Free beer at Comic-Con

16 JULY 2014

If ever I found a blog post title that was clickbait, it's this one. But it's no lie: a bunch of sponsors are throwing Beer Bust at Comic-Con and the first 400 beers are free.

Overall it sounds like a fun time. Here's who's sponsoring this shindig: Technicolor, Nickelodean, Starburns Industries, Summit Talent & Literary Agency and One Plus Hub.


What: 6th Annual Beer Bust @ Comic-Con

When: Thursday, 24 July - 6-9 pm

Where: The Yard House (the Keg Room) - 1023 4th Ave, San Diego

Cost: Free

RSVP: None

Purpose: Hang out and "enjoy the worldwide animation community that will come together for this fantastic event." And drink the free 400 beers, of course.


I like an event that is completely unpretentious. I'm picturing the ambience of a high school keg party, but without the Solo cups and with famous animators and literary agents playing Quarters. Okay, it'll probably be nothing like that, but it does sound like a fun and laidback way to wrap up your first day at the Con.

San Diego Comic-Con on a budget

13 JULY 2013


As you peruse the many doings around Comic-Con next week, you'll begin to notice a theme. Dead Central's cool haunted house ghost hunt will set you back $60-100. Trickster's Symposia $40. The Walking Dead Fan Meet-up is $45. The Final Fantasy Concert, up to $89. 

This can feel kind of gutting if you already spent most of your scratch on plane fare, hotel and badge, and aren't even sure how you'll afford your meals. But there's a lot to do around the Con that's free - and despite all the spendy events you hear about, I'm guessing most attendees save their money for the Exhibit Hall anyhow.

Here's what's free at Comic Con.


Trickster is free (except for the Symposium) and well worth visiting.

So are all the numerous screenings at the Con - film festivals, anime, Star Trek Episodes, Spike and Mike. Really, there is something for everyone.

Night events at the Con. Trivia game shows, that Cosmos airing that I would totally be at if I didn't have plans Saturday night, Kevin Smith, mixers, the Chris Gore podcast - CCI has really stepped up and provided good programming for the after-dinner hours.

Gaming events. Lots of them. Break Invaders at Dick's Last Resort, Team Shifty and the Pac-Man Project Gaming Event at the Hilton Gaslamp, the XBox Gaming Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the Assassin's Creed IV Pirate Ship docked behind the Con, the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the Marriott Marquis. Even GamrCon tickets start at an affordable $16

And there's the Ender's Game Experience on the lawn by the Hilton, the Adult Swim Fun House in the Petco Parking Lot, and the History Channel’s Vikings Interactive Waterway in the  parking lot at 450 Second Ave. 

World's End is hosting a bar crawl for fans on Wednesday afternoon, starting at the Commons. Some attendees will receive tickets to a World's End party that night.

MTV2 is throwing a party for all badge-holders on Thursday. That's their wording - "badge-holder." I never know if that means you can wave your barcode confirmation for Saturday under their nose and get in or if you actually have to already have your badge. Anyhow, it's live music, free food and a one-hour special of Teen Wolf.

The Superhero Party at Side Bar – 9:00 pm at 536 Market Street – is free if you dress as a superhero.

The Lady Geeks’ Thursday Night Mixer in the Hyatt Grand Lobby Bar (remember when that was the place to be?) is free.

You can see the first episode of Michael Bay's pirate drama Black Sails  Thursday night, 8:30 pm, at Reading Cinemas at 701 5th Ave as long as you RSVP.

Ditto on the RSVP for the free Animation Under The Sea Party - 7:00 pm-9:00 pm at Joe’s Crab Shack at 525 E Harbor Dr. RSVP  

As noted earlier, you can go to the Petco Star Wars Yappy Hour at the Hotel Indigo from 4:00 - 7:00 for free AND get a free drink if you wear your best Wookie outfit.

The Freaks and Geeks Party is free at 8:00 pm on Friday at Taste & Thirst on 4th Ave. 

Not counting the cost of your get-up, Saturday's Zombie Walk is free and fun. 6:15pm check-in time at Children’s Park (Island between Front & First) .

Psych the Musical is airing Wednesday at Reading Cinemas at midnight but you must RSVP.

Although I know some of you have complicated feelings about Felicia Day, Geek and Sundry is open to all at Jolt'n Joe's every day. I think a few events might be invite-only but by and large, you can drop by. The Community party is Friday night at 8.

As far as swag goes, I think we can all admit our Comic-Con benefactors aren't as generous as they used to be. I remember when panel t-shirts were de rigeur. Now you get a ticket for a mystery gift, and walk all the way to the Marriott fulfillment room to be handed a cheap tiny flashlight that doesn't work. But there will still be plenty of swag handed out. A few things:

Adult Swim will be giving free mini-massages at their booth #3721. Is that creepy? Probably a little for the massage therapists who have to touch sweaty Comic Con attendees.

