San Diego Comic-Con is celebrating it's 50th year this year and last minute preparations are underway inside and outside of the San Diego Convention Center as the four day extravaganza gets set to kick off tomorrow with "preview" night.
Thousands of people attend the annual event now, compared to the first gathering which took place in the basement of a local hotel in 1979. Comic Con's first full day begins Thursday and runs through Sunday.
David Glanzer started attending Comic Con as a fan back in the late 70's. He now handles media for the event. He talks to KOGO's Cliff Albert about the early years, the 50th edition of the Con and what the the future holds for San Diego's largest convention.
Listen to the interview below:
Photo Credit: Brenda Lipton
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Just because you aren't holding one of those prized Comic-Con passes doesn't mean you can't be a part of the fun. There are a number of free activations taking place outside of the convention center and if you're not afraid of standing in line, you can be a part of the fun.
Here are some things you can do for free.
There's also plenty of people watching to be done. You will see a lot of people participating in cosplay dressed as their favorite characters and they are more than willing to take photos. And, if someone looks very familiar, chances are it really could be a Hollywood star as many are know to walk the streets of the Gaslamp. If you've got a good eye, you can also catch many celebrities as they enter or exit their hotels.
Here and Here are some of our favorite photos from last year's event.
How can you get down to the San Diego Convention Center easily? The Metropolitan Transit System will be adding extra trolleys to the schedule to help fans avoid the mess on the roads. There's more information here. It's also again selling commemorative trolley passes. Also, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner is adding cars to its schedule.