Weekend: Comic-Con Brings the Pop-Culture Zing

The panels, the movie sneak peeks, the masquerade, and all of those costumes deliver the dazzle, in San Diego.

What to Know

  • July 19 through July 22, 2018
  • San Diego Convention Center
  • Around 130,000 people have attended annually in recent years

Comic-Con International: Dropping a few superlatives into everyday conversation? Easy to do. But there probably aren't enough ways to talk about how supernormous this pop culture convention has become. Attendance has topped 130,000 in recent years, big studios give big movie peeks, major actors appear at the pack of panels (often as a surprise), and the buy-merch opportunities can seem as big a Metropolis, or the Death Star, or the huge genre-cool thing of your choice. The Saturday Masquerade, with its elaborate costumes, is a fan favorite. It's all bringing the pop, wow, and zing to San Diego Convention Center through Sunday, July 22.

Big Sing California: Singing? It's as free as your favorite free thing (a compliment, a breeze, sunshine). But getting to sing at a major come-together event, inside Walt Disney Concert Hall, isn't always a pay-nothing affair for those who find warbling winning. But on Saturday, July 21, Southern Californians will raise their voices in harmony in DTLA while participating in a larger, across-the-Golden-State spectacular. Also crooning along with you, at the same time, from their various cities? People who call San Diego, Riverside, Fresno, Sacramento, and San Francisco home. It's cool, the song list is sassy, and the info starts here.

Westside Food + Wine Festival: Perusing 15 food vendors, and over 25 teams pouring wine and spirits, and enjoying live music while you stroll, chat, and nosh? It's a grand afternoon out at West LA College in Culver City, where this fundraiser for Meals on Wheels will alight, with flavor, joy, big chefs, and a bright outlook on both Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22. That's right: It is happening on two days, not just one, with the likes of Border Grill, Panini Kabob, and Red Shoe Cakes serving up the spicy/savory/num-num delights. Tickets? They run from $75 to $190; begin here.

Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals: A wee wiener dog, the kind with the flappy ears, the close-to-the-ground legs, and those delightful Dachshund doe eyes? Goodness, our hearts are instantly tugged by the thought. And the thought of some 90 Doxies running with dogged determination at Los Alamitos Race Course on Saturday, July 21, all for glory and cuddles, tugs it even further. You can meet the cuties, too, so that's a bonus. Bigger bonus: This event helps pups in need. An adult ticket is $3, young people under 17 are free. 

Candytopia: Getting to the center of a sweet? Finding the caramel at the middle of your chocolate? Such a definitive moment can mean that your candy is coming to an end. And, yes, even pop-up experiences inspired by our love of candy have to eventually end, too — "pop-up" is the giveaway — and the sweet Santa Monica candy-themed pop-up is pulling up stakes (er, we mean lollipops sticks, of course). The final day is Sunday, July 22, you'll want to buy a ticket before you go, to make sure you can get in, and, yes, that giant pool of faux marshmallows is there for you to "swim" through, for snapshot purposes (and fun).

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