The Adult Swim Funhouse in the Petco Park parking lot is giving out  a free custom live screen printed t-shirt to anyone who "survives" the fun house. 

And if you donate blood at the Omni, you get a swag bag full of goodies, including a True Blood t-shirt. 

Petco is handing out Yoga dog ears at #2913. Expect to get really sick of seeing these bobbing around the Con.


Finally, there's free food to be had at the Elder Scrolls Online Food Truck at Park Boulevard and Imperial Ave on Thursday from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm. Free Eidarmelt sandwiches with a choice of dipping sauces accompanied with Tangy Ninroot, Corkbulb Crisps and Alocasia Fruit Juice and frozen yogurt. 

Do you know anything else that's free? Post it in the comments.

Swag and Freebies

19 JULY 2011


Again, if you know anything good, post it in the comments.


Warner Bros. is bringing 130,000 giant Con bags featuring different shows from Supernatural to Fringe to Vampire Diaries. For the first time, the bags convert into a backpack, which is a cool trick. They'll have the usual people passing them out on the floor but you can also visit booth 4545.


Hit up Macy's at Horton Plaza on Friday between noon and 6 pm for 10,000 free chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of Doubletree.

Discovery Channel is giving away Shark Week bags on the street. In a world of free bags, these rank high.

The River pilot on Friday (2:15, room 6a) is giving away "a Comic Con exclusive" which is most likely a t-shirt.

Fox is giving away mini-posters on shows like Fringe, Glee, Terra Nova, Bones, The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc.

Not actually swag, but a raffle: Dark Horse is giving away $500 of free digital comics every day. Come to their booth at 2615 to enter every day from 9:30 - 10:00 am.

Friday's NCIS panel is distributing free t-shirts. So is the panel for Bones.

ABC is giving away flight bags (not regular Con bags - these retail for $89) at their Pan-Am booth 3921. This booth has a Pan Am 1960's replica first class cabin and if you visit, you're given a boarding pass and flight time to come back and watch a preview of the show. If you've never heard of it, it stars Christina Ricci and is about pilots and flight attendants in the 1960's. Mad Men in the sky, I'm guessing.

The Lost Girl panel is distributing free prequel comic books to everyone who attends the panel. Which is on Friday at 7:30 pm in 24ABC. This is the Syfy version of the Canadian show about a bisexual succubus.

WB is giving away a ton of stuff. To start: "several" Swords of Omen from Thundercats. Enter at their booth, 4545. They're also giving away - I am not making this up - a Tweety Bird-brand Volkswagen bug. Presumably you can have the Tweety Bird painted over.

Also from WB: playing cards, puzzle cubes, Lt. Jim Gordon replica eyeglasses, collectible salt shakers from Supernatural, and Vampire Diaries Blood Bag water bottles, Fringe luggage tags, Harry Potter pins, and WB scavenger hunt cards. All of which will be showcased by a 30 foot Warner Bros. water tower, with giant mirrors and movie star portraits dangling above the peasants, and the second floor of the booth surrounded by a ring of fire. Probably Siegfried and Roy will pop out at some point with their tigers.

You can get a free 30 Days of Night trade by handing in a Twilight book at the IDW booth, #2643. Recycling at its finest.

Cirque de Soleil is performing for free Thursday night at Petco Park. "KÀ is a gravity-defying production featuring an innovative blend of high-flying feats, puppetry, projections and martial arts. KÀ unfolds on a custom-built, colossal, 360-degree rotating stage which forms the backdrop for this cinematic journey of aerial adventure and perpendicular acrobatics." I saw this in Vegas and couldn't describe it anymore coherently than that. If you're a Cirque de Soleil person, you'll like it.

The CBS booth is offering Enterprise bottle opener key chains, Star Trek wrist bands, NCIS phone skins, 2 Broke Girls sharpies and change purses and various DVD sets. I'm guessing some of these will be raffled.

The Ringer panel is giving away quite a bit, including custom Ringer stools and the chance to win a 3-night stay in a luxurious suite during Comic Con 2011. That's what the press release says, anyhow, but since everyone is already is on the line for their hotel bill this year, I'm not sure how that works. Anyway, another 100 people will get signed posters of the cast. The panel is at 1:45 Thursday in Ballroom 20.

CBS is holding a sweepstakes to give away 5 "Person of Interest" iPads. See their booth 4129 for details.

The Nintendo Gaming Lounge (San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott) is giving away Pokémon AR marker cards and pins, Pokémon cinch sacks, Pokédex 3D T-shirts, Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Cards, and downloadable treasure maps for Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.