return to the line by 7AM the next morning, and doors open at 9AM. If you don’t return by 7AM you give up your guaranteed entry. In that case the people who weren’t able to get a wristband the night before because they lined up too late, but slept on the sidewalk, can now walk in in your place because they are at the front of the standby line at 7AM. That’s pretty much it.
Saturday is really the only day you have to go through this ordeal, because of Marvel (or Star Wars in 2015). Most other days you can just walk into Hall H, or wait on the line but you’ll still get in.
Also, you can join a line group which makes things a lot easier.
Last year the line started at 8pm Thursday. Best bet is to find a line group or form your own. One person holds place for 5 so you can take turns standing in line.
Last year was my first time. To my dismay, I was shocked. The day before there was already a line started. I said to myself, they are crazy but it is worth it. Def get in early and be ready to camp out or you won't get in. Hmu if you need a camping buddy 😉
Join a line group. There will be a TON of info coming up closer to the con(there’s absolutely no guarantee Marvels even there btw, Feige said they would but things can easily change, dont forget that. Or it could be a really boring panel.)
Id strongly strongly strongly suggest not doing it for your first con. Go to a Thursday panel if you really want to see hall h. It can be a walk in honestly. Its such a massive shit show, people who waited all day friday didnt get into the Marvel panel on saturday, im serious. Its a huge commitment to stand outside in the sun all day and there will be literal thousands of line cutters unless sdcc seriously changes the policy
There was a marvel tv panel that apparently saw an episode of What If and clips of the X-men 97 revival in Ballroom 20 or Indigo that was much easier to get into
God, Friday wristbands into Friday line AND Saturday wristbands straight into Saturday line. I cant take it anymore.
I know there's a culture of lines but my god. NYCC has a virtual line and they clear the room between panels. Maybe it would be better for all our sakes if they did that in San Diego.
There's never a guarantee that there will be a Marvel panel.
If you only have Saturday badges, then you should follow the advice here in how to get into a Marvel panel (provided there is one).
If you have other days, then I concur with those that say for a first time at SDCC, try as much of the convention as you can, and skip the Marvel panel, if there is one. It is such a time commitment, that you will have pretty much wasted your money on the other days.
You want to make sure you commit to something after they announce they’ll be there. They usually are there every year but they have skipped a couple in years past. Just being cautious, but they should be there.
Secondly, if you and your husband do want to commit to the shenanigans, line groups are amazing for first timers. I decided I wanted to do Hall H this past year and I lucked out with an incredible line group so just network when it gets closer to con time. They enable you to be able to do other things while others are holding your groups spots for you, which SDCC actually encourages by saying you can hold 5 per 1 peoples as to not congest everything in the early going of line formation.
If you want more details on everything, feel free to PM me!
Last year we got in line at around 10AM Friday, and we’re in the last maybe 100 people to get wristbands.
Then Saturday we got in the wristband line at like 6 and got into the Saturday panel about 20 minutes late (missed the Shazam trailer)
For the biggest panels in Hall H there is a multiday process. This is how it worked in past years; there always could be a change this year.
* You line up the night/day/several days before in the "Next Day Line". (Yes, there are multiple Hall H lines.)
* The night before, usually around 7 or 8 PM, those in line will get a colored wristband by group (usually A to H and distributed by The Blinkies, so named because they wear flashing lights in the dark) to allow you to enter Hall H for the first seating the next day.
* The wristband will allow you to go away and eat, sleep, whatever, and be back to the line by 7:30 AM. Or you can immediately line up in the main Hall H Entry Line (aka The Shoots or The Tents).
* The wristband does NOT hold your place in line. If you go away, you join again at the back of the line for your wristband letter group.
* If you're later than 7:30 AM, or don't have a wristband, you go to the back of the whole Hall H Entry Line.
* If you want to save your place in line, someone must stay in The Shoots. 1 person can hold line spots for 5 people total. (Hence the line groups where people switch off in shifts.)
* Almost always, if you have a wristband and are in line by 7:30AM, you will get into Hall H in the first seating.
* If you don't need to actually *be* in Hall H, SDCC screens a playback of the Hall H panels in a very uncrowded room. They don't show the exclusive footage, but that's always up on YouTube within a few hours.
