On the final day of WonderCon 2015, Comic-Con International revealed that WonderCon is moving to Los Angeles… at least for a year.
The news first broke on San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial blog, which reported on a WonderCon Talkback panel in which a Comic-Con official confirmed the move. A follow-up report at Nerdist indicates that WonderCon 2016 will take place from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27, 2016.
Additionally, the Comic-Con official revealed that WonderCon’s contract with the Los Angeles Convention Center is only for a single year, which potentially leaves the door open for the convention to return to Anaheim in 2017. The rumored reason for the move to Los Angeles is the planned renovations to the Anaheim Convention Center which prevented Comic-Con officials from landing the dates that they wanted in 2016.
From 1987 to 2002, WonderCon took place annually in Oakland before moving to San Francisco in 2003. In 2012, WonderCon moved to Anaheim.
Comic-Con International also owns and operates the San Diego Comic-Con International, which is rumored to be considering options beyond San Diego because the planned Convention Center expansion was killed last year. Los Angeles and Anaheim are two of the leading contenders to land Comic-Con International if it leaves San Diego.
Downtown Los Angeles has lacked a major comic convention since Wizard World abandoned it in 2011. Stan Lee’s Comikaze is a much smaller comic convention that takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center every fall, but it is more pop culture oriented and it pales in comparison to WonderCon’s scale.
Where is the best home for WonderCon? Share your opinion in the comment section below!
