For the first time since 2019,
comma gone back in full force and the
excitement can be seen all over downtown.
Good afternoon.
Welcome to the four I'm Heather Myers.
I'm Carlo Chicago.
Today was the first full day
of the four day event.
Hundreds of thousands of people
are expected to pass through the
Convention Center and surrounding areas.
BC Shannon Handy is in the middle of it all.
She joins us live downtown
with more on the crowds.
And of course this huge
economic boost to San Diego.
I see that you are dressed as
a superhero reporter, Shannon.
Of course, I'm always a superhero
reporter and superhero mom,
just like you are and Carlo is a
superhero dad to say that people
are excited is an understatement.
You have the diehard Comic Con goers,
you know those people who have been coming
for years and then you have the first timers.
I don't think these guys are first timers.
Take a look at these costumes behind me.
There is a lot of activity not
just inside the Convention Center,
but as you can see outside as well.
Either way, everyone is happy
to finally have Comic Con.
Back in person.
I'm so glad Comic Con is back.
Last year they had a mini Comic Con,
but it wasn't the real deal.
We love it. It looks like it's
bigger than ever and we've been
waiting like 2-3 years for it,
so just waiting patiently and here we are.
I just love seeing everybody's
enthusiasm and effort.
They put into stuff and everyone
just interacting have a good time.
A little history for you.
Comic Con started back in 1970
with just a few 100 attendees.
This year, 135,000 tickets were sold,
but even if you're not going to the event,
you can still come downtown
and be a part of it.
You guys just saw that in my live shot,
you simply walked down the street.
You check out all the people in their
costumes and there's all these pop
up activities pretty much everywhere
you look economically that's bringing
millions of dollars to the area,
both from hotel stays and what
people are spending at stars stores
at his bars and restaurants.
In terms of tax revenue for the city in 2019,
the last time Comic-Con was in person,
it brought in $3.2 million
in hotel and sales tax alone.
Money that those folks are spending
in those restaurants and in those
shops is money that stays here in
San Diego and it's money that Steven
and I used to pave our streets.
How's our homeless?
Pay our police officers do this
stuff that San Diegans count on they
depend on and expect from our city.
And back out here live again.
Comic Con runs through Sunday.
If you plan to come downtown,
your best bet is public transportation.
Perhaps consider taking an
Uber or a Lyft or the trolley,
because as you can see,
it's very crowded.
Some of the streets are closed.
And let me tell you guys,
the parking is expensive.
I saw a lot down the way,
which was charging $80.00 and
normally it would not be that much.
I want to show you guys something else.
This is the backpack that attendees get.
Some of my favorite characters,
so if you're wondering what was on my back.
Every person that is attending
Comic Con who has a ticket gets
one of these really cool backpacks.
They put their swag in there
and keep it year round.
And then I wanna spin you around
and show you some more costumes
because I mean I'm telling you guys,
everywhere you look you have people
like this just walking up and down the
street like this is a normal thing,
right?
You dress like this year round,
you're excited.
Yeah, of course, I'm excited.
It's avatar the airbender.
Been like three years or so,
yeah, too much time.
Well you guys look great,
have so much fun.
And you know what?
And thank you
for putting smiles on people.
This is because these characters people
stop them all day long to ask for photos,
and they're all really, really patient,
so it actually takes a lot of effort
to come down here and dress up like
these characters have done today
and for the rest of the weekend.
Lots of sites to see very
obvious people in costumes.
Not as obvious.
We know there's an intense
security effort down there.
What are you seeing down
there in terms of that?
Is it noticeable?
You know what Carlo?
Obviously there's gonna be some undercover
operations which we are not told about,
but take a look behind me.
You can see the San Diego Police Department
has something set-up in the median there,
and there are cameras on top of it.
And that's not the only one down here.
There's a command post just down the street.
We've seen officers on bicycles pretty much
everywhere you look there is security,
but again, there's a lot of undercover
stuff which we are not entitled to.
That information, you know,
San Diego Police Department.
They do work.
With other law enforcement agencies
to ensure this is a safe event,
obviously with what has happened
in the past during large events,
it's a concern for many people.
But San Diego Police tells us they are
on top of this and their number one tip
is if you see something say something.
So if you see anything odd,
make sure you find one of those closed
officers and say something so that
everyone is safe here this weekend.
Yeah, you're surrounded by heroes,
but those are the real
superheroes of this event.
I'm just trying to find out
who's the evil villain that's
charging $80.00 to park.
You know, I mean,
everything is up these days.
Heather inflation, you know,
you go to the store eggs or more,
making up for missed years.
Parking is more totally right I guess.
But that's why I'm telling you take the
trolley or divide an Uber with friends.
Or I guess if you're
going to park in ADR lot,
make sure everyone in your
car gives you money for that.
You know four people in your car.
20 bucks a person that.
But when you have kids like I do,
I can't really ask them for money.
Sure
you can. That's what a super
mom would do. Thanks, Shannon.