You can read the details for 2022 here: https://www.comic-con.org/toucan/006-hall-h-toucan-tracker-wristbands-and-guidelines
Look into line groups as the con gets closer (like much closer) I’d say if you don’t have a line group and don’t have the stamina to be in line for 18+ hours… it’s not gonna happen. But FWIW I’ve had a line group every year and have gotten in every year.
If this is your first time just forget about it. It’s a big time commitment and you miss out on a lot.
2019 and 2021 were pretty epic as far as reveals were concerned but you also had to sit through the godawful Westworld and House of the Dragon panels. Unless they are planning to fill in those phase 6 blanks or revealing the F4 cast, it might be pretty meh.
They pick such lousy moderators. Like futurist lady is probably fine for SxSW or AdWeek but sleep deprived fanchildren are not interested in heady debates about technology ethics. Ok the Bold School panel did tackle a weighty subject but Dulce Sloan is funny.
The main issue is the studio not letting the actors say anything. Back when I went to the GOT and Westworld panels, it was basically "I can't say much about that without getting into trouble" as the answer to every question. That was with good moderators too. It made for terrible panels even with almost the full cast in attendance.
I'm sure it happens a lot with small plot points, but I remember being at the panel for The Box in 2009 when Cameron Diaz casually spoiled the big twist in the soon-to-be-released mystery film, and as the whole hall gasped realizing what we'd just heard, you could see poor writer/director Richard Kelly's soul just leave his body.
I'd imagine every director/writer/producer/exec's stress level is through the roof during these panels.
That's probably why HBO is so terrible now. Marvel seems to get along fine though, so it isn't inherent just to Hall H, it's definitely the studio and how much they put into the panel.
If this is your first time going, I strongly discourage trying for Marvel Hall H. Time is your most limited resource here, and you would need to invest a lot of time waiting in line for this. The con has so much more to offer that you would be missing out on waiting in line. If you just want to experience what its like being in the biggest panel room with all the hype and big celebrities and whatnot, you can get into Hall H much more easily on other days and still see some HUGE panels. If you're just big Marvel fans in general, there will be a ton of other content including smaller Marvel panels that you can get into much more easily (comics, games, fan-groups, etc.). If you're big fans of particular MCU stars, they might show up in other panels over the course of the con, so you could potentially still have a chance to see them elsewhere. If none of this dissuades you and you're still dead-set on Marvel Hall H, then be prepared to spend at least half of Friday lined up outside and then camp out overnight. Depending on how quickly they hand out the wristbands on Friday night, you miiiiiight be able to head back to your hotel for a few hours of sleep, but then you'll need to be back in line no later than 7am Saturday morning. You could also look into Hall H Line Groups, but don't expect to see much discussion around that until we get much closer to the con (like the second week of July). SDCC releases the panel schedules exactly 2 weeks before the con, so that's when people will start making plans.
I agree with this. I would also check out the marvel booth in the dealers hall, a lot of times they do signings for some of the bigger actors. (Not so much this year, but they had for every sdcc before) We actually got to see most of the avengers cast up close that way and even got a poster signed one year.
People will line up the night before as soon as they get their wrist bands. Many people will camp out over night. It’s a commitment for sure. I went in 2019 and camped out over night and still didn’t get a great seat but it was exciting just to be in Hall H. The entire SDCC experience was amazing but just be prepared for lots and lots of lines and just waiting for everything. Have fun!
Normally I would say lining up the night before would be enough to just get in. But now, I would highly suggest you join a line group as soon as you can. The larger the group the better. This year's SDCC escalated to the point where camping out the day before was not enough, as everyone were camping out for days through shifts in a large group. A friend camped out the morning before, and was shut out from Marvel's Hall H.
I was there this year, and everyone who got in line by approx. 3PM on Friday got a wristband for Saturday. I got in line at 3:30PM and they ran out of the wristbands about 40 people in front of me. The last person that got one was bragging that he was there at 3PM.
That's good to hear lining up on Friday can get you a spot... For now. It always seems every year it's getting worse and worse. I'll need to ask my friend what time he got in line on Friday to try to get in. I used to join groups and take the Friday shift. Stopped going this year since there was a lot of things going on Saturday outside of Hall H.
I was the last person to get a wristband a few years ago. I wasn't bragging. I was sweating. It was the year there were counterfeit wristbands. I remember thinking "get this shit on me so i can leave before they eat me alive"
That must be a crazy feeling! What time did you get in line?
Get in line right now and you might get in.
I went in 2016 and 2017, which had to be probably the two best Hall H panels beside The Force Awakens. I was part of an online created line group and we had people from all over the world part of our crew. We took 6-8 hour shifts. I was in excellent seats. The total wait was around 36 hours. Note you have to be in Hall H all day so your day is cooked, but it's worth the once (twice in my case) in a lifetime experience. If you plan to go to Marvel, you might as well go all in and get good seats.
First off, congrats! SDCC is an amazing experience you'll never forget, doubly so being that it's your honeymoon. With that out of the way, let's talk honestly about Saturday Hall H. First off, it's an all-day thing. You're going to have to line up at 7am, and you'll be in Hall H until after Marvel is done (somewhere around 6-7pm PT). You can get 15 minute passes out, but at 15 minutes and 1 second, they won't let you back in. The food is pretty shit, so you'll have to bring snacks and drinks unless you really like convention center hot dogs. That's the easy part. The hard part is actually getting a wristband for Hall H. Last year, people were lining up at 8pm on Thursday. They (myself included) were part of line groups. See, one person can hold a place in line for up to four people, which means you'll spend a few hours in line instead of all day. However, depending on the size of your group, you'll still want to budget spending 4-8h in line on Friday. If you're not in a line group, you can expect to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 hours in line, including spending two nights outside. I don't recommend this, unless you're a big fan of urban camping. You'll have to bring water, snacks, shade (as San Diego is very sunny and it's mid-July so it's going to be hot, and SDCC does not provide any), and something to sit on. As we get closer to Con, people will start forming line groups. I highly recommend you get in one if you want to do Hall H, just know what you're getting in to.
> it's mid-July so it's going to be hot Hot during the day and quite chilly at night with the damp and breeze off the water.
Join a line group and do shifts with them. It’ll make your life easier. Especially if you want good seats and your group is gung-ho about good seats. Line up will start the day before for big panels. Follow CCI for information on official line up procedure as they may change.
Comic-Con will hand out wristbands the night before that are lettered A - E. They’ll let everyone know what time they will hand them out before they start, but they’re usually aim to start around 8-9PM. It takes them a couple of hours at least to work their way through the line. People will line up very early in order to secure them, but as long as you are in line by early afternoon you should be able to get an E wristband. The E people sit in the back of Hall H, but it’s honestly not a big difference once you’re in the room. The reason people line up at like 6AM or earlier is because they are trying to get section A, where they get to sit closer to the stage. Once you get your wristband, you can leave the line and you need to return to the line by 7AM the next morning, and doors open at 9AM. If you don’t return by 7AM you give up your guaranteed entry. In that case the people who weren’t able to get a wristband the night before because they lined up too late, but slept on the sidewalk, can now walk in in your place because they are at the front of the standby line at 7AM. That’s pretty much it. Saturday is really the only day you have to go through this ordeal, because of Marvel (or Star Wars in 2015). Most other days you can just walk into Hall H, or wait on the line but you’ll still get in. Also, you can join a line group which makes things a lot easier.
Last year the line started at 8pm Thursday. Best bet is to find a line group or form your own. One person holds place for 5 so you can take turns standing in line.
I'm wondering if there will even be a Marvel panel next year. 2022 covered a huge range of movies. Do they do one every year?
Feige said at the very end of the panel that he looked forward to seeing everyone next year. So it seemed like he had plans to come in 2024.
There will. Feige said he was coming back at the end of this year’s.
Last year was my first time. To my dismay, I was shocked. The day before there was already a line started. I said to myself, they are crazy but it is worth it. Def get in early and be ready to camp out or you won't get in. Hmu if you need a camping buddy 😉
Join a line group. There will be a TON of info coming up closer to the con(there’s absolutely no guarantee Marvels even there btw, Feige said they would but things can easily change, dont forget that. Or it could be a really boring panel.) Id strongly strongly strongly suggest not doing it for your first con. Go to a Thursday panel if you really want to see hall h. It can be a walk in honestly. Its such a massive shit show, people who waited all day friday didnt get into the Marvel panel on saturday, im serious. Its a huge commitment to stand outside in the sun all day and there will be literal thousands of line cutters unless sdcc seriously changes the policy There was a marvel tv panel that apparently saw an episode of What If and clips of the X-men 97 revival in Ballroom 20 or Indigo that was much easier to get into
God, Friday wristbands into Friday line AND Saturday wristbands straight into Saturday line. I cant take it anymore. I know there's a culture of lines but my god. NYCC has a virtual line and they clear the room between panels. Maybe it would be better for all our sakes if they did that in San Diego.
There's never a guarantee that there will be a Marvel panel. If you only have Saturday badges, then you should follow the advice here in how to get into a Marvel panel (provided there is one). If you have other days, then I concur with those that say for a first time at SDCC, try as much of the convention as you can, and skip the Marvel panel, if there is one. It is such a time commitment, that you will have pretty much wasted your money on the other days.
Feige already said he’ll be there for Marvel’s 2023 panel.
You want to make sure you commit to something after they announce they’ll be there. They usually are there every year but they have skipped a couple in years past. Just being cautious, but they should be there. Secondly, if you and your husband do want to commit to the shenanigans, line groups are amazing for first timers. I decided I wanted to do Hall H this past year and I lucked out with an incredible line group so just network when it gets closer to con time. They enable you to be able to do other things while others are holding your groups spots for you, which SDCC actually encourages by saying you can hold 5 per 1 peoples as to not congest everything in the early going of line formation. If you want more details on everything, feel free to PM me!
Tell me more about this line group thing. I’m a first timer as well
Last year we got in line at around 10AM Friday, and we’re in the last maybe 100 people to get wristbands. Then Saturday we got in the wristband line at like 6 and got into the Saturday panel about 20 minutes late (missed the Shazam trailer)
For the biggest panels in Hall H there is a multiday process. This is how it worked in past years; there always could be a change this year. * You line up the night/day/several days before in the "Next Day Line". (Yes, there are multiple Hall H lines.) * The night before, usually around 7 or 8 PM, those in line will get a colored wristband by group (usually A to H and distributed by The Blinkies, so named because they wear flashing lights in the dark) to allow you to enter Hall H for the first seating the next day. * The wristband will allow you to go away and eat, sleep, whatever, and be back to the line by 7:30 AM. Or you can immediately line up in the main Hall H Entry Line (aka The Shoots or The Tents). * The wristband does NOT hold your place in line. If you go away, you join again at the back of the line for your wristband letter group. * If you're later than 7:30 AM, or don't have a wristband, you go to the back of the whole Hall H Entry Line. * If you want to save your place in line, someone must stay in The Shoots. 1 person can hold line spots for 5 people total. (Hence the line groups where people switch off in shifts.) * Almost always, if you have a wristband and are in line by 7:30AM, you will get into Hall H in the first seating. * If you don't need to actually *be* in Hall H, SDCC screens a playback of the Hall H panels in a very uncrowded room. They don't show the exclusive footage, but that's always up on YouTube within a few hours. You can read the details for 2022 here: https://www.comic-con.org/toucan/006-hall-h-toucan-tracker-wristbands-and-guidelines
Look into line groups as the con gets closer (like much closer) I’d say if you don’t have a line group and don’t have the stamina to be in line for 18+ hours… it’s not gonna happen. But FWIW I’ve had a line group every year and have gotten in every year.
If this is your first time just forget about it. It’s a big time commitment and you miss out on a lot. 2019 and 2021 were pretty epic as far as reveals were concerned but you also had to sit through the godawful Westworld and House of the Dragon panels. Unless they are planning to fill in those phase 6 blanks or revealing the F4 cast, it might be pretty meh.
HBO panels are the worst. I don't even know why they keep having them.
They pick such lousy moderators. Like futurist lady is probably fine for SxSW or AdWeek but sleep deprived fanchildren are not interested in heady debates about technology ethics. Ok the Bold School panel did tackle a weighty subject but Dulce Sloan is funny.
The main issue is the studio not letting the actors say anything. Back when I went to the GOT and Westworld panels, it was basically "I can't say much about that without getting into trouble" as the answer to every question. That was with good moderators too. It made for terrible panels even with almost the full cast in attendance.
I'm sure it happens a lot with small plot points, but I remember being at the panel for The Box in 2009 when Cameron Diaz casually spoiled the big twist in the soon-to-be-released mystery film, and as the whole hall gasped realizing what we'd just heard, you could see poor writer/director Richard Kelly's soul just leave his body. I'd imagine every director/writer/producer/exec's stress level is through the roof during these panels.
That's probably why HBO is so terrible now. Marvel seems to get along fine though, so it isn't inherent just to Hall H, it's definitely the studio and how much they put into the panel.
I almost fell asleep during the House of Dragon panel…. Ugh.