COLUMBIA, S.C. (August 20, 2024) – Soda City Comic Con returns to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center for the signature annual event’s ninth installment August 24 – 25
The region’s premier celebration of comic and pop culture entertainment features two days of celebrity guests, panel discussions, cosplay, competitions, games, vendors, activities and more that the whole family can enjoy.
This year’s schedule features appearances by television and film guests Peter Cullen, who has famously voiced Optimus Prime, Eeyore, King Kong and Predator among many other notable roles over the years, Khary Payton (The Walking Dead, General Hospital, Teen Titans, etc.) and Sam Witwer, whose work includes extensive participation in the Star Wars franchise, as well as roles on Dexter, Once Upon a Time, Being Human, Battlestar Galactica, Supergirl, Smallville, Riverdale and more. Appearances by prominent voice and anime actors for shows and video games like The Transformers, G.I. Joe, the Star Wars franchise, X-Men, X-Men ’97, Rugrats, Red Dead Redemption II, Assassin’s Creed 3 and Fallout 4 include Michael Bell, Matthew Waterson, Matthew Wood, Cal Dodd, Adrian Hough, Alison Sealy-Smith, Lenore Zann, Roger Clark and Gui Agustini. You can catch them for panel discussions and meet and greets throughout the weekend.
Previous special guest appearances over the years have included Sean Astin, Summer Glau, Michael Rooker, Kathy Najimy, Mike Colter and Ray Park, just to name a few. Participation from these guests have added clout to the event and paved the way for increasingly recognizable lineups year after year.
Donald Brock, managing member of Soda City Comic Con, LLC and owner of Columbia Comics, stresses to locals that if they have a desire to meet some of these big names right here in their hometown, this is the opportunity to do so.
Attendees can also enjoy the state’s largest pop-up arcade with more than 50 pinball and arcade machines set on free play, vendors and artists representing ten different states, a Retro Reaction vintage video game room with original systems from Nintendo and Sony, Little Flippers kids’ tournaments and a John Wick heads-up challenge. Brand new this year is the VR Villa, where guests can experience the latest in virtual reality at no additional cost. Despite the growth in both size and scope of the event, organizers are always looking at new features to enhance the visitor experience while maintaining ticket prices. The complete schedule of events, floorplan and exhibitor list and additional information about the various contests and attractions can all be found on the Soda City Comic Con website.
Soda City Comic Con has taken place at the CMCC since its inception in 2015 and has since grown to become the center’s largest recurring event. Having started with using just the building’s Exhibit Hall space, the event expanded into more meeting rooms each year, ultimately utilizing the entire facility beginning in 2022 and even having to turn away vendors due to a lack of space. Of the 8,500 unique tickets sold last year, 18 – 20% came from out of town. The continued success of this homegrown event and growing demand for such experiences is further evidenced by the introduction of Coastal Con in Wilmington, NC, and Boardwalk Con in Myrtle Beach, each of which are also managed by the Soda City Comic Con organizers.
“Soda City Comic Con is such a fun event because of the passion of both the organizers and the attendees. Visitors line up outside the door prior to opening for the weekend, many of them in elaborate costumes, which creates a palpable energy and excitement that amplifies with each passing year,” said Sarah Britt, the CMCC’s director of sales. “Events that support any type of hobby foster such comradery and community because for every attendee, this is how they enjoy themselves in their spare time and they thrive in this environment filled with people who are just as passionate about a shared interest. It really emphasizes that sense of belonging that is one of the irreplaceable assets of an in-person event.”
For ticketing and additional event information, please visit www.sodacitycomiccon.com. To request media access to the event, please refer to the “How do I apply for a press badge” tab on the FAQ page found here.
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About Soda City Comic Con:
Soda City Comic Con is the premier pop culture event in the Midlands, combining comic and pop culture entertainment with anime, toys, celebrity guests and traditional/electronic games. We aim to create a safe and exciting space for everyone to enjoy their personal fandom. For more information, please visit www.sodacitycomiccon.com.
About the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center:
Centrally located in South Carolina's historic capital city, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (CMCC) is South Carolina’s only downtown convention center and is in the middle of a vibrant, urban scene with dynamite eats, world-class attractions, breweries and a never-ending roster of festivals and live music. Built in 2004, CMCC is a 142,500 square foot facility that includes a 16,700 square foot ballroom, 18,560 square feet of meeting space that can be broken into up to 19 different spaces, and a 23,700 square foot column-less exhibit hall. For more information, please visit www.columbiaconventioncenter.